Great Dixter (360 images)
-
Topiary Lawn, Great Dixter
-
Topiary Lawn, Great Dixter
-
Tulips, The Hovel, Great Dixter, early May
-
Brick path, Great Dixter
-
Cat Garden, Great Dixter
-
Euphorbia griffithii 'Dixter'
-
Euphorbia griffithii 'Dixter'
-
Tulip 'West Point'
-
Papaver dubium subsp. lecoqii var. albiflorum
-
Papaver dubium subsp. lecoqii var. albiflorum
-
Wall Garden, Great Dixter
-
Lutyens steps, Great Dixter
-
Camassia cusickii
-
Camassia cusickii
-
Peacock Topiary Garden, Great Dixter
-
Peacock Topiary Garden, Great Dixter
-
Peacock Topiary Garden, Great Dixter
-
Espalier pear
-
Gunnera manicata Elaeagnus 'Quicksilver'
-
Elaeagnus 'Quicksilver'
-
Elaeagnus 'Quicksilver'
-
Great Dixter
-
-
Lettuce 'Chartwell'
-
Spinach 'Perpetual'
-
Globe artichoke 'Gros Camus de Bretagne'
-
Great Dixter
-
Leucanthemum vulgare
-
Allium christophii
-
Astrantia major 'Alba'
-
Astrantia major 'Alba' and Allium christophii
-
Topiary archway, Great Dixter
-
![Nepeta kubanica, early June. "A handsome, rugged perennial catmint with an upright habit…taller, bolder and more dramatic than Nepeta subsessilis. Green, deeply veined and conspicuously serrated lance-shaped leaves hang off a columnar body, above which stand chunky spikes of violet-blue flowers, densely arranged in tightly packed whorls and held in dark calyxes. The flowers are typically hooded and lobed, and slightly speckled in the throat. Loved by bees…Origins: Moldova and the Caucasus." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Gardens Illustrated magazine, June 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000wRbBSDMSbMQ/t/125/I0000wRbBSDMSbMQ.jpg)
Nepeta kubanica
-
![Nepeta kubanica, early June. "A handsome, rugged perennial catmint with an upright habit…taller, bolder and more dramatic than Nepeta subsessilis. Green, deeply veined and conspicuously serrated lance-shaped leaves hang off a columnar body, above which stand chunky spikes of violet-blue flowers, densely arranged in tightly packed whorls and held in dark calyxes. The flowers are typically hooded and lobed, and slightly speckled in the throat. Loved by bees…Origins: Moldova and the Caucasus." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Gardens Illustrated magazine, June 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000NzCU2c9Y53g/t/125/I0000NzCU2c9Y53g.jpg)
Nepeta kubanica
-
Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
-
Geranium 'Orion'
-
Geranium 'Orion'
-
Meconopsis cambrica
-
Meconopsis cambrica
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
![Rosa 'Florence Mary Morse', Great Dixter, early June.<br />
"Bred in 1951 by Reimer Kordes, a German breeder who was also responsible for ‘Iceberg’, one of the most successful roses of all time. Has raggedy, somewhat messy, open-centred, semi-double flowers, and lacks the heavenly scent expected of old roses. Nevertheless, it more than makes up for its flaws with abundant clusters of rich pillarbox-red flowers produced repeatedly over the summer and autumn. Slightly stiff in habit, it mixes well with other ingredients and in Great Dixter’s famous Long Border, it is the only permanent plant to be repeated four times – a true testament to its qualities. <br />
<br />
Height/spread 2m x 1.5m.<br />
Origins W Kordes & Sons. Cross between ‘Chateau’ and ‘Magnifica’.<br />
Conditions Best in full sun in good soil.<br />
Hardiness rating RHS H4.<br />
Season June – November." [Gardens Illustrated magazine, May 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000LJabXsaRDUY/t/125/I0000LJabXsaRDUY.jpg)
Rosa 'Florence Mary Morse'
-
![Rosa 'Florence Mary Morse', Great Dixter, early June.<br />
"Bred in 1951 by Reimer Kordes, a German breeder who was also responsible for ‘Iceberg’, one of the most successful roses of all time. Has raggedy, somewhat messy, open-centred, semi-double flowers, and lacks the heavenly scent expected of old roses. Nevertheless, it more than makes up for its flaws with abundant clusters of rich pillarbox-red flowers produced repeatedly over the summer and autumn. Slightly stiff in habit, it mixes well with other ingredients and in Great Dixter’s famous Long Border, it is the only permanent plant to be repeated four times – a true testament to its qualities. <br />
<br />
Height/spread 2m x 1.5m.<br />
Origins W Kordes & Sons. Cross between ‘Chateau’ and ‘Magnifica’.<br />
Conditions Best in full sun in good soil.<br />
Hardiness rating RHS H4.<br />
Season June – November." [Gardens Illustrated magazine, May 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000nq7C9r.n4uU/t/125/I0000nq7C9r.n4uU.jpg)
Rosa 'Florence Mary Morse'
-
Hesperis matronalis
-
Long Border, Great Dixter
-
![Papaver commutatum 'Ladybird', early June. "A dazzling poppy that is easy to grow. Decorated throughout with fine hairs, it has blue-green dissected leaves and sinewy stems, crooked at the neck, dangling fat buds that straighten upright before splitting open, unfurling thin, silky, cupped flowers of rich pillar-box red. Each petal is highlighted at its base with a distinct broad black blotch. Direct sow outside in spring or into pots in October, prick out when young, overwinter under glass and plant out the following year." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Gardens Illustrated magazine, May 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000rP9TI_1nHaE/t/125/I0000rP9TI_1nHaE.jpg)
Papaver commutatum 'Ladybird'
-
Erigeron karvinskianus
-
Erigeron karvinskianus
-
Erigeron karvinskianus
-
Erigeron karvinskianus
-
Erigeron karvinskianus
-
Lutyens steps, Great Dixter
-
Dactylorhiza fuchsii
-
Dactylorhiza fuchsii
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
Orchard Meadow, Great Dixter
-
Silene coeli-rosa 'Blue Angel'
-
![Helipterum roseum 'Pirouette' (syn. Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea), end June. "A delicate everlasting daisy, ideal for cutting and drying but also worthwhile in the garden, used either in pots or integrated among other border ingredients. The flowers have translucent white, crisp, papery petals in multiple rows forming ragged discs 2cm across, each offset by a charming yellow-rimmed black eye. These are held on long, stiff, upright stems dressed in short linear grey leaves. Cheerful during the day, the flowers shut into neat globes by night before opening again the next morning. Sown outside in hot climates, but in the UK they're best if sown under glass in March, pricked out into trays, and planted out in May. Origin: A native of Australia." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, July 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000nX8JiLxJeKQ/t/125/I0000nX8JiLxJeKQ.jpg)
Helipterum roseum 'Pirouette'
-
![Helipterum roseum 'Pirouette' (syn. Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea), end June. "A delicate everlasting daisy, ideal for cutting and drying but also worthwhile in the garden, used either in pots or integrated among other border ingredients. The flowers have translucent white, crisp, papery petals in multiple rows forming ragged discs 2cm across, each offset by a charming yellow-rimmed black eye. These are held on long, stiff, upright stems dressed in short linear grey leaves. Cheerful during the day, the flowers shut into neat globes by night before opening again the next morning. Sown outside in hot climates, but in the UK they're best if sown under glass in March, pricked out into trays, and planted out in May. Origin: A native of Australia." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, July 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000gRAoljs3wOE/t/125/I0000gRAoljs3wOE.jpg)
Helipterum roseum 'Pirouette'
-
Rosa 'Mrs Oakley Fisher'
-
Rosa 'Chanelle'
-
Common spotted orchids, Great Dixter
-
Wildflowers in Topiary Lawn, Great Dixter
-
Topiary Lawn, Great Dixter
-
Matthiola incana 'Beauty Of Nice'
-
Matthiola incana 'Beauty Of Nice'
-
Matthiola incana 'Beauty Of Nice'
-
Pelargonium 'Ardens'
-
Pelargonium 'Ardens'
-
![Verbascum 'Christo's Yellow Lightning' in front of white Orlaya grandiflora, early June. "An impressive short-lived perennial, which is possibly a hybrid between Verbascum speciosum and Verbascum chaixii. Discovered in the stockbeds at Great Dixter...Won a unanimous AGM at the plant trials at Wisley where it was unrivalled for its spectacular chunky flower spikes." [Fergus Garrett]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000PhCfyS6vazo/t/125/I0000PhCfyS6vazo.jpg)
Verbascum 'Christo's Yellow Lightning'
-
![Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen', early June. "Attractive grey-green, broadly divided leaves and long graceful stems supporting forward-facing pale lemon flowers. The species in its native southwestern United States is pollinated by long-tongued hawk moths, able to reach into the backswept spurs containing the nectar. 'Yellow Queen' flowers for longer than most columbines...Reliably perennial but tires with age." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Gardens Illustrated magazine, May 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000H_yQIgX9Cm4/t/125/I0000H_yQIgX9Cm4.jpg)
Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen'
-
Phlox paniculata 'Norah Leigh'
-
Lettuce 'Roman Ruby Hybrid'
-
Lettuce 'Roman Ruby Hybrid'
-
Lettuce 'Forellenschluss'
-
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
-
Mulberry
-
Yew topiary
-
Yew topiary
-
Yew topiary
-
Clerodendrum bungei
-
Red Admiral butterfly
-
Malus baccata var. mandshurica
-
Malus baccata var. mandshurica
-
Argyranthemum 'Jamaica Primrose'
-
Kniphofia 'Bees' Lemon'
-
Eupatorium cannabinum 'Flore Pleno'
-
Eupatorium cannabinum 'Flore Pleno'
-
Helianthus 'Capenoch Star'
-
Helianthus 'Capenoch Star'
-
Grindelia robusta
-
Helenium 'Rauchtopas'
-
Helenium 'Rauchtopas'
-
Dahlia 'Witteman's Superba'
-
Dahlia 'Charlie Dimmock'
-
Dahlia 'Charlie Dimmock'
-
Pear espalier
-
Pear espalier
-
Pear espalier
-
Pear espalier
-
Crab apple
-
Crab apple
-
Crab apple
-
Zinnia elegans 'Zowie Yellow Flame'
-
![Cotoneaster horizontalis, mid October. "Much underrated, this is the most spectacular of all cotoneasters. Deciduous, with a low centre of gravity, and with great, flat, fan-like branches that spread horizontally. These are decorated in herringbone twigs dotted with small, dark-green, broadly oval, keeled leaves that alternate along opposite rows. The May flowers are small and white-blushed pink, and are inconspicuous until the hum of bees makes you stop. Abundant, bright-red fruit follows, creating a warming glow in October, and lasts until devoured by blackbirds. Deep crimson autumn colour adds to the show before leaves drop to reveal the most elegant of skeletons ... Origin: China." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000AXBo9tXyj_Y/t/125/I0000AXBo9tXyj_Y.jpg)
Cotoneaster horizontalis
-
![Cotoneaster horizontalis, mid October. "Much underrated, this is the most spectacular of all cotoneasters. Deciduous, with a low centre of gravity, and with great, flat, fan-like branches that spread horizontally. These are decorated in herringbone twigs dotted with small, dark-green, broadly oval, keeled leaves that alternate along opposite rows. The May flowers are small and white-blushed pink, and are inconspicuous until the hum of bees makes you stop. Abundant, bright-red fruit follows, creating a warming glow in October, and lasts until devoured by blackbirds. Deep crimson autumn colour adds to the show before leaves drop to reveal the most elegant of skeletons ... Origin: China." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000xhEKIJajp7k/t/125/I0000xhEKIJajp7k.jpg)
Cotoneaster horizontalis
-
Impatiens balfourii
-
Impatiens balfourii
-
Persicaria microcephala 'Purple Fantasy'
-
Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila'
-
![Dahlia coccinea 'Lady Mary Keen', mid October. "Coccinea is a highly variable species in the wild and in cultivation. This superior form given to us by Lady Mary Keen is tall, elegant but not too wispy and wonderfully robust, making a dramatic show of ruby red flowers above filigree rich green leaves. The single flowers are delicately nodding, giving the plant a bashful and self-conscious expression making it ideal for an informal situation. The flowers are free and not stiff with an overlapping ring of long, gently twisting ray florets incurved around a central yellow disc and carried on long stems." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, August 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00007cFbhxSOhUo/t/125/I00007cFbhxSOhUo.jpg)
Dahlia coccinea 'Lady Mary Keen'
-
![Olearia solandri, mid October. Common names include: Coastal daisy bush, Coastal shrub daisy, Coastal tree daisy, Daisy bush. "An unassuming shrub that is deserving of much respect, with angular, erect branches clad in narrow, 6mm-long, linear, dark green leaves with looks not too dissimilar to a large tree heath. The summer flowers are small and insignificant, resembling camel-coloured fluff. Now and again the bush fills your nostrils with the secent of heliotrope but it is difficult to pinpoint whether this is directly from the blooms or on the air. Old plants need hard pruning to encourage the upright young growth flushed with yellow, giving the plant its characteristic yellow-green undertones and jagged outline ... Origin: New Zealand." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, November 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00002ufOqbSh3OM/t/125/I00002ufOqbSh3OM.jpg)
Olearia solandri
-
![Olearia solandri, mid October. Common names include: Coastal daisy bush, Coastal shrub daisy, Coastal tree daisy, Daisy bush. "An unassuming shrub that is deserving of much respect, with angular, erect branches clad in narrow, 6mm-long, linear, dark green leaves with looks not too dissimilar to a large tree heath. The summer flowers are small and insignificant, resembling camel-coloured fluff. Now and again the bush fills your nostrils with the secent of heliotrope but it is difficult to pinpoint whether this is directly from the blooms or on the air. Old plants need hard pruning to encourage the upright young growth flushed with yellow, giving the plant its characteristic yellow-green undertones and jagged outline ... Origin: New Zealand." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, November 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000TXMH2i0jjRc/t/125/I0000TXMH2i0jjRc.jpg)
Olearia solandri
-
Salvia 'Amistad'
-
![Crimson glory vine (Vitis coignettiae), so called because of the rich reds and purples of the foliage in autumn, mid October. "A bold and vigorous vine able to scramble up the tallest trees. The young foliage and twining tendrils are fawn in colour, ageing dark green and becoming coarse textured and leathery. Covered in a deep rusty down on the underside, the leaves are shallowly lobed and more or less round, impressively spanning over 30cm in diameter. In the autumn the best clones turn deep beetroot purple with flushes of crimson ... Origins: Japan. First introduced plants were seedlings by Madame Coignet." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, November 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000teuxoUUel8M/t/125/I0000teuxoUUel8M.jpg)
Vitis coignettiae
-
![Fuchsia 'Enfant Prodigue', mid October. "A large and vigorous hardy fuchsia with long, leafy stems that gently arch over under the sheer weight of flowers. Carried in looose clusters, pointed bright-red buds hang gracefully before splitting open, splaying the four red sepals horizontally to reveal a fat, rich, velvety purple skirt of unfurling petals. The male stamens and the long female pistil, both identical in colour to the sepals, protrude prominently from the centre making an exquisite shape. Free-flowering right until the first frosts, rich in colour, and refined with great poise, this is a cut above the rest... Bred in 1887 by Lemoine in France." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000_t7tOEuj0xA/t/125/I0000_t7tOEuj0xA.jpg)
Fuchsia 'Enfant Prodigue'
-
![Fuchsia 'Enfant Prodigue', mid October. "A large and vigorous hardy fuchsia with long, leafy stems that gently arch over under the sheer weight of flowers. Carried in looose clusters, pointed bright-red buds hang gracefully before splitting open, splaying the four red sepals horizontally to reveal a fat, rich, velvety purple skirt of unfurling petals. The male stamens and the long female pistil, both identical in colour to the sepals, protrude prominently from the centre making an exquisite shape. Free-flowering right until the first frosts, rich in colour, and refined with great poise, this is a cut above the rest... Bred in 1887 by Lemoine in France." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00008Vz9cvK8rvk/t/125/I00008Vz9cvK8rvk.jpg)
Fuchsia 'Enfant Prodigue'
-
![Erigeron annuus, mid October. Common names include Tall fleabane, Annual fleabane <br />
and Daisy fleabane. "A tall, upright annual, lightly covered throughout in small white hairs, with alternating elliptical leaves. The flowering stems have crowded terminal clusters of white daisies, each about 1.5cm wide, consisting of masses of thin white ray florets surrounding a central yellow disc...The flowers are insignificant at the outset but make up for it in sheer numbers, providing a profusion of white for an exceptionally long period [July-November]. Self sows freely when tufts of seed are carried by the wind." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, September 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00004dj7YCr8LE4/t/125/I00004dj7YCr8LE4.jpg)
Erigeron annuus
-
Salvia uliginosa
-
Abies concolor 'Compacta'
-
Juniperus chinensis 'Pyramidalis'
-
Dahlia 'Glorie van Heemstede'
-
Dahlia 'Glorie van Heemstede'
-
Dahlia 'Glorie van Heemstede'
-
Dahlia x cosmos 'Mexican Black'
-
![Begonia luxurians (Palm-leaf Begonia), Exotic Garden, Great Dixter, mid October. "Sturdy upright canes supporting a zig-zag of alternating side branches, each with large, finely dissected palmate leaves comprising a dozen or so thin drooping fingers. The whole plant is rippled with hairs, and has reddish undertones to the stems and undersides of the leaves. The overall effect is not too dissimilar to a herbaceous palm tree - plants in our Exotic Garden are often mistaken for miniature palms. Loose clusters of cream flowers emerge from a lacework of small globular buds... Origins: Rainforests of Brazil." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, August 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000oAZ6Ywzx_4I/t/125/I0000oAZ6Ywzx_4I.jpg)
Begonia luxurians
-
![Begonia luxurians (Palm-leaf Begonia), Exotic Garden, Great Dixter, mid October. "Sturdy upright canes supporting a zig-zag of alternating side branches, each with large, finely dissected palmate leaves comprising a dozen or so thin drooping fingers. The whole plant is rippled with hairs, and has reddish undertones to the stems and undersides of the leaves. The overall effect is not too dissimilar to a herbaceous palm tree - plants in our Exotic Garden are often mistaken for miniature palms. Loose clusters of cream flowers emerge from a lacework of small globular buds... Origins: Rainforests of Brazil." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, August 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000IounGGeXb3g/t/125/I0000IounGGeXb3g.jpg)
Begonia luxurians
-
![Begonia luxurians (Palm-leaf Begonia), Exotic Garden, Great Dixter, mid October. "Sturdy upright canes supporting a zig-zag of alternating side branches, each with large, finely dissected palmate leaves comprising a dozen or so thin drooping fingers. The whole plant is rippled with hairs, and has reddish undertones to the stems and undersides of the leaves. The overall effect is not too dissimilar to a herbaceous palm tree - plants in our Exotic Garden are often mistaken for miniature palms. Loose clusters of cream flowers emerge from a lacework of small globular buds... Origins: Rainforests of Brazil." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, August 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000oeL.vErSBQk/t/125/I0000oeL.vErSBQk.jpg)
Begonia luxurians
-
Fern
-
Fern
-
Nerine bowdenii
-
Nerine bowdenii
-
![Trochodendron aralioides, mid October. Commonnly known as the Wheel tree, native to Japan, southern Korea and Taiwan. "A slow-growing, large, evergreen tree with tiers of branches in distinct layers. The deep emerald-green, oval leaves are shallowly toothed at the upper end, and finish in an acuminate tip with a light twist. The flowers are naked, without petals or sepals. Primitive looking, they resemble green crowns and are held in conical, terminal clusters. These develop from April to June and go on to hold dust-like seed. Resembles a tree ivy but with a sophisticated patterned arrangement of leaves and branches. Our form is glossy with a darker upper surface and a pale rim." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000wsbzOiJtF4M/t/125/I0000wsbzOiJtF4M.jpg)
Trochodendron aralioides
-
![Hedera algeriensis 'Gloire de Marengo', mid October. "The bush form of the variegated Canary Island ivy forms a multi-stemmed, rounded mass covered with luminous evergreen leaves. These are glossy, puckered with a cream edging merging into bands of grey, mottled with green and grey-green from the centre. The adult leaves are smaller than the juvenile climbing forms and erratically ovate in shape. In autumn the bush becomes extraterrestrial when covered in queer globular greyish umbrels that open into insect-attracting white flowers." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000UaVAn2uv8uI/t/125/I0000UaVAn2uv8uI.jpg)
Hedera algeriensis 'Gloire de Marengo'
-
![Melianthus major, mid October. Commonly known as Honey bush or Honey flower. "[Christopher Lloyd's] favourite foliage plant, with impressive greyish, blue-green, pinnate foliage, subdivided into several bold obovate leaflets that are deeply serrated like a shark's teeth. These are clasped around grey-green stems, held in complex layers casting intricate shadows. Not completely hardy, it needs a deep nest of fern fronds to protect its roots. Two-year-old shoots will flower in the spring with dramatic spikes of bizarre, nectar-laden, chocolate-coloured, tubular blooms followed by green pods." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000PgvrCGwkLqc/t/125/I0000PgvrCGwkLqc.jpg)
Melianthus major
-
![Melianthus major, mid October. Commonly known as Honey bush or Honey flower. "[Christopher Lloyd's] favourite foliage plant, with impressive greyish, blue-green, pinnate foliage, subdivided into several bold obovate leaflets that are deeply serrated like a shark's teeth. These are clasped around grey-green stems, held in complex layers casting intricate shadows. Not completely hardy, it needs a deep nest of fern fronds to protect its roots. Two-year-old shoots will flower in the spring with dramatic spikes of bizarre, nectar-laden, chocolate-coloured, tubular blooms followed by green pods." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000k4xLVMp0N6g/t/125/I0000k4xLVMp0N6g.jpg)
Melianthus major
-
![Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia', mid October. Commonly known as Japanese or Spotted Laurel. "Spotted laurels have been much abused in recent years, planted in - and associated with - the most inhospitable places. Our 'Crotonifolia' is a male with large, leathery, elliptic leaves, which are shallowly serrated, and heavily blotched with yellow. It makes a handsome, rounded, evergreen shrub that is conspicuous throughout the year but especially bright in spring with a flush of fresh foliage. The flowers, which are small and form in loose clusters, are a curious, chocolate-purple colour. Bright-red berries follow on female neighbours. Old-fashioned and divisive, not to everyone's taste." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000Mue7MfmyfXg/t/125/I0000Mue7MfmyfXg.jpg)
Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'
-
![Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia', mid October. Commonly known as Japanese or Spotted Laurel. "Spotted laurels have been much abused in recent years, planted in - and associated with - the most inhospitable places. Our 'Crotonifolia' is a male with large, leathery, elliptic leaves, which are shallowly serrated, and heavily blotched with yellow. It makes a handsome, rounded, evergreen shrub that is conspicuous throughout the year but especially bright in spring with a flush of fresh foliage. The flowers, which are small and form in loose clusters, are a curious, chocolate-purple colour. Bright-red berries follow on female neighbours. Old-fashioned and divisive, not to everyone's taste." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I000029Jb3fdkTag/t/125/I000029Jb3fdkTag.jpg)
Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'
-
![Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia', mid October. Commonly known as Japanese or Spotted Laurel. "Spotted laurels have been much abused in recent years, planted in - and associated with - the most inhospitable places. Our 'Crotonifolia' is a male with large, leathery, elliptic leaves, which are shallowly serrated, and heavily blotched with yellow. It makes a handsome, rounded, evergreen shrub that is conspicuous throughout the year but especially bright in spring with a flush of fresh foliage. The flowers, which are small and form in loose clusters, are a curious, chocolate-purple colour. Bright-red berries follow on female neighbours. Old-fashioned and divisive, not to everyone's taste." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000tC6EGOSJ6F0/t/125/I0000tC6EGOSJ6F0.jpg)
Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'
-
Pleioblastus viridistriatus
-
![Ilex × altaclerensis 'Golden King', mid October. "...its broad oblong leaves are occasionally spined but overall smooth to the touch. Leaves have a hefty margin of golden yellow followed by a thin mottled irregular band of pale green then a richer, deeper centre. Some leaves are wholly yellow but don't develop. Contrary to its name, this is a female and regularly laden with berries from October that colour intense red just in time for Christmas." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000sieR3yaBDXg/t/125/I0000sieR3yaBDXg.jpg)
Ilex × altaclerensis 'Golden King'
-
![Ilex × altaclerensis 'Golden King', mid October. "...its broad oblong leaves are occasionally spined but overall smooth to the touch. Leaves have a hefty margin of golden yellow followed by a thin mottled irregular band of pale green then a richer, deeper centre. Some leaves are wholly yellow but don't develop. Contrary to its name, this is a female and regularly laden with berries from October that colour intense red just in time for Christmas." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, December 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000f6iYhxq0PZc/t/125/I0000f6iYhxq0PZc.jpg)
Ilex × altaclerensis 'Golden King'
-
Salvia 'Amistad'
-
Salvia 'Indigo Spires'
-
Salvia 'Indigo Spires' and Dahlia 'David Howard'
-
Salvia 'Indigo Spires'
-
![Eryngium pandanifolium ‘Physic Purple’, mid October. "This most striking of all the sea hollies has impressive arching grey-green, linear, sword-shaped leaves radiating from a central clump. These are 2m long and 3cm wide, and serrated with outward-facing prickles that are uncomfortable to handle. Tall upright stems with intricate branches bear a galaxy of numerous thimble-shaped deep-purple flowers that look impressive silhouetted against the sky ... Origins: marshes and wet fields of South America." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, September 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000v9O0lDhROyc/t/125/I0000v9O0lDhROyc.jpg)
Eryngium pandanifolium ‘Physic Purple’
-
![Phlomis grandiflora ‘Lloyds Variety’, mid October. "A wide-spreading, evergreen shrub with narrow, sage-like, grey-green leaves, deeply wrinkled in texture, and showing prominent pale undersides. Both foliage and young stems are covered in minute hairs creating a soft textured wave of silver, making good foil for all other colours. Bright-yellow, hooded flowers cover the bush mid-summer. These are held in distinctive whorls in the upper leaf axils. Attractive seedheads follow but plants look cleaner if these are removed. Our specimen [is] in the Long Border..." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, November 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000_YsJfZYj2oI/t/125/I0000_YsJfZYj2oI.jpg)
Phlomis grandiflora ‘Lloyds Variety’
-
![Mahonia oiwakensis subsp.lomariifolia, mid October. Lomaria-leaved mahonia is an erect large evergreen shrub. "Gaunt, as if on the edge of starvation, erect stems, naked from ground up, patterned with deeply fissured bark, carry umbrellas of long pinnate, evergreen leaves made up of numerous holly-like leaflets. These are stiff, leathery and neatly arranged in pairs along a midrib when viewed from above. Bright yellow globular flowers radiate out from the branch tips followed by glaucous green berries that mature blue-black." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000ethTd3YJus8/t/125/I0000ethTd3YJus8.jpg)
Mahonia oiwakensis subsp.lomariifolia
-
![Erigeron annuus, mid October. Common names include Tall fleabane, Annual fleabane <br />
and Daisy fleabane. "A tall, upright annual, lightly covered throughout in small white hairs, with alternating elliptical leaves. The flowering stems have crowded terminal clusters of white daisies, each about 1.5cm wide, consisting of masses of thin white ray florets surrounding a central yellow disc...The flowers are insignificant at the outset but make up for it in sheer numbers, providing a profusion of white for an exceptionally long period [July-November]. Self sows freely when tufts of seed are carried by the wind." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, September 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00005YDoL7YvPro/t/125/I00005YDoL7YvPro.jpg)
Erigeron annuus
-
![Salvia confertiflora, mid October. "This tender sage from Brazil has imperial qualities. Large, roughly textured leaves are held at intervals on upright stems. Small reddish hairs cover the plant, giving it a haze of cinnamon, and velvety, rich burnt-red flowers erupt from the tips of the branches. It makes a fiery display and flowers all summer long." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Guardian, 4 April 2009]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000zu1KtaexOLo/t/125/I0000zu1KtaexOLo.jpg)
Salvia confertiflora
-
![Salvia confertiflora, mid October. "This tender sage from Brazil has imperial qualities. Large, roughly textured leaves are held at intervals on upright stems. Small reddish hairs cover the plant, giving it a haze of cinnamon, and velvety, rich burnt-red flowers erupt from the tips of the branches. It makes a fiery display and flowers all summer long." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Guardian, 4 April 2009]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000PBvSMeXQxG8/t/125/I0000PBvSMeXQxG8.jpg)
Salvia confertiflora
-
![Salvia confertiflora, mid October. "This tender sage from Brazil has imperial qualities. Large, roughly textured leaves are held at intervals on upright stems. Small reddish hairs cover the plant, giving it a haze of cinnamon, and velvety, rich burnt-red flowers erupt from the tips of the branches. It makes a fiery display and flowers all summer long." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Guardian, 4 April 2009]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I00000KUGIURERv8/t/125/I00000KUGIURERv8.jpg)
Salvia confertiflora
-
Lupinus 'Chandelier' (Band of Nobles Series)
-
![Persicaria polystachya, mid October. "I have an autumn-flowering Persicaria polystachya, which seemed to be well behaved when I saw it in Beth Chatto's garden, but is anything but in mine. I like it, though. The October display of sweetly scented white blossom is very welcome. But it may need to be brought to heel as often as every other year." [Christopher Lloyd, The Guardian, Saturday 18 October 2003]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000h9jF7fI3ng4/t/125/I0000h9jF7fI3ng4.jpg)
Persicaria polystachya
-
![Persicaria polystachya, mid October. "I have an autumn-flowering Persicaria polystachya, which seemed to be well behaved when I saw it in Beth Chatto's garden, but is anything but in mine. I like it, though. The October display of sweetly scented white blossom is very welcome. But it may need to be brought to heel as often as every other year." [Christopher Lloyd, The Guardian, Saturday 18 October 2003]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000JGGJk78_904/t/125/I0000JGGJk78_904.jpg)
Persicaria polystachya
-
![Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis, mid October. "A dark, small-leaved, small-flowered Michaelmas daisy, which by mid-October produces thousands of tiny, off-white, pink-flushed flowers each with a rosy mauve centre. These sprays billow out from horizontally branching stems, arching this way and that, creating as Christo described it a 'seething mass' of pink foam. Plants are erect, dense and twiggy, requiring no staking, keeping their shape well into the winter when the intricate brown skeletons and delicate seedheads are dusted white with frost. By mid March plants are cut down to the ground to make way for new growth." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000UebiS7Vo_l0/t/125/I0000UebiS7Vo_l0.jpg)
Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis
-
![Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis, mid October. "A dark, small-leaved, small-flowered Michaelmas daisy, which by mid-October produces thousands of tiny, off-white, pink-flushed flowers each with a rosy mauve centre. These sprays billow out from horizontally branching stems, arching this way and that, creating as Christo described it a 'seething mass' of pink foam. Plants are erect, dense and twiggy, requiring no staking, keeping their shape well into the winter when the intricate brown skeletons and delicate seedheads are dusted white with frost. By mid March plants are cut down to the ground to make way for new growth." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000N4ZOl.amY04/t/125/I0000N4ZOl.amY04.jpg)
Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis
-
Salvia 'Amistad' and Aster lateriflorus var....
-
Persicaria amplexicaulis and Salvia 'Amistad'
-
![Salvia confertiflora, mid October. "This tender sage from Brazil has imperial qualities. Large, roughly textured leaves are held at intervals on upright stems. Small reddish hairs cover the plant, giving it a haze of cinnamon, and velvety, rich burnt-red flowers erupt from the tips of the branches. It makes a fiery display and flowers all summer long." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Guardian, 4 April 2009]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000rtgbobXP4D4/t/125/I0000rtgbobXP4D4.jpg)
Salvia confertiflora
-
Salvia elegans
-
Salvia elegans
-
Salvia elegans
-
Yew topiary and Cotoneaster horizontalis
-
![Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis, mid October. "A dark, small-leaved, small-flowered Michaelmas daisy, which by mid-October produces thousands of tiny, off-white, pink-flushed flowers each with a rosy mauve centre. These sprays billow out from horizontally branching stems, arching this way and that, creating as Christo described it a 'seething mass' of pink foam. Plants are erect, dense and twiggy, requiring no staking, keeping their shape well into the winter when the intricate brown skeletons and delicate seedheads are dusted white with frost. By mid March plants are cut down to the ground to make way for new growth." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000MICPm2vHt8o/t/125/I0000MICPm2vHt8o.jpg)
Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis
-
![Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis, mid October. "A dark, small-leaved, small-flowered Michaelmas daisy, which by mid-October produces thousands of tiny, off-white, pink-flushed flowers each with a rosy mauve centre. These sprays billow out from horizontally branching stems, arching this way and that, creating as Christo described it a 'seething mass' of pink foam. Plants are erect, dense and twiggy, requiring no staking, keeping their shape well into the winter when the intricate brown skeletons and delicate seedheads are dusted white with frost. By mid March plants are cut down to the ground to make way for new growth." [Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter, Nurseryman's Favourites, Gardens Illustrated magazine, October 2013]](https://www.alanbuckingham.com/img-get/I0000BNxZ5jQiMlc/t/125/I0000BNxZ5jQiMlc.jpg)
Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis
-
Colchicum autumnale
-
Cotinus coggygria Rubrifolius Group
-
Cotinus coggygria Rubrifolius Group
-
Pots, Great Dixter
-
Pots, Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Anthemis tinctoria 'E.C. Buxton'
-
Great Dixter
-
Anthemis tinctoria 'E.C. Buxton' and Anthemis...
-
Anthemis tinctoria 'E.C. Buxton' and Anthemis...
-
Ammi majus
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Lettuce 'Devil's Tongue'
-
Lettuce 'Devil's Tongue'
-
Helichrysum monstrosum 'Fireball Red'
-
Papaver somniferum
-
Sweet peas
-
Sweet peas
-
Great Dixter
-
Crataegus orientalis
-
Crataegus orientalis
-
Crataegus orientalis
-
Foxgloves, Great Dixter
-
Foxgloves, Great Dixter
-
Foxgloves, Great Dixter
-
Porch, Great Dixter
-
Calendula officinalis 'Indian Prince' and...
-
Lunaria annua
-
Lupinus 'The Page'
-
Swiss chard 'Peppermint'
-
Papaver rhoeas 'Angels Choir Mixed'
-
Great Dixter
-
Iris 'Berlin Tiger'
-
Iris 'Berlin Tiger'
-
Iris 'Berlin Tiger'
-
Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
-
Great Dixter
-
Cardoons and Forget-me-nots
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Hesperis matronalis
-
Lupinus 'The Governor'
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation' and lupin 'The Governor'
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Pleioblastus...
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Pleioblastus...
-
Echium vulgare
-
Lutyens steps, Great Dixter
-
Erigeron karvinskianus and Red valerian
-
Erigeron karvinskianus and Red valerian
-
Hovel, Great Dixter
-
Topiary, Great Dixter
-
Phacelia viscida
-
Papaver dubium subsp. lecoqii var. albiflorum
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Wall-trained fig
-
Ferula communis
-
Great Dixter
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation'
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation'
-
Euphorbia mellifera
-
Euphorbia mellifera
-
Hovel, Great Dixter
-
Peacock Garden, Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Lupinus 'Chandelier'
-
Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Lupinus 'Chandelier'
-
Papaver somniferum
-
Papaver nudicaule
-
Papaver nudicaule
-
Stipa gigantea
-
Aesculus pavia
-
Papaver somniferum
-
Unknown yellow peony
-
Great Dixter
-
Great Dixter
-
Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
-
Wildflowers in the Topiary Lawn, Great Dixter