First Ladies of Gardening

BETH CHATTO

The first thing I was shown was the view from the living-room window. Bands of lilac and green flowing away from the house were interspersed with a series of still ponds and the distinctive verticals of swamp cypresses (Taxodium distichum). On the far side of this broad, gentle hollow were pink rhododendrons: ‘They were my first attempts… in those days one planted rhododendrons. That was before Andrew taught me.’ During our conversation, we spoke a good deal about Andrew, Beth Chatto’s husband. It was interesting how she always referred to ‘our’ garden even though the brown signposts on the way from Colchester proudly point towards the ‘Beth Chatto Gardens’.

Luckily on the day I went to visit Beth Chatto my appointment was early and the garden was almost deserted, so it was possible to step back in time for a few minutes to the days before the garden was welcoming thousands of visitors. A sense of calm lay over the generously proportioned garden with its ponds, lawns and tall trees. From the living-room window, looking at the garden from a perspective normally enjoyed by Beth Chatto alone, it was apparent that there was something interesting to see beneath the trees in the distance – a green tapestry overlaid with the play of light and shadow. It was these ‘green tapestries’ that provided Beth Chatto with a title for one of her books. And her success as an author has been attracting a stream of visitors to the gardens since the 1970s. For here, on the outskirts of Elmstead Market in Essex, north-east of London, Beth Chatto achieved the impossible: she created a garden where none should have existed

UNIQUE STRENGTH

The Beth Chatto Gardens do not match the general image of an English flower garden. There are very few roses to be seen and no mixed borders in the traditional Jekyll style. The most striking first impressions are of the park-like grounds and the exceptional feeling for plants evident throughout the 6-hectare/15-acre garden, which also includes a plant centre. Within the spectrum of English gardens, Beth Chatto’s does not fit into a particular category but has a character all its own. And therein lies its strength. Because the range of different conditions within the garden has given rise to a series of themed areas, the result is an extremely varied garden containing an immense breadth of plants. At the same time, thanks to the way one area flows seamlessly into another, you are not conscious of the garden being divided into sections but can appreciate it as a single entity. The toughest problems any site can present, including boggy ground, standing water, shade and drought, are all to be found somewhere in this garden, either in the Water Gardens, Woodland Garden or Gravel Garden. Although the practice of planting to suit the prevailing conditions has been popular in Germany for decades and is endorsed in the writing of influential nurseryman Karl Foerster (1874–1970) and pioneer horticultural scientist Richard Hansen (1912–2001), it is to some extent a new concept in England. Beth Chatto’s contribution to the English garden scene is therefore considerable: since the 1960s she has based her choice and siting of plants on ecological principles, becoming a pioneer and an inspiration for generations of gardening fans throughout the world.

NEW GROUND

What many visitors tend to forget, or perhaps do not even realize, is that prior to 1960 there was no garden here at all. It came into existence through hard graft. The lower area was uncultivated land unfit for farming, too dry on the slopes and too boggy in the hollows. The upper section, where the car park and Gravel Garden are now located, was part of a fruit farm that Andrew Chatto had inherited. Photographs taken in those early days, now on display in the cafe, bear witness to Beth Chatto’s impressive achievements. She is unquestionably one of the most important figures in the gardening world. The last of her generation, she has learned everything from scratch and shares her vast knowledge and expertise with others, yet remains completely without affectation.

The garden was initially intended purely for the Chattos’ enjoyment; a private garden planted around a split-level house which optimized the lay of the land and was at the time, in 1960, a cutting edge design by Essex architect Bryan Thomas. The lower section of the white-painted house is open-plan and airy, comprising the living room at the lowest level and the dining room half a level higher, both with windows opening on to different aspects of the garden. The living room not only faces the Water Gardens on the west side but also the Mediterranean Garden and Scree Beds on the south. It was here, looking out at a terrace featuring a spreading Magnolia × soulangeana and tubs of plants, that I met with Beth Chatto.

‘Let us start.’ Instead of talking about herself, she began by describing her husband’s life. As a young boy in Laguna Beach, California, ‘almost a hundred years ago’, Andrew Chatto was fascinated by the wild-growing Californian lilac (Ceanothus) and bright orange California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), and wanted to know how they came to be there because he had previously only seen them growing as cultivated plants in gardens. This interest in ecology was to define his life. After the Second World War he came across an ecology textbook in Russian and taught himself the language – he already had a command of German and French – purely so that he could discover what information it contained. Hiking in the Alps, sometimes with his wife, whom he married in 1943, also helped to extend his knowledge and formed the basis for his subsequent involvement in gardening.

Shade and boggy ground are among the most challenging conditions a gardener can face. In Beth Chatto’s garden there are countless examples to provide hope and inspiration, such as this combination of umbrella plants (Darmera peltata) with candelabra primulas and ferns.

Rhododendrons were among the first plants that Beth Chatto chose for her garden. In the course of time they were joined by many other species, such as the delightful Japanese snowball (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’).

NEIGHBOURING PLANTSMAN

Sir Cedric Morris, a painter and outstanding plantsman, was another major influence on Beth Chatto. He owned the celebrated Benton End garden in Hadleigh, not far from Elmstead Market, and gave the novice gardener all kinds of advice as well as cuttings and plants which formed the initial stock for what is now the perennial nursery. One of his paintings hangs on the living-room wall. The talk of plants and flowers led the conversation round to the subject of yet another influence, the Colchester Flower Club, founded by Pamela Underwood. Flower clubs became popular after the Second World War and could be found in towns and villages throughout England, as Beth Chatto explains: ‘At a time when rationing was still in force, this was a creative pastime. Plants were collected from the garden and arranged according to the Japanese golden rule.’ This reference to the triangular form represented by earth (below), heaven (above) and man (in front) does much to explain how plants are arranged in the garden, as there is always a foreground, background and height in Beth Chatto’s planting. Another consequence of her membership of the flower club was the interest shown in the material she used for her arrangements. When asked where the young Beth Chatto had acquired her wonderful hostas and other foliage plants, she replied ‘from my garden’. Given her obvious talents, she was sent off to set up flower clubs in other areas and in doing so came into contact with like-minded women interested in plants. As the demand for her foliage plants increased so did her interest in unusual species and cultivars. At the time, however, no one could have guessed that her collection of foliage plants would take her to the Chelsea Flower Show and win her ten gold medals.

A sweep of Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ partners pink-flowered bistort (Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’) in dappled shade, their colours vivid against the green background.

ARRANGER’S COMPOSITION

Beth Chatto considers shape to be as important as colour, and the triangular composition drawn from flower arranging as ‘a means of drawing the gaze upward’. She also likes the ‘controlled calm of a manicured lawn’, like the one extending the length of the garden. Texture and foliage stand out exceptionally well against a foreground of mown grass; and the lawn also helps to link together the garden’s different areas. With over sixty years of gardening expertise, fifty of these in Elmstead Market, any conversation with Beth Chatto is bound to be rich in wise advice – as are her many books. She regards her garden as ‘a teaching garden, a place to help solve difficult problems, for example if an area is too wet, too dry or too shady.’

Of course, she did not get everything right first time around, but plants had a better chance of success because she stuck to ecological principles. She was always guided by the location and existing soil when choosing what to grow where. Compost as well as bark and straw mulches are vital ingredients in the garden; the former enriches the soil, while mulching retains moisture and discourages weeds.

The Woodland Garden at the far end of the property is a place of perfect harmony. A little stream runs through the middle and the ground is covered with lush plants in every tint of green, exemplifying Beth Chatto’s masterly use of shade-loving plants. Royal ferns (Osmunda regalis), variegated butterbur (Petasites) and paperbark maple (Acer griseum) with its striking, reddish-brown trunks, conjure up a restful oasis. For Mim Burkett, an Australian visitor whom I met during my tour of the garden and who, like me, could scarcely tear herself away, this garden was a must-see. During the devastating bush fires in 2009 she had lost everything – house, garden, nursery and the precious collection of Beth Chatto books that had so inspired her to make her first garden. And it was Beth Chatto’s example that helped her tackle the seemingly impossible task of rebuilding her garden and starting Yellow House Heritage Perennials again: ‘There are people in your life whom you want to thank and Beth Chatto is one of these.’ There must be lots of people who share this sentiment, whether in Cornwall, Lincolnshire (see here) or Ireland (see here). Beth Chatto has given amateur gardeners everywhere the motivation to cope with difficult situations.

In the Mediterranean Garden by the main house, a skilful selection of ground-cover plants luxuriates beneath a Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum).

CROWNING GLORY

The crowning glory of her achievements is the Gravel Garden. Sumptuous, packed with a profusion of flowers, with fluid contours and exciting compositions, this is an outstanding example of planting for our times. It was constructed in 1991 on a site where virtually nothing could thrive. The soil was not only dry, poor and gravelly but also compacted, having previously been used as a car park. Even though surrounded by a high hedge, it was also extremely windy. That any plants at all could thrive here seemed unlikely – a real challenge for Beth Chatto. The way she has managed to transform this barren, inhospitable area into a garden is truly impressive. Silvery-green grasses punctuate the beds, mulleins (Verbascum) have self-seeded, trees such as Pride of India (Koelreuteria paniculata) flourish in partnership with tiny, drought-loving, red Tulipa hageri and graceful pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris). The planting is amazingly lavish and colourful considering that this is one of the driest regions in England. There is strictly no watering in this dry garden – no hidden irrigation systems – for in Essex hosepipe bans are frequently in force. These are simply the right plants in the right place, forming a sustainable community of great beauty.

The diversity of plants in the garden is simply astonishing. Pictured here are velvety, tall bearded ‘Black Swan’ irises surrounded by spurge (Euphorbia), mullein (Verbascum) and Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’.

BEYOND FASHION

The garden is not governed by fashion but has found a style of its own. In fact, Beth Chatto is wary of certain trends: ‘Many species plants, such as Astrantia and Heuchera, have become popular and it pains me to think that these plants are being treated like bedding.’ She compares the garden to a theatre showing plants that are best suited to particular conditions. The Scree Beds, constructed in 1999 partially on the site of the Mediterranean Garden, are a good example of this philosophy and in many ways constitute the finishing touch to an extraordinary garden. They were created for smaller alpine species that would have been smothered in the Gravel Garden. As fate would have it, when Andrew Chatto, who had a special fondness for alpine meadows, died in 1999, this garden was his last view of the world. His research work, fundamental for the development of the gardens, has since been meticulously transcribed from the original notes by a team of typists under the guidance of Noël Kingsbury, garden designer and advocate of naturalistic planting. In laying the foundation on which his wife built, Andrew Chatto made a major contribution to the art of gardening.

This small, private courtyard next to the house is a place where Beth Chatto can still garden and observe her favourite plants despite her advancing age.

TIMELESS QUALITIES

Nowadays, four gardeners are employed to take care of the garden and other members of staff are employed in the plant centre, which has become one of the most acclaimed herbaceous nurseries in England. Beth Chatto no longer spends quite as much time outdoors. With her slim build and direct gaze, she has the gift of expressing her thoughts with enviable clarity. She does not look anything like her age (she was born in 1923) and like her garden possesses a certain timeless quality. Her passion for plants is based on common sense, observation and years of accumulated knowledge. As she herself acknowledges, she had the good fortune of being a housewife during her younger years and was able to look after the home, children and garden – an arrangement that is no longer possible for the majority of young women today.

In 2001 she was awarded an OBE. In 2008 an exhibition of her work was held in the Garden Museum in London, and in 2010 the Beth Chatto Gardens celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. Despite all the awards and accolades, she still has both feet firmly on the ground – as you might expect from someone who is a gardener through and through. A young boy visiting with his parents was asked by Beth Chatto whether he enjoyed being in the garden. ‘Yes, I do,’ he answered, ‘but it’s hard work.’ ‘Do you like playing cricket?’ replied Beth Chatto. ‘If you enjoy doing something, you don’t mind the hard work.’

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

	‘Making a garden is like making a family, the urge to create and nurture is what drives us on year after year.’
	‘Be guided by nature: plant the right plants in the right place.’
	‘Editing is important in a garden – some plants have to be removed, including weeds. These are simply plants which one does not want in a particular place.’
	‘Plant in such a way that the gardener’s hand is not in evidence and the plants 1) look at home and 2) are able to develop.’
	‘It is very rewarding to make a mistake and then recognize why it happened.’

SIGNATURE PLANTS

	Wormwood (Artemisia) ‘acts like a full stop at the end of a sentence’.
	Bergenia cordifolia – ‘for its flowers and for its leaves’.
	Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia).
	Barrenwort (Epimedium).
	Balkan cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum).
	Bugle (Ajuga reptans).

PLANT PORTRAITS

From the garden:

	Nectaroscordum siculum in front of a cascade of Spanish gorse (Genista hispanica) in the Gravel Garden.
	White foxglove with Bowles’s golden grass (Milium effusum ‘Aureum’), also in the Gravel Garden.
	Weigela florida ‘Foliis Purpureis’ in the Woodland Garden, with ferns and hostas.
	Showy candelabra primulas at the water’s edge.