Welcome to you all, for our Autumn issue of Your Garden
We’re all guilty of asking someone their favourite plant. But how many plants can you truly love? Is it one, ten, a dozen or unlimited? I remember foolishly asking David C. Austin at his iconic Wolverhampton nursery, while standing in his beautiful rose garden, to name his favourite rose cultivar during a television shoot. It was an impetuous moment but, true to form, Mr A, as I came to know him over more than a decade on the display rose gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, replied promptly, listing six favourites. No, I won’t list them here you can check the segment on 7+. I’ve asked the question far too often in the thousands of interviews I’ve done on radio and television, usually biting my tongue immediately afterwards.
It seems impulsive but gardeners are endlessly curious. The best answer a luminary ever gave me was, 'This week’s glorious …' In this issue, your passion might be cut flowers, a popular returning trend, home-grown humble seasonal vegetables, tropical plants that bring warmth to the garden, a lush new lawn or the wildflowers of another country, such as South Africa. We’re covering it all. Enjoy the read. For me, Ginkgo biloba ‘Fastigiata’ and my own cultivar, ‘Winter Gold’ – chosen from thousands of seedlings in 1967 when I was a student – are among my ultimate plant loves, along with my Graham Ross AM Rose® from Treloar.
I love the disease-resistant, easy-togrow nature and colour of the rose, with sales supporting NextSense, our special family charity. What’s your favourite… or shouldn’t I ask?
Good gardening and go safely,
