Tag Archives: Fergus Garrett

Local Knowledge

Stephanie Donaldson

Hastings Gardeners' Questions - your blogger is on the panel

There’s a chance to ask the experts about your gardening problems at Hastings Gardeners’ Question Time on Friday 11th March at 7.30 at All Saints Hall in All Saints Street.  The panel consists of Fergus Garrett from Great Dixter, Helen Yemm from the Saturday Telegraph and your very own blogger. The event is organised by the Lower Torfield Allotments Association.  Entrance is free.

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Seed Saving

Seeds for next season

Seeds for next season

I’ve been out in the garden collecting seeds that are ripe and ready to harvest.  The cornflowers sown last autumn excelled themselves, flowering from late spring, and still producing flowers now, so it is well worth propagating from them.   Then there’s  Silene ‘Blue Angel’ which was a gift from Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter and  seemingly unavailable in this country, as well as Mina lobata and the Lab Lab bean – all three have performed well and I would like to grow them again next year.  I will store them in brown paper bags to dry, then clean them and put them in packets.

Silene Blue Angel

Silene Blue Angel

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Masterful Planting

Courtyard Garden

Courtyard Garden

garden-border

We’ve just been to a fund raising evening at Great Dixter in aid of a local charity.  The garden was looking wonderful, especially in the soft evening light (after the thunderstorm had passed!) and brought home to me just how good the planting is in this very special garden.  Head gardener Fergus Garrett gave a hugely entertaining illustrated talk showing how they assemble their magnificent arrangements of potted plants either side of the porch and in the Courtyard (it changes every 2 weeks).  I woke up with a pulled muscle in my back the next morning – I think it was the thought of lugging all those pots around.  If ever you see that Fergus is giving a talk, do go – his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge is second to none.

great-dixter-garden

great-dixter

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Fergus Garrett & Friends, Friday 26th – 7pm

View Map showing event here
A shameless bit of self-promotion here, but it is for a fund-raising event in aid of our allotment site.  Along with Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter and Elspeth Thompson, garden writer and columnist for the Sunday Telegraph, I will be dispensing advice and answering questions on all matters horticultural next Friday evening.  The venue is All Saints Church Hall, All Saints Street, Old Town, Hastings.  Entrance is free but drinks will be on sale and there is a raffle with some great prizes.

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