May Update

MAY

Benton End and the first heat wave.

This month has felt like three in one. Our successful tour of the Red Shoes came to a close and I was thrilled to make it to the end healthy and happy. A lovely couple of weeks followed, seeing family and friends, a quick trip to Chelsea and getting some solid work done at the field that had felt put on the back burner whilst I was away. And then the heat wave hit, meaning seedlings needed double the amount of watering or moving in to part shade to survive, and field days were cut short as it became impossible to work for any sustained amount of time outside. The perennials and biennials which had there roots down seemed pretty unaffected, with iris of many varieties - bearded, dutch and Siberian being generous in their harvest, along side the palest lilac sweet rocket (thanks Kim at Marlston Farm Girl for the exceptional seed!). The unpredictability of the weather, with all signs pointing towards more commonality of what we’re experiencing, really drives home that perennials and shrubs with a thick mulch are the avenue to follow for me. In other news, for some respite after a long day at the field, Richmond council recently opened a new wild swimming spot near us, so a dip in the Thames (as gross as it may sound) was the perfect end on a hot day.

Rosa ‘Canary Bird’, Hesperis matronalis ‘Pale Lavender’, Sorbaria, Viburnum opulus, Sambucus nigra, Geum ‘Mai Tai’, Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Gold Fleece’, Pimpinella major ‘Rosea’, Digitalis ‘Sutton’s Apricot’, Allium siculum, Fragaria vesca.

On the hottest day of the year, I travelled to Midhurst Buds and Blooms Society to spend an afternoon sharing my passion for growing and designing with homegrown stems. Will will testify to the fact that I’m not the most fantastic multitasker, so creating whilst explaining and answering questions took some practice in the lead up, but like all skills, the more you flex the muscle, the more second nature it becomes. With much chat on iris and rose varieties over tea and cake, there were definitely worse ways to spend a Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who braved the heat to spend a blissful couple of hours with me.

I’m so excited to be teaching at the stunning Parham House and Gardens with my friend Arthur Parkinson in August. My first venture in organising and launching my own class, I can’t tell you how happy we were when the first date sold out the day it went on sale. We were quickly able to organise a second which again sold out in a day. A huge thank you to everyone who booked, we’re so looking forward to spending the day with you later in the year. If you’d like to be added to the waitlist when a spot pops up, drop me an email, hello@andymonaghan.co.uk.

A huge perk of creating for British Flowers Week at the Garden Museum next month is that the wonderful team there offered us a sneak peak at the garden restoration at Benton End. A real privilege to be shown round by Bea and to have the garden to ourselves, it was incredibly special to be there and to take in any last bits of inspiration before we create our installations.

Using Sarah Price’s Chelsea gold-winning garden as the starting point, the team led by James Horner have created a haven in the walled garden, full of bearded iris and poppies, the likes of which Cedric Morris adored and bred.

A particular highlight for me was discovering rosa ‘Sir Cedric Morris’ (opening image) in the upper garden, easily 20m long in its reach and tangle of stems. The biggest rose I’ve ever seen, it proved valuable inspiration for the final draft of my design for the garden museum.

June beckons, bringing with it a full-to-the-brim month of flowers, events, travel and a little dancing. Thank goodness then for the long days to fit it all in.

Thanks for reading.

© Andy Monaghan. All rights reserved.

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