This airy, bright combination evokes the walled garden at Benton End, which in the decades since Cedric Morris’s death in 1982 has become what the writer Ronald Blythe once described as ‘a hay-meadow of exotics’. As part of our renewal of the garden, we’re now peeling the meadow back and re-establishing borders, so that the flowers Cedric grew and painted, such as these tiger lilies with their kicked-back, orange-spotted petals and protruding filaments, can be freely cultivated.
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How to achieve the look
Container and composition
I used this old galvanised drinking trough as a water butt before starting to plant it up. I can’t bring myself to change its purpose by drilling holes in its base, but short-term plantings work fine as long as watering is carefully monitored, especially in wetter seasons. When piecing together ingredients for an arrangement like this, it’s important to elevate a star player, and these lilies certainly take centre stage. Comfortable in their shadow are the ghostly gladioli, which have an echo of the colour tones Cedric Morris was achieving in his iris breeding. The fizzing yellow of Patrinia monandra becomes cloudy and softens as the flowers are pollinated, before papery seedheads develop. Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’ stands out for its purple and bronze-hued foliage, and interrupts the green tapestry of leaf shapes.
Cultivation and care
All these plants can persist for several years in a container of this size, apart from the Patrinia, which is moderately short lived but easy to raise from seed. It’s vital to keep the soil in a large container healthy and this can be done by adding a fresh layer of compost or leaf mould in early spring. A winter mulch would also prevent the winter rain from leeching nutrients out of the container, while it would also play a part in protecting the slightly less hardy Gladiolus from freezing conditions. Handier still, a container on wheels such as this can be moved to various positions as the seasons progress.
Plants
Calamagrostis varia Used here for its graceful fresh-green foliage. Height and spread: 1.2m x 90cm.
Patrinia monandra Short-lived perennial with yellow flowers in tiered heads. 1.5m x 50cm. RHS H4†.
Lilium lancifolium Reliably persistent lily, which produces bulblets in its leaf axils, making it easy to grow many more. 1.6m x 60cm. RHS H6, USDA 3a-10b.
Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’ Its purple-stained foliage provides a foil to other flowers. 1.2m x 60cm. RHS H5, USDA 4a-9b.
Bistorta amplexicaulis ‘Inverleith’ Smaller and earlier flowering than many B. amplexicaulis cultivars so better suited to container use. 90cm x 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-7b.
Gladiolus papilio The downward-facing flowers show the celadon and purple backs of the petals. 1m x 45cm. RHS H4, USDA 4a-10b.