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NOVEMBER
GARDEN GROW? How does your Anna Taylor, owner of Anna’s Flower Farm in Audley End, shares what’s going on in the garden this month T his month I am celebrating five years of ‘How does your garden grow?’. Back in November 2018, I had been growing in
the walled garden for just over a year, and had extended into the Braybrooke Garden that summer. The long border was just being planted with shrubs and herbaceous plants. Both very little and yet an enormous amount has happened since then. In 2017, we double-dug the new beds in the traditional way, then I learnt about Charles Dowding’s ‘no dig’ technique. I have had to clear more weeds in the walled garden beds in one year than I have in five for the raised beds where I’ve not disturbed the soil. I went on to add green manures, homemade feeds and completely changed the way I compost. The more I learn, the less I do and the better my plants become. I can’t see a shortcut to that ‘ease’. I notice it with any endeavour; do anything for years and your efforts seem deceptively simple. You’ve got to be prepared for failures and still love the game. If we’ve learnt nothing else in this time together, it’s the comfort and reset of simply being outside, hands in the soil and doing, regardless of the outcome!
© ANNA TAYLOR
There are still many plants that I haven’t managed to grow, despite having their so- called ideal conditions to do so. The long border has shrubs that are beginning to lift and mature over the perennials (it would have been quicker if I was prepared to water them). I add plants each year trying to emulate the style and exuberance at Great Dixter, with layers of interest. Its original owner, Christopher Lloyd – a prolific writer, mentor and cheerleader for new gardeners – is an inspiration for me in every way. I used to write about folklore and seasonal events when I was lacking the confidence to share my ups and downs, fearing the intimacy of being found out. But over five years, my understanding of my soils, microclimates across the gardens, love for the seasons and friendships through growing has deepened. I’ve loved and lost. Five years is a good time to look back. Reflecting on any season is like leafing through an album of old photos – it feels so recent, yet so much occurs in between. Remembering where we were and what’s happened since reminds us of how far we’ve come.
I don’t really write it all in one place. It’s scribbled notes and thoughts while I talk to clients and friends about my garden and theirs. I can see the use of a Monty Don- style diary, especially when considering our weather patterns – which have been very different since I began flower growing in 2015. Previously, making gardens with clients, I didn’t notice the impact so much, but grow annual vegetables and flowers and you quickly see it each season. A journal would also reveal how often I really garden, which isn’t as much as I’d like. Join me, this damp but often mild month, in preparing for the next season. It’s one of the best times to plant, from bare-root or root-balled trees and shrubs to perennials that will settle their roots well over winter before the next spring. It’s also the perfect time to plant tulip bulbs, and my favourite for creating a huge compost heap from the summer’s growth. In six months’ time, it will be ready for potting seedlings, planting out this month’s lifted dahlias and mulching sweet peas. There’s always a reason to be out there, hands grubby and covered in soil. If you need me, that’s where I’ll be.
© ANNA TAYLOR
LATE BLOOMERS Chrysanthemums can continue to produce flowers deep into November
98 NOVEMBER 2023 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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