19TH IMPRESSION with photos - Architectural Plants

THE NURSERY & THE PLANTS Pages 3 - 16 

The original office at Nuthurst 

GARDEN DESIGN Pages 17 - 21 

Christine Shaw working on garden designs at our Chichester Nursery 

PLANTING BY US Page 21p 

Instant impact at The Half Moon, Warninglid 

CREATIVE MAINTENANCE Pages 22 - 24 

Advanced maintenance by Colin, Rob and Noi

A r c h i t e c t u r a l 

P L A N T S 

1 

NUTHURST : HORSHAM : WEST SUSSEX 

RH13 : 6LH 

Tel : 01403 891772 Fax : 01403 891056 

e-mail : enquiries@arc h i t e c t u r a l p l a n t s . c o m 

a n d 

LIDSEY ROAD NURSERY : WOODGATE CROSSING 

CHICHESTER : WEST SUSSEX 

PO20 : 3SU 

Tel : 01243 545008 Fax : 01243 545009 

e - m a i l : chichester@arc h i t e c t u r a l p l a n t s . c o m 

w w w.a r c h i t e c t u r a l p l a n t s.c o m 

(Not as nice as the catalogue but much more informative) 

OPENING HOURS ON BACK COVER AND PAGE 36 

Inside Front : A PANORAMA OF THE NUTHURST NURSERY 

Cover by Paul Cox 

Inside Back : A PANORAMA OF THE CHICHESTER NURSERY 

Cover by Paul Cox 

Back Cover : MAP : How to find the Nurseries, Opening Hours etc 

Page 2 : An Introduction 

Page 3 : The Plants in Alphabetical Order with Brief 

Descriptions Designed to Capture the Flavour of the 

Plants 

Page 16 : LARGE SPECIMEN PLANTS - CARE NOTES 

Page 17 : GARDEN DESIGN 

Page 21 : PLANTING BY US 

Page 22 : CREATIVE MAINTENANCE 

Page 25 : A Bibliography 

Page 26 : A Short Course on Microclimatology 

Pigeon Holes - what to grow where in 34 categories 

Bamboos : Climbers : Ferns : Palms : Yuccas 

Page 33 : MISCELLANEOUS 

Architectural Plants Gift Vouchers 

The Architectural Plants Barrow 

Japanese Ladders & Shaping Tools 

Various Pots 

Delivery 

Mail Order by City Link Express Ltd 

Hire a Van 

Care Notes 

Garden Design etc. 

Nice Cup of Tea / Espresso / Apple 

Page 35 : : Where to Lunch / Navigation Notes / How to Find Us 

Page 36 : Opening Hours - Both Nurseries / Prices & Pot Sizes 

Please plough through as much of this catalogue as you can bear to 

before visiting. It's full of well considered information about 

Architectural Plants and will do something to prepare you for the 

experience. Consult the map on the back of this catalogue and use 

the Navigation Notes on page 35

2 

Istarted this business 20 years ago in a fit of pique. I was furious and 

perplexed that I couldn’t buy the plants that I’d fallen in love with and 

was determined to do something about it. To my mind, these plants all 

had something in common - they were highly sculptural and tremendously 

green. To quote from our first catalogue : “In the jargon of horticulture, 

these are known as 'architectural plants'. Not because they belong in buildings 

but because the plants themselves have their own 'architecture' - strong, 

sometimes spectacular, shapes which bring a distinctive year-round presence 

to a garden.” 

In the spring of 1990 we launched ourselves onto an unsuspecting and 

bemused British public, without the faintest idea as to whether anyone 

else shared our passion for these peculiar plants. 

Since then we've discovered, to our relief, that we weren't the only 

ones. The business has prospered and we've learned an awful lot 

about the plants, how to use them, who buys them and why. 

WAS OUR REPUTATION A LOTTERY? 

Being new to the industry (previously, I designed and made furniture) I 

was soon questioning the fundamental premise behind running a 

nursery. Does the accepted business model actually work? Not really. I’d 

noticed how customers would say - “I bought some plants off you a year 

ago and they’ve all done well so I’m coming back to buy more”. Jolly nice 

of them but I feared a misunderstanding. They thought the reason the 

plants had done well was because we’re a fine nursery selling fine plants. 

Yes indeed but the main reason for the plants’ success is the skill of the 

gardener. They were the right plants in the right place and they were 

treated well . It wasn’t a giant step to realise the reverse was likely. 

“None of the plants I bought have done well, I’m not going back there 

again”. Wrong conclusion again. Wrong plants in the wrong place, poorly 

treated. 

So, with the traditional business model, one is in danger of not being in 

control of one’s reputation and that’s a problem that had to be 

addressed. How? We decided to attack on two fronts. 

1. INFORM WITH GREATER CONFIDENCE 

We became bossy. Nice bossy, entertaining bossy, amusing bossy. Not 

bitter, twisted and rancorous bossy. Oh no. Can you force a 

customer to listen to your advice when they’re quite obviously determined 

not to? We used to think not - but we were wrong. With confidence, 

emphasis, humour and intelligence we discovered we could. 

Here’s my favourite story on the subject : Five years ago I issued an 

edict to all sales staff - “Please be extremely circumspect about 

selling Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) - they’re very high 

maintenance and have prima donna-ish tendencies and customers must 

be warned”. Three years ago a chap came in and was clearly unhappy 

about the performance of the two trees that he’d bought since I’d issued 

the edict. I launched into my standard rant on the subject, issuing 

warnings about all their evil ways and on completion I asked : “But surely 

you were told all that when you bought them?” His reply was wonderful, 

revealing and incredibly helpful : “Yes. But not like that”. Ah! Be very 

confident, be very emphatic, be a little bit mad. It works. 

2. DO IT FOR YOU - 

GARDEN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE 

We set up a new side of the business where we do it for you - design 

your garden, build your garden and, if necessary, maintain your 

garden too. In this - the most most heavily revamped catalogue for 20 

years - you’ll find an enormous emphasis on this side of our business. 

‘Doing it for you’ allows us to create a closer relationship with our 

customers which is good. The garden will be more successful, the plants 

will be happier, we will be happier and most importantly, you the 

customer will be happier. 

Angus White 

January 2011 

THAT LAST PARAGRAPH, TO US, IS THE FUTURE. 

Information on the procedure begins on page 19...

WE USE 3 DIFFERENT COLOURED LABELS TO GIVE AN 

INSTANT INDICATION OF A PLANTS' FROST HARDINESS 

(Think of Traffic Lights) 

IF IT HAS A GREEN LABEL 

Hardy anywhere in Britain below approximately 1,000 ft (300 m) 

IF IT HAS AN AMBER LABEL 

Hardy in the Home Counties if sensibly sited 

(avoiding severe frost pockets, for example). 

Many Amber Labelled Plants are from cuttings from well established 

plants that have survived many harsh winters in the South-East. 

IF IT HAS A RED LABEL 

Hardy in Atlantic Seaboard gardens, The Channel Islands, gardens 

in Central London and other large cities. 

In this Catalogue we have listed: 

118 plants with GREEN labels 

83 plants with AMBER labels 

34 plants with RED labels 

We're always on hand to give advice about plants and their frost hardiness, 

Please remember that these coloured labels are only a rough guide. 

(General point about plant hardiness : The commonly held belief that 

it's better to 'plant small', is true with herbaceous plants, but not necessarily 

true with woody plants. They need some wood on them to survive 

severe cold - so plants of marginal hardiness, in very cold areas, should 

really be planted LARGER, rather than SMALLER, whenever possible) 

Acacia dealbata red 

Mimosa. Ferny leaves and masses of yellow flowers in spring. Red label but 

grows fast and survives most winters anywhere. Hardy in London. To 25 ft. 

Acacia pravissima amber 

Oven's Wattle. Very distinctive small, weeping, evergreen tree (to 20 ft) with 

curious little triangular leaves. Masses of fragrant yellow flowers in spring. 

Acanthus mollis green 

Bear's Breeches or Big Spinach. With the famous architectural leaf. An 

herbaceous plant with large very shiny dark green leaves. Up to 4 ft. 

Acorus gramineus 'variegata' green 

Variegated low growing evergreen grassy thing for growing right at the edge 

of (or even in) the pond. Dense, pretty and very hardy. 

3 

The Garden Design & Construction Office at Nuthurst

4 

Aeonium arboreum 'Magnificum' red 

Aeoniums are exotic succulents from Africa - hardy west of Penzance. Not 

sure we've got the name right but we think it's pretty magnificum. 1 ft x 1 ft. 

Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' red 

This is the much sought after one that remains very deep purple, almost 

black, all through the year. Slow growing to about 18 in. Very happy in a pot. 

Agapanthus africanus red 

Piles of evergreen, strap-like leaves and ball-like deep blue or white flowers 

on 4 ft stems. Perfect for terracotta pots. Nearly hardy. 

Agave americana red 

Familiar to all visitors to the Mediterranean - a very spiky statement for 

mild seaside gardens. To about 3 ft tall, 3 ft across. Almost hardy when large. 

Agave americana medio-picta alba red 

As above but much smaller and slower growing, with a wide white stripe 

down the middle of the leaves. Not very hardy - but who cares? 

Agave americana variegata red 

Yellow stripes down the sides of the leaf, smaller than the non-variegated 

one, bigger than the one with the white stripe. Brilliant in a terracotta pot. 

Albizia julibrissin rosea green 

Pink Sirris or Silk Tree. Like a hardy Mimosa with huge bi-pinnate leaves. 

Deciduous. Very exotic, needs a hot spot to grow well. To about 15 ft. 

Aloe aristata amber 

The hardiest of the African Aloes - forms a mat of exotic little fleshy leafed 

rosettes. Orangey-red flower spikes that last for weeks and weeks. 

Aloe striatula amber 

A remarkable discovery. An upright, branching aloe with yellow candle-like 

flowers that really grows outside in Nuthurst. Grows to about 3ft x 3ft. 

Aralia elata green 

The Japanese Angelica Tree. Huge bi-pinnate leaves make it extremely 

architectural. Terribly hardy but unfortunately deciduous. To about 10 ft. 

Araucaria araucana green 

Monkey Puzzle Tree. A stunningly different tree - highly effective if well 

placed. It'll grow to 60 ft eventually. A grove is what is needed. Very hardy. 

Araucaria heterophylla red 

Norfolk Island Pine. A stack of inverted triangles of ever decreasing size. 

Though tender, a remarkably successful, easy and shapely plant for in-doors. 

Arbutus andrachnoides amber 

Red Barked Strawberry Tree. Beautiful evergreen (20 ft) with everything. 

Fast growing, winter flowering and the most remarkable bark. ESSENTIAL 

Arbutus glandulosa amber 

Mexican Strawberry Tree. Smooth coppery bark, autumn flowering, hardy in 

Nuthurst for 10 years (now 12 ft). Beautiful shape. Lime tolerance unknown. 

Arundo donax green 

Spanish Reed. A vigorous grass to 10 ft or more. Ubiquitous in the South of 

France, Spain and Italy. Brown in winter but still ESSENTIAL. 

Arundo donax variegata amber 

Variegated Spanish Reed. Huge green and white striped leaves on 6 ft stems - 

or taller in mild gardens. Hardiest on clay, rather than sandy soil. 

Aspidistra elatior red 

Cast Iron Plant. Bursting leafy evergreen thing that thrives on neglect. House 

plant, shade plant, garden plant in London and other warm regions. 3ft. 

Asplenium scolopendrium green 

Hart's Tongue Fern. A familiar evergreen British native with bright green 

entire fronds to 2 ft. OK on acid soil, but loves very alkaline soil (chalk). 

Astelia chathamica amber 

Soft, silvery blue, sword shaped leaves to 4 ft. Wonderful Phormium 

lookalikes, good in shade or sun. Will regrow well if cut back by frost. 

Tea, Coffee and Consultation at Nuthurst 

Astelia nervosa green 

Not as silvery as the one above and not as big either - but much hardier and 

proving excellent in dense and dry shade. Astelias grow as epiphytes in N.Z.... 

Aucuba japonica crassifolia green 

Big and very shiny leaves - somewhere between a holly and an oak. Very 

successful vigorous evergreen that seems happiest in shade. To 8 ft. 

Aucuba japonica crotonifolia green 

Spotted Laurel. Deeply unfashionable due to over use in the past, it’s actually 

a fine, architectural landscape plant - i.e. good when viewed from afar.

5 

Aucuba japonica longifolia green 

A useful, hardy, evergreen shrub that tolerates shade, drought and neglect to 

a ridiculous extent. To 6 ft. 

Azara microphylla orange 

Tiny round shiny evergreen leaves and sweet vanilla scented flowers in 

February/March. Another lovely little tree from Chile that loves our climate. 

Azalea japonica green 

A small leafed evergreen - vital in your clipped karikomi Japanese garden. We 

sell several forms that flower in a variety of garish hues. 

Baccharis patagonica green 

Unusual little shrub with tiny shiny evergreen leaves, proving itself incredibly 

tough. According to Christine, flowers smell like freshly baked fairy cakes(??) 

Beschorneria yuccoides amber 

A Yucca lookalike with outrageous great red flower spikes in early summer. 

Not desperately hardy but ESSENTIAL in the milder garden. 

Betula jacquemontii green 

Very White Barked Himalayan Birch. Mostly multistemmed. At their best 

in proximity to dark green clipped foliage for that ‘Holland Park’ look. 

Home grown flowering Myrtle Niwaki at Chichester 

Blechnum chilense green 

Seersucker Fern from South America. By far the most distinctive of our few 

reliably hardy evergreen ferns. Looks like seersucker, grows to 3 ft or more. 

Blechnum spicant green 

The Hard or Deer Fern. A familiar evergreen British native fern with pinnate 

fronds to 2 ft long. Lime hater. 

Butia capitata red 

The Jelly Palm. A proper Palm Tree from Argentina - known to be perfectly 

hardy west of Torquay. Not known by enough people ! How about Islington? 

Buxus sempervirens green 

Box Topiary. We do Balls, Cones, Pyramids and Cubes and we do them very 

well. Nothing cutting edge here, just good, traditional stuff and lots of it. 

Callistemon subulatus amber 

Bottle Brush - the hardiest and one of the best. Evergreen shrub with highly 

distinctive arching branches and masses of crimson 'bottle brush' flowers. 

Camellia japonica green 

We usually have a stock of bush and half standard Camellias with either pure 

white or dark red flowers. 

Canna indica red 

Exotic banana-like herbaceous plant to about 5 ft, bright red and yellow 

flowers in late summer, beloved by French roundabout designers. ESSENTIAL. 

Canna iridiflora red 

A huger version of the above for summer bedding or pot, with shocking pink 

flowers. 8 ft in a year - hardy in mild areas. Screaming exotica. 

Canna coccinea red 

Green leaves and orange flowers. Cannas are best dug up in autumn 

and bunged under a bench for the winter. Plant out in early April. 

Carpobrotus edulis red 

Mesembryanthemum, Ice Plant. Fleshy leafed ground cover. For salt 

resistance, the next best thing to bladder-wrack. ESSENTIAL by the sea. 

Catalpa ‘Bungea’ green 

Dwarf Indian Bean Tree. Neat, compact deciduous, rounded shrub, grafted 

onto a 6 ft trunk. Very formal. Popular on the continent, not so here. Why?! 

Ceanothus arboreus amber 

Californian Lilac. Small evergreen tree for a sheltered spot. Covered in huge 

quantities of blue flowers in early summer. Spectacularly fast growing. 12 ft.

6 

Ceanothus azureus 'Concha' green 

Left alone, a bit of a blob - but, judicious pruning can make it into a beautiful 

little weeping tree. Some plants have architecture thrust upon them... 

Chamaerops humilis amber 

Dwarf Palm, surprisingly hardy if well sited. The only native European palm. 

Better than Trachycarpus in a windy spot. To about 5ft x 5ft. ESSENTIAL. 

Choisya ternata green 

Mexican Orange Blossom. Well known evergreen shrub with shiny leaves, and 

a pedestrian reputation. But have you ever tried clipping it? Unrecognisable. 

Cistus lusitanicus 'Decumbens' amber 

Essential in your Mediterranean bits with its deliciously aromatic leaves. 

Masses of white flowers and growing in low spreading Japanesey mounds. 

Cistus ladanifer ‘Paladin’ amber 

More upright than above with masses of white flowers but it’s the exquisite 

stickiness and powerful aroma that makes this so special. 

Clematis armandii green 

The best known evergreen one. Very vigorous climber with fragrant white 

flowers in the spring. Easy to grow, very exotic. 

Clematis cirrhosa green 

Less vigorous than above. Delicate cut leaves and whitish bell like flowers 

through the winter. All Clematis are busy at the top and thin at the bottom. 

Colletia armata green 

Small evergreen tree halfway between a Tree Heath and a pile of barbed wire. 

Butterflies flock to its sweet almond scented flowers. Can you live without it? 

Colocasia ‘Black Magic’ red 

Black Leafed Taro. A giant exotic vegetable with huge dark purple (rather 

than black) leaves for a pot and a greenhouse in the winter. 

Cordyline australis red 

Cabbage Tree, Torquay Palm... It's not a palm, doesn't look anything like a 

cabbage and it comes from New Zealand (not Torquay) anyway. ESSENTIAL. 

Cordyline australis 'Albertii' red 

A remarkable Cordyline with a head of sword shaped green leaves variegated 

red and cream. Frost tender, easy in a pot, slow growing and well behaved. 

Cordyline indivisa amber 

Mountain Cabbage Tree. All exoticists are in love with this plant. However, 

its voluptuousness is matched only by its temperamentalness. Ask for details! 

Corokia X virgata amber 

An unusual little wiry evergreen shrub with tiny leaves from New Zealand. 

Tiny yellow flowers in May followed by bright orange fruits. 

Cortaderia richardii green 

Toe-Toe (pronounced Toy-Toy) from N.Z. Similar to pampas grass (much 

greener in the winter), a little smaller, and summer flowering. Very hardy. 

Cortaderia sellowiana 'pumila' green 

Dwarf Pampas Grass from the land of the Gauchos. Clumps growing to 4 ft 

with 6 ft white flower plumes. A little more manageable than real Pampas. 

The Jetty at Nuthurst 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' green 

Montbretia. To 3 ft with strong reddy orange flower spikes in late summer. 

For sun or shade, dies down in winter. 

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa Nana’ green 

Delicious mounds of neat, tight, dark, evergreen foliage from Japan. Slow 

growing, best in some shade and slightly temperamental. 

Cupressus sempervirens 'Pyramidalis' green 

A neat and narrow form of the Italian Cypress. Plant with Pinus pinea for an 

immediate evocation of the Med. Be warned though - it’s high maintenance. 

Cycas revoluta red 

Japanese Cycad or Sago Palm. Somewhere between a Tree Fern and a Palm 

Tree. Hardy in a few warm spots, especially central London. Good in a pot. 

Cynara cardunculus green 

Cardoon. Near relative, but larger version of, the artichoke with huge silvery 

leaves to 4 ft long. Optional 8 ft stalks with thistle-like flowers 

Cyperus alternifolius amber 

Dwarf (3-4 ft) version of Papyrus - like a clump of miniature Palm Trees. 

Perfect for the conservatory - it can't be over watered!

Danae racemosa green 

Alexandrian Laurel. Very desirable hardy evergreen ground cover for those 

dark and difficult bits. Tolerates dry ground, red berries in autumn. 

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' green 

A not-very-architectural shrub with variegated evergreen leaves. Deliciously 

smelly flowers in late winter make it virtually Essential. 

Daphniphyllum macropodum green 

Tough as old boots but much more exotic. Small, rare evergreen tree with 

domed head, leaves hanging, purple new growth, red stalks. A favourite. 

Dasylirion acrotrichum amber 

A great spherical mass of thin green leaves that cleverly bridges the gap 

between exotica and topiary. Remarkable, easy and beautiful. 3ft x 3ft. 

Dianella tasmanica amber 

Bit like a miniature phormium; soft but spiky looking, with leaves to 3 ft. 

Violet flowers on 2ft stems followed by dark blue berries. 

Dicksonia antarctica red 

Tasmanian Tree fern. Utter beauty for shady conservatories and mild gardens 

(including 0207 Land). Our most universally revered plant. Gosh. 

Drimys winteri amber 

Winter's Bark. A highly reliable little evergreen tree from South America with 

masses of white flowers and an upright, multi-stemmed habit. To 20 ft. 

Dryopteris erythrosora green 

Japanese Shield Fern. Deciduous fern with coppery new fronds in spring and 

early summer - all turning green later. Can grow to 3ft x 3ft. 

Echeveria glauca red 

Pale blue rosettes of succulent leaves 8 in. across with little red and orange 

flowers that last for ages. No business surviving in Sussex - but they do! 

Echium fastuosum red 

A shrubby Echium with greyish leaves and deep blue flowers in early summer 

for very mild gardens only. Echiums not happy in pots unless dustbin sized. 

Echium pininiana red 

Grow this and die happy. The Tree Echium from La Palma Island is another 

example of screaming exotica. Triennial to 8 ft with 12 ft flowers. 

Eleagnus ebbingei green 

Frost, salt and wind hardy evergreen with silver leaves and nice little smelly 

white flowers. Often seen as a hedge, we grow it as a small tree. 

Embothrium lanceolatum amber 

Chilean Fire Bush. Small semi-evergreen tree from South America famous for 

its amazing red floral display in May and June. Needs a poor acid soil. 

Ephedra green 

We're not sure of the species but we know it's hardy and very 'different' 

W.J.Bean, he say, quote, "charming evergreen patches", unquote. Rare. 

Equisetum camtschatense green 

Common Horsetail. Meerkat Tails. Perpendicular marshy stuff that grows to 

4ft. Deciduous, needs lots of water and may need controlling... 

Eriobotrya deflexa ‘Coppertone’ amber 

Bronze Loquat. Half Loquat / half Photinia. Copper coloured young growth. 

Big smelly pink flowers in spring. Grow as a bush or a small tree 

Eriobotrya japonica amber 

Loquat. The best and easiest large leafed evergreen small tree for British 

gardens. Pale green shuttlecocks, spring and autumn. To 12 ft. ESSENTIAL. 

Eryngium agavifolium green 

A yucca-ish herbaceous perennial from Argentina with leaves to 2 ft long and 

flower heads like 'big green thimbles on short stalks'. Thank you Christine. 

Eryngium horridum amber 

It's not horrid at all. It's a little known Puya lookalike for your spiky areas. 

Easy to grow and more evergreen than most Eryngiums. Clumps 5 ft across. 

7 

Individual trees in the ground can be viewed in the Stock Field

8 

Eryngium pandanifolium amber 

Lots of long thin evergreen leaves to 4 ft in upright rosettes. Typical thistly 

Eryngium flower spikes to 8 ft. A rare plant from South America. 

Escallonia resinosa green 

Escallonia vindaloo. Vigorous evergreen shrub or small tree from Chile with 

lots of white flowers. The plant exudes a wonderful curry smell. Very hardy. 

Eucalyptus aggregata green 

Densest and greenest of all the hardy gum trees. Very desirable yet rare in 

cultivation. Seems perfectly hardy. Has grown to 20 ft in six years here. 

Eucalyptus debeuzevillei green 

The Jounama Snow Gum. Small (to 25 ft), hardy and beautiful with a rather 

difficult name. Similar to E. niphofila but with a whiter bloom to its branches. 

Eucalyptus glaucescens green 

Tingiringi Gum. Masses of round silvery leaves when young - maintained by 

annual stooling. Substantial (40 ft) tree with shiny-sickle shaped leaves. 

The Greenhouse at Nuthurst 

Eucomis bicolor amber 

Pineapple Lily. Big green leafy exotic rosette (to 3ft across) with a difficult to 

describe, greeny-white, 3ft flower spike. Very pineapple-like. 

Eucryphia X nymansensis amber 

An evergreen columnar tree from Chile. Covered in white flowers in late 

summer. Unlike most Eucryphias, happy on limey soil. Grows to about 30 ft. 

Eugenia myrtifolia red 

Lilly-Pilly. A tender Australian that lasts better in a pot for longer than 

anything else. Reddish new leaves, white flowers and magenta fruits. A beaut. 

Euonymus fortunei 'Kewensis' green 

A mat of tiny evergreen leaves. Normally prostrate, it'll scramble over almost 

anything. Best in shade, it's a ground cover, fence cover, shed cover... 

Euonymus japonicus amber 

A beautiful, dense, glossy evergreen blob that even looks good in windbattered 

sea-side gardens. Good for clipping and an early harbinger of spring. 

Euphorbia mellifera amber 

Honey Spurge for sun or shade, grows to 8 ft. Luminous green leaves, flowers 

smell like honey. The best Euphorbia in the world. Evergreen and ESSENTIAL. 

Euphorbia wulfenii green 

A hardy evergreen (everblueish) shrub to 4 ft. Deservedly well known 

and useful. Easy to grow but like all Euphorbias, best in the ground (not a pot) 

Fargesia murieliae green 

Polite Bamboo. Forms neat, tight clumps and the whole thing takes on a 

kind of mushroom shape after a few years. Never spreads, grows to 10 ft. 

Fascicularia bicolor amber 

The hardiest Bromeliad - related to and looking like a pineapple, it'll grow 

anywhere - full sun, dense shade or, best of all, up a tree. Ask for details. 

Fascicularia pitcairniifolia red 

Another pineapple relative - bigger and better but much less frost hardy. 

Brilliant in a pot, extraordinary red and blue flowers like a Mandrill's bottom. 

Fatshedera lizei green 

Fat-headed Lizzie. An Ivy and Fatsia cross, which is exactly what it looks 

like. Splendid jungly climbing scrambling thing for shade. Evergreen and easy. 

Fatsia japonica green 

Fig-Leafed Palm or False Castor Oil Plant. Graphic descriptions for an old 

favourite for dark corners, inside or out. Huge, shiny, lobey leaves. To 8 ft. 

Ficus carica green 

Common Fig. Hardy, architectural, deciduous and, if in the right spot, 

delicious. Enormous lobey leaves that smell as good as the fruit itself. 

Fremontodendron 'California Glory' amber 

Evergreen wall shrub with masses of big yellow buttercup flowers 

throughout the summer. Extraordinarily fast growing - 15 ft in 3 years. 

Furcraea longaeva red 

Huge user-friendly Yucca lookalike for mild gardens or conservatory. Very 

important 15 ft flower that does some odd things - ask for riveting details.

Genista aetnensis green 

Mount Etna Broom. One of the most distinctive small trees that can be grown 

in Britain. Elegant and easy, masses of yellow flowers in July. ESSENTIAL. 

Geranium maderense red 

Loves being in a pot. Compact, symmetrical shape with deeply cut leaves and 

loud magenta flowers. Grows to 3 ft across and 2 ft tall. Very seductive. 

Grevillea rosmarinifolia amber 

For sunny sites on poor acid soil, an exotic shrub (to 5 ft) from Down Under. 

Masses of crimson flowers in mid summer. Excellent in the conservatory. 

Griselinia littoralis amber 

A fleshy, apple-green leafed, evergreen shrub or small tree from N.Z. Very salt 

resistant, very distinctive and remarkably hardy. ESSENTIAL. 

Gunnera manicata green 

Giant Rhubarb (Highly descriptive). Great brute of a thing with monster leaves 

6 ft across in wet and shady places. ‚÷¡º in winter (total collapse situation) 

Hebe parviflora angustifolia (a.k.a. H. stenophylla) green 

Simply the most useful and one of the prettiest plants in the nursery. Happy 

anywhere - including dry shade where nothing else will grow. To 6ft. 

Hebe rakaiensis green 

Beautiful little pale green mounds with tiny evergreen leaves. An unauthentic 

but extremely convincing contribution to any Japanese garden. To 3ft max. 

Hedera canariensis green 

Canary Island Ivy. A huge shiny-leafed species that's hardy and easy. Splendid 

vigorous ground cover or climber. Very jungly. 

Hedera helix 'Très Coupé' green 

This Ivy's really neat. It grows in a very dense mat, quite slowly and has the 

tiniest leaves of any Ivy you've ever seen. Beautiful plant with many uses. 

Hedychium coccineum 'Tara' amber 

The best 'all round' Ginger Lily, we now micropropagate it. Jungly leaves to 

5ft with strong orange, mildly fragrant, flowers in September. Root hardy. 

Hedychium forrestii amber 

The biggest, the hardiest and the most vigorous of the Ginger Lilies. Grows 

to 6ft with white flowers in August and September. 

Hedychium gardnerianum red 

The most exotic of the Ginger Lilies with its broad leaves and deliciously 

fragrant yellow flowers. Hardy in mild gardens. Pretty happy in a pot. 

Helleborus foetidus green 

The charmingly entitled 'Stinking Hellebore'. Lovely small evergreen (to 2ft) 

for shady places. Looks good all winter, loves chalk. 

Holboellia latifolia amber 

A vigorous evergreen climber with deliciously fragrant greenish-white flowers 

in March. It bears edible fruit resembling well battered testicles. 

Hydrangea seemannii amber 

Little known evergreen, self clinging climber from Mexico. Similar to 

H.serratifolia but more vigorous with larger leaves. Ideal for London. 

Ilex aquifolium green 

English Holly. We have a shifting population of green and variegated holly 

topiary - mop-heads, cones and blobs. Fairly tolerant of being containerised. 

Ilex crenata green 

Japanese Holly. We have imported Japanese Niwaki - which we’re extremely 

bossy about - and blobs, perfect for karikomi work to go with Azaleas. 

Ilex perado platyphylla amber 

Huge, shiny, evergreen leaves on this small but vigorous Holly from the 

Canaries. More accommodating to growing in a pot than anything else - ever! 

Iris confusa amber 

The most exotic looking Iris by far. Great sprays of palmy, bambooey leaves 

on the end of 2 or 3 ft stems. Small white flowers in midsummer. 

9 

The Jetty from below

10 

Iris japonica variegata amber 

It sometimes grows on roofs. As this suggests, it's pretty drought tolerant. 

Nice little hardy, evergreen, variegated Iris with white and lilac flower spikes. 

Jovellana violacea amber 

A little Chilean shrub with pale violet flowers and soft little leaves that does 

best in shade. Must be kept moist. 

Jubaea chilensis amber 

Chilean Wine Palm. A magnificent hardy palm tree from Chile. And the ‘but’? 

It’s spectacularly slow growing. So we sell big ones with big price tags. 

Kniphofia caulescens green 

Red Hot Poker. Fleshy bluey leafy rosettes on short fat grey trunks, red and 

yellow pokers in autumn. Very easy, very hardy, one of the best for foliage. 

Kniphofia northiae green 

If it's sunny, damp and rich, you'll be stunned, shocked and astonished by its 

6 ft fleshy leaves in gigantic rosettes. Flower spike is dark orange to 3ft. 

Kniphofia uvaria nobilis green 

Another Poker. Good foliage and big orangey red flower spikes in late 

summer. The best flowering Kniphofia for September/October. (We think) 

Lampranthus spectabilis amber 

The hardiest succulent Mesembryanthemum we can find. Trailing ground 

cover with loud cerise flowers for your succulent areas. Very Tresco. 

Laurus nobilis angustifolia green 

The Narrow Leafed Bay Tree. Much prettier and hardier than the common one 

you put in stews. Aromatic and salt resistant, a beautiful little tree. 

Libertia formosa amber 

Like a little Phormium with white orchid-like flower spikes. Grows to about 

3 ft. Does well in a pot, flowers for weeks and weeks. 

Ligustrum delavayi amber 

Giant lollipops. Tiny leafed evergreen that we sell as 5 ft standards. 

An inexpensive - well, relatively inexpensive - alternative to standard box. 

Ligustrum lucidum green 

Chinese Cloud Tree. One of our very best landscape trees. Large leafed 

evergreen, fast growing, domed head, covered in white flowers. To about 25 ft. 

Lithocarpus edulis amber 

Large and glossy, evergreen and exotic. Slow growing and excellent in dark 

and difficult spots. A rare Japanese evergreen Oak. Easy, but a lime hater. 

Lobelia tupa amber 

"Magnificent plant..... anything less like the conventional bedding lobelia 

could not be imagined". G.S.Thomas. Big and herby, red flowers. 

Lomatia ferruginea amber 

An utterly beautiful member of the exotic Protea family. Large, evergreen, 

ferny leaves. ESSENTIAL if you have poor acid soil and a fairly open site. 

Lomatia myricoides amber 

Possibly the hardiest and certainly one of the most architectural of the Protea 

family. Long thin leaves, white flowers in July. Grows to about 6 ft. 

The Office at Chichester 

Lonicera nitida ‘Elegans’ green 

Common but incredibly useful evergreen with tiny leaves for highly reliable 

small hedges and clipped work. Fast growing and always attractively priced. 

Luzula sylvatica 'Marginata' green 

Woodrush. Evergreen, spreading, grassy thing with fresh green leaves to 1 ft. 

long. Hardy, pretty and very useful. Best in damp, fairly shady places. 

Lyonothamnus floribundus aspleniifolius amber 

Translated: Santa Cruz Ironwood Tree. Piles of ferny evergreen leaves and 

beautiful red stringy bark. Totally fabulous plant. Surprisingly hardy. To 20 ft.

Magnolia delavayi amber 

Huge evergreen leaves. Mere words cannot do this wonderful Chinese tree 

justice - and a lime lover! Always in short supply. 

Magnolia grandiflora green 

Another ESSENTIAL evergreen tree. Big glossy leaves, huge smelly white 

flowers. Best as a free standing tree, not the traditional wall shrub. To 30 ft. 

Magnolia macrophylla green 

An awesome thing. Vast leaves over 2 ft long. Deciduous, grows to 30 ft. 

Always in short supply. Nature, once again, in absurd mode. Lime hater. 

Mahonia lomariifolia amber 

The best of the genus by far. Elegant and very architectural, to 8 ft. For full 

eulogy, see the writings of Christopher Lloyd. Very un-roundabout-like indeed. 

Matteuccia struthiopteris green 

The Ostrich Fern. Large (to 4 ft), well known, very upright, fern that dies 

down in the winter. A giant shuttlecock yes but an Ostrich? An Ostrich?! 

Maytenus boaria amber 

Maiten Tree. Elegant, evergreen, willow-like tree for open sites. Salt resistant. 

Visit the grove at Portmeirion, and swoon. In the Home Counties, 25 ft. 

Melianthus major red 

A much loved evergreen (or blue) shrub (6 ft) with huge and deeply cut leaves. 

Cut back by severe frost, recovers rapidly. Grows like mad in the autumn. 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' green 

Tall (5 ft - ish), elegant, slender and very upright grass with big plumey 

flowers in summer. Not an evergreen, but still beautiful. 

Mitraria coccinea amber 

A lovely little Chilean evergreen with bright red tubular flowers. For damp and 

fairly shady places. Lime disliker, rather than hater. 

Muehlenbeckia complexa amber 

A tiny leafed, vigorous, scrambling sort of thing. It's evergreen and looks quite 

jungly. Best in shade, very salt tolerant, incredibly useful, incredibly popular. 

Musa basjoo amber 

Implausible though it sounds - a (root) hardy Banana. To 10 ft every year in 

our Exotic Frost Pocket, protected in winter with chimney pots. ESSENTIAL. 

Myrtus apiculata amber 

Orange Bark Myrtle. An outstanding small evergreen tree with remarkable 

orange and white bark. Also grown by us as a Niwaki (Cloud pruned) 

Myrtus lechleriana amber 

Very pretty Chilean Myrtle, especially in late spring, covered in copper 

coloured new growth then masses of white flowers. Evergreen tree to 12 ft. 

Nothofagus dombeyi green 

Dombey's Southern Beech. One of the most successful evergreen broadleaf 

trees for Britain. To 30 ft or more, very easy to grow and very beautiful. 

Nerine bowdenii amber 

Guernsey Lily. A splash of autumn colour. Loud pink Agapanthus like flowers 

when all else has fallen by the wayside. Hardy if given perfect drainage. 

Olea europaea red 

Olive Tree. Familiar to all - we grow it as a bush or as a standard. Happy in 

many parts of Britain but don't expect too much of the fruit! 

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' green 

Clumps of evergreen jet-black grassy stuff (1 ft x 1 ft) for budding Design 

Gurus. Lilac flowers in summer, black berries in autumn. 

Osmanthus yunnanensis amber 

The most architectural of the genus. Large leafed, distinctive, evergreen 

little tree (to 20 ft). Unaccountably rare. All Osmanthuses = nice smells. 

Osmunda regalis green 

Royal Fern. Impressive (to 4 ft or more) deciduous fern for sun or shade. 

Very distinctive with its brown spore bearing new fronds. Royal? No idea. 

11 

“The Most Beautiful Lavatory in Europe”. The Loo at Nuthurst

12 

Paulownia tomentosa green 

Foxglove Tree. Vigorous young trees, cut down in the spring will grow 8 ft 

and produce soft leaves 2 ft across, in one season. A Summer Jungle Plant. 

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ green 

Fountain Grass. Small, bright green clump forming grass (3 ft tall, 2 ft wide). 

Flower heads to 4 ft with a distinctly pink tinge. Brown in the winter. 

Phillyrea latifolia green 

Green Olive Tree. It's sculptural. To 20 ft with domes and bumps of tight 

evergreen foliage. Very hardy, very Japanese looking. One of the very best. 

Phoenix canariensis red 

Canary Island Date Palm. Elegant waving fronds straight from the Riviera. 

Hardy in parts of London, Falmouth, Sydney etc. Big plant, Marvellous plant. 

Phormium cookianum amber 

Mountain Flax. Greener, laxer and more luxuriant looking than the better 

known P. tenax. Lush and jungly. Yellow flowers on 5 ft spikes. 

Phormium cookianum tricolor amber 

As above but with leaves striped green and cream with red edges. 

Extraordinarily hardy - only showing slight damage in very severe winters. 

Phormium tenax green 

New Zealand Flax. The Explosion. 7 ft greeny-blue swords explode from the 

ground. Huge red flower spikes for extra exoticness. ESSENTIAL. 

Phormium tenax 'Purpureum' amber 

The purple-leaved one. Flowers the same a P. tenax, tends not to grow 

quite as big and comes in an alarmingly wide range of shades of purple. 

Phormium tenax variegatum amber 

Another for the Exploding Garden - with cream variegated leaves. Phormiums 

do best on heavy clay. Irresistible - even to the true Variegataphobe. 

Photinia glabra green 

A clever idea from Italy - a bush grafted onto a trunk producing a tidy little 

evergreen tree with new growth that’s red and frothy white flowers in May. 

Photinia serrulata amber 

Aristocratic evergreen (15 ft) with an exotic habit and new bronzy leaves in 

January. Not to be confused with the better known Roundabout species. 

Phyllostachys aurea green 

Grow this Bamboo and discover the meaning of the intriguing expression - 

'clustered node bases'. Very well behaved. Grows to 15 ft. One of the best. 

Phyllostachys nigra green 

The true Black Bamboo with canes like ebony and fabulous dark green foliage 

- providing it's cultivated correctly (ask for details). Often in short supply. 

Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' green 

Large, upright, yellow canes and tough as old boots. Ask for details of this 

and other bamboos with coloured canes and ludicrous names. 

Phyllostachys pubescens or edulis green 

Moso or Edible Bamboo. Huge fat canes covered in soft hair and foliage more 

like fronds than a mere grass. The fairest of all bamboos to be grown in Britain. 

Pieris japonica 'Forest Flame' green 

Neat piles of tiny evergreen leaves, brilliant red new growth, lots of hanging 

white bell flowers, flaky reddish bark, to about 6 ft. Very pretty. Lime Hater. 

Pieris japonica 'Variegata' green 

As above but much more compact and even more shapely. Leaves are green 

with white variegation. 

The New Plant Sales Office at Nuthurst 

Pileostegia viburnoides green 

Large, long, leathery leaves. Evergreen, self clinging (if conditions are right) 

climber for any aspect - especially shade. Given time, will cover your house. 

Pinus montezumae amber 

Shitzu Tree. To many people, simply the most beautiful thing in the world. Vivid 

green, long soft needles. Grows to 30 ft. and like all pines, needs lots of space. 

Pinus patula amber 

Orang-Utan Pine. Another Mexican beauty with long, soft, feathery, hanging 

needles - like a great big Orang-Utan. To 30 ft. Easy to grow. Chalk hater. 

Pinus pinea green 

Umbrella Pine - wonderful, flat topped Pine familiar to all visitors to the Med. 

ESSENTIAL in any 'Mediterranean' garden, along with the Italian Cypress.

13 

Pinus radiata green 

Monterey Pine from California. Large, fluffy and remarkable for two things: 

its speed of growth and its salt resistance. Could reach 30 ft. in 15 years. 

Pittosporum tenuifolium amber 

A familiar evergreen shrub or small tree in seaside gardens with its luxuriant, 

crinkly edged, pale green leaves. Hardy in many inland gardens. 

Pittosporum tobira amber 

Shiny, tough, evergreen leaves and delicious, powerfully smelly cream 

coloured flowers in June. Very Japanese. Excellent by the seaside. To 6 ft. 

Pleioblastus variegatus green 

The only decent variegated Bamboo. Very similar to P. distichus, but much 

less vigorous and invasive. Very useful, especially in winter. Clip it. 

Podocarpus macrophyllus green 

Maki. Ubiquitous in Japanese gardens. A very architectural little conifer with 

its long thin leaves. To about 15 ft, very hardy, does well in shade. 

Podocarpus salignus green 

Willow Podocarp from Chile. Piles of luxuriant evergreen foliage - there's 

nothing else like it. It grows to about 25 ft eventually and is ESSENTIAL. 

Deliveries being prepared 

Polystichum munitum green 

Evergreen fern forming rosettes of fronds about 3ft across or more, where 

plenty of moisture's available. 

Polystichum polyblepharum amber 

Polly-Polly. Evergreen fern with symmetrical rosettes of remarkably shiny, 

dark green fronds about 2 ft across or more. 

Polystichum setiferum green 

A very nice little hardy fern. Very popular and more or less evergreen, it lays 

quite flat and forms a rosette of fronds about 3 ft across. 

Polystichum setiferum 'Plumosum' green 

As above but a slightly smaller version with leaves (sorry, fronds) that could 

be described as frothy or frilly or flimsy. Well it's different anyway. 

Poncirus trifoliata green 

Japanese Bitter Orange. Deciduous. Has big white, typically Citrus, fragrant 

lowers in Spring, little oranges in Autumn. Makes a great hedge. To 10 ft. 

Prunus laurocerasus green 

Evergreen Cherry. Well known as a hedge but we grow it as a tree . Fragrant 

white flowers in April. Grows to 15 ft. Tough as old boots and very pretty. 

Prunus lusitanica ‘Myrtifolia’ green 

Small leafed Portuguese Laurel. Well known evergreen with many many uses. 

We sell it as Mushrooms, Cones, Mop Heads and for Hedging. 

Pseudopanax chathamica amber 

Long thin leathery leaves organised in an architectural manner on top of a 

slender trunk and if you think it sounds odd, it's ordinary compared with : 

Pseudopanax crassifolius amber 

Lancewood Tree from N.Z.. In its juvenile state, 2 ft long leaves, very thin, 

hanging at 45° from the trunk. Outrageous. One of our more original designs. 

Pseudopanax laetus red 

The pretty one. Large glossy evergreen bush. Pseudopanax don't seem to 

bother much with soppy things like roots - they actually like growing in a pot. 

Pseudosasa japonica green 

The return of a once much loved Bamboo. It's stopped flowering and so its 

safe to plant again. Large leaves, open habit, to 15 ft, one of the very best. 

Puya alpestris red 

Wonderful Pineapple relatives. Silvery, prickly rosettes with extraordinary 

metallic blue flower spikes, for mild, windy gardens (or pots). To 2 ft x 2 ft 

Quercus ilex green 

Holm Oak. Beautiful evergreen tree with a reputation for being rather ‘grand’ 

owing to its long association with formal planting in large country houses. 

Quercus myrsinifolia green 

Bamboo leafed oak. Piles of evergreen bamboo-like foliage (reddish when 

young). An utterly beautiful tree to 30 ft after many years. 

Quercus suber amber 

Cork Tree or Cork Oak. Much more successful in Britain than many people 

realise. Evergreen, to 25 ft, dense and round headed, lovely bark (cork).

14 

Rhamnus alaternus variegata amber 

Like the variegated Pittosporums - but much hardier and faster growing. Very 

reliable, variegated evergreen to 10 ft. or more. Lots of orange flowers. 

Rhus typhina green 

Sumach Tree. Small deciduous tree (12 ft) with wonderful huge soft pinnate 

leaves. Dead common - but why can't more plants like this be dead common? 

Rosmarinus officinalis amber 

Common Rosemary. Common maybe, but still an ESSENTIAL part of a 

Mediterranean garden, always smelling delicious. Grows to about 3 ft. 

Rosmarinus 'Repens' amber 

Naturally prostrate, at its most impressive when allowed to pour over 

the side of a wall in great curtains. VERY sharp drainage for all Rosemarys. 

Ruscus aculeatus green 

Butcher’s Broom. Weird. Dark evergreen triangles on 3 ft sticks, bright red 

berries. Happy in dry and dense shade where almost nothing else will grow. 

Sasa palmata green 

Jungly, large leafed, hardy Bamboo. Grows to 8 ft. Thoroughly ill mannered 

(rampant) and everyone loves it. Can be confined to pot with great success. 

Sempervivum green 

We've a number of these familiar spiky little rosettes. Grow these in profusion 

amongst your yuccas and other succulents. 

Sequoia sempervirens green 

Coast Redwood. Grow these in groves, close together, to get their full 

cathedral-like splendour. 100 ft in 50 years? Possibly for the larger garden. 

Stipa gigantea green 

Giant Feather Grass. It’s big (to 4 ft) but with it’s even bigger oat like flower 

heads (to 6 ft) it has something of an airy Pampas Grass about it. 

Stipa tenuissima green 

Feather Grass. It’s short and green and must be planted in large quantities in 

a very light and well ventilated garden so it can be seen waving in the wind. 

Tamarix gallica green 

Tamarisk. Either as a first line of defence at the seaside or as a beautiful, 

feathery little tree, inland. Pink flowers in summer. Standards available. 

Taxodium distichum green 

Swamp Cypress. Deciduous conifer that loves bogs and thoroughly bad 

drainage. Tall and slender, soft, green foliage and a fine show in autumn. 

Taxus baccata green 

Yew. We can always get you plants for hedging but usually only stock large 

Yew topiary : cones. pyramids, balls and blobs. 

Tetrapanax papyrifera amber 

Rice Paper Plant. A great success, said to have gone berserk in Fulham. 

Huge cut grey leaves covered in powdery stuff. 6 ft or more, very jungly. 

Trachelospermum asiaticum green 

Very fine evergreen climber. Dense mass of small leaves and tiny cream 

flowers in June and July with the fabulous smell of Gardenia. Slow growing. 

Trachelospermum jasminoides amber 

Star Jasmine. Compared with T. asiaticum : leaves bigger, grows taller and 

faster, less hardy, flowers for longer (June to October is possible). Marv! 

Trachycarpus fortunei green 

Chusan Palm. Ridiculously frost hardy but please don't try to grow it on the 

seafront. Many sizes - the big ones with stripped trunks. ESSENTIAL. 

We pride ourselves in our plant loading skills 

Trachycarpus wagnerianus green 

The palm that everyone wants. Similar to the one above but with 

smaller, stiffer leaves. Only available as small plants. Unfortunately. 

Trochodendron aralioides green 

Cartwheel Tree. Primitive, weird and unique from its evergreen Schefflera-like 

leaves to its vivid green flowers. Very frost hardy, slow growing to 15 ft.

15 

Viburnum cinnamomifolium green 

As Viburnums go, an absolute monster. Similar to the well known V. davidii, 

but bigger in every respect; leaves almost twice the size, could reach 15ft. 

Viburnum tinus green 

Laurus tinus. Dead common but not to be under estimated. This has so much 

more to offer pruned into a little tree - try it! And it flowers all winter long. 

Vitis coignetiae green 

Excellent jungly climber with very large leaves. Very hardy, happy in sun or 

shade. Unfortunately deciduous, but a fine display of colour in the autumn. 

Weinmannia trichosperma amber 

Fabulous small evergreen tree from Chile with fern like leaves. Doing terribly 

well in Edgware - 8 ft in 4 years and flowering. Could reach 15 ft. 

Wollemia nobilis amber 

Wollemi Pine. The mysterious and highly decorative conifer discovered only 

20 years ago. So far proving fast, hardy, easy and very pretty too. 

‘The Avenue’ at the Chichester Nursery 

Woodwardia radicans red 

Chain Fern. An irresistible evergreen fern that spreads by producing new 

fernettes at the ends of its 6 ft fronds. Tender. An excellent indoor plant. 

Woodwardia unigemmata amber 

Chinese Chain Fern. Not quite as beautiful as the one above but hardier and 

much rarer but with similar characteristics. New fronds are distinctly red. 

Yucca aloifolia amber 

Spanish Bayonet. The most beautiful (yes, beautiful) and the most dangerous 

Yucca. Trunk forming (6 ft), pale green. Frost, no problem. Wet, big problem. 

Yucca aloifolia variegata red 

Very pretty variegated version of above. Slow growing, pricey, rare, desirable 

and never available as a small plant. 

Yucca x floribunda green 

Trunk forming cross between Y. gloriosa and filamentosa. Flowers like mad in 

the sun and gets in a right old mess. Brilliant as an accent plant in shade. 

Yucca gloriosa green 

The best known but hardest-to-get-hold of Yucca. This is the true gloriosa 

with it's stout trunk and stiff ascending leaves. Impressive, wonderful texture. 

Yucca gloriosa variegata green 

As above but with yellow and green striped leaves. Very frost hardy but much 

less bulky. Could reach 4 ft tall by 3 ft across, less likely to form a 'thicket'. 

Yucca recurva green 

Another classic Victorian favourite. Trunk forming, but with graceful recurved 

(bending) leaves. Huge white flower spikes, as with all the Yuccas. 

Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Crowborough' amber 

Hardy Arum Lily. Dark green leaves and immaculate white flowers to 2 ft or 

more. Just as happy in damp shade as dry sun. Good in a pot too. 

The Intrepid Quest for architectural plants continues. If you feel there are any 

conspicuous omissions in this list - please let us know. We know we're terribly 

opinionated, but we'll try our best to listen.

16 

LARGER SPECIMENS 

This is a Check List of all the plants we have in larger sizes. 

It's a floating population - phone us to find our current stocks. 

Spiky : 

Agave, Beschorneria, Cordyline australis, Dasylirion, Furcraea, 

Phormium tenax + tenax variegatum, Yucca aloifolia, Yucca x floribunda, 

Yucca gloriosa variegata, Yucca recurva 

Palms / Generally Frondy : 

Butia capitata, Chamaerops humilis, Cycas revoluta, 

Dicksonia antarctica, Jubea chilensis, Phoenix canariensis, 

Trachycarpus fortunei (the big ones we sell with stripped trunks - much 

prettier. Trachycarpus striptus?) 

Outrageous Herbaceous : 

Acanthus mollis, Agapanthus, Cannas, Gunnera manicata, Hedychium, 

Musa basjoo 

Grass / Bamboo : 

Arundo donax, Fargesia murieliae, Phyllostachys aurea, P. nigra, 

P. aureosulcata,P. vivax ‘Aureocaulis’, Pseudosasa japonica, Sasa 

Evergreen Shrubs : 

Aucuba ‘Crotonifolia’, Choisya ternata, Eriobotrya deflexa, Euonymus 

japonicus, Fatsia japonica, Griselinia littoralis, Magnolia grandiflora, 

Pittosporum tobira, Prunus lusitanica, Pseudopanax laetus 

Small Deciduous Trees : 

Albizia julibrissin rosea, Aralia elata, Ficus carica, Rhus, 

Tamarix gallica 

Large Deciduous Trees : 

Catalpa ‘Bungea’, Paulownia tomentosa, Taxodium 

Small Evergreen Trees : 

Acacia, Arbutus andrachnoides, A. glandulosa, Eriobotrya japonica, 

Genista aetnensis, Laurus nobilis angustifolia, Ligustrum lucidum, 

Lyonothamnus, Magnolia grandiflora, Myrtus apiculata, Olea, Phillyrea 

latifolia, Photinia, Pinus, Prunus laurocerasus, Podocarpus salignus, 

Pseudopanax crassifolius, Quercus myrsinifolia 

Larger Evergreen Trees : 

Cupressus sempervirens, Eucalyptus, Nothofagus, 

Pinus patula, Pinus pinea, Pinus radiata, Quercus ilex, Quercus suber 

Niwaki: 

Also know as Pom-Poms or Cloud Pruned Trees. Niwaki means, literally, 

‘Garden Tree’ because these belong in the ground, not in pots (they’re 

called Bonsai). 

The most extraordinary, and certainly the most expensive plants on the 

nursery, these are grown in Japan and are a species of Holly called 

Ilex crenata. 

We also grow our own Niwaki at the Chichester nursery, where they and 

their maker (Narongphol Rittirat - a.k.a. Noi - from Bangkok) can be 

inspected : 

Myrtus apiculata (Orange Bark Myrtle) and Phillyrea latifolia (Green 

Olive) 

Topiary : 

We're uncharacteristically refined and restrained in this department. 

No Dinosaurs, no Penny Farthing Bicycles, no Tennis Rackets and no 

Footballers. 

We go for things like Balls, Lollipops, Mop Heads, Pyramids and Cones. 

Buxus (Box Balls & Cones), Ilex (various forms of Holly as Lollipops), 

Laurus nobilis (Bay Lollipops and Cones), Ligustrum delavayi (Tiny 

Leafed Privet as Lollipops), Olea (Olive Lollipops), Pittosporum tobira 

(Mop Heads), 

Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese Laurel Mop Heads & Cones), Rosmarinus 

(Small Rosemary Lollipops), Taxus (Yew Cones & Pyramids), Viburnum 

tinus (Laurustinus Lollipops) 

(What's the difference between a Mop Head and a Lollipop? Hmmmm... 

Lollipop's tidier than a Mop Head) 

Most of these plants are individually priced - please ask for a Quotation.

17 

GARDEN DESIGN 

Much air is consumed on the subject of garden design and the implication 

is clear - all you need for a great garden is a great design. 

True, you do indeed need a great design in the form of bold ideas, 

sound principles and a high degree of coherence but once these factors 

The stilted Hornbeam hedges that always get the most comment in this 

remarkable garden. An eloquent study in bold design. 

An illusion of privacy is created using evergreen exotics in this small 

garden. The meandering grass path used to be the lawn. 

are in place the difference between a wonderful garden and a calamity 

is accomplished by execution and maintenance not just design. 

We can design a garden for you that observes all these vital princples. 

We can design it with you, around you and for you but the 

true creativity begins about three years after the planting is complete. 

It’s the way you accommodate all these ever expanding and constantly 

changing pieces of vegetation that’s the clever bit. We call it Creative 

Mediterranean, Japanese, spiky, blobby. It’s all to do with shape, 

texture, light and sculpture. 

Maintenance. What to remove? What to shape? How to shape it? How to 

meld your beloved collection of plants into a gigantic piece of delicious 

sculpture. Some people seem to be intimidated by this prospect. We say 

it’s tremendously good fun and it’s called gardening.

18 

The creation of wonderful places using plants is threaded through 

everything we do - the choice of plants we grow, the way we present 

them on the nursery, the advice we dispense and the ideas we propose. 

Architectural Plants is about shape - an obsession with the sculptural 

qualities of plants where strong, eye catching outlines, delicious textures 

and combined shades of green, rule. 

We planted an avenue of large box balls either side of an existing path. 

Bold and simple. 

Hand in hand with this sculptural/textural/verdant thing must come 

the question - ‘Yes, but how do I bring it about?’ Put at its very 

simplest, take Kenneth Williams’ advice - ‘Be bold!’ 

There are a number of fundamentals that we use as guides when 

helping people design their gardens (e.g. big plants at the back, 

small plants at the front) 

but none come as high up 

the list as Be Bold and Avoid 

Being Timid. Avoid it like the 

plague. Nobody ever created 

an interesting garden by 

being timid. In fact, nobody 

ever created anything of 

interest by being timid. 

Being bold - massive 

swathes of the same plant, 

avenues, rows, stilted 

hedges, planting trees that 

get ‘too big’ and trees in the 

‘wrong’ place - all require, I 

admit, a degree of recklessness, 

courage and 

confidence. If you feel you 

may be positively predis- 

Never under-estimate the effect of 

shapely exotics from upstairs 

posed to such a concept, we 

can help. Our job is to 

encourage people to do 

interesting things with their garden - if you feel you may be teetering on 

the edge of doing something interesting, please allow us to at least talk 

to you about giving you a shove over the edge. 

Fleshy, spiky, alien and outlandish. Full on, in your face, 

screaming exotica. It works every time

19 

A GARDEN DESIGNED, BUILT AND MAINTAINED 

BY ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS USING 

ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS 

On page two I’ve written a little on the evolution of this side of the 

business. We used to be a nursery selling plants to anyone discerning 

enough to buy them. 

Now we’re a company that 

does your garden from top 

to toe that’s fortunate 

enough to have its very 

own nursery. We design, 

we build, we plant and we 

creatively maintain. 

Thousands of plants to choose from at 

either nursery. Lots of topiary 

Nearly all the gardens 

we’ve designed and 

built have been as a result 

of a visit to either nursery. 

For those taken by the 

presentation, flavour and 

look of the nursery there’s 

a realisation that some of that feeling can be reproduced in their own 

garden. That’s what we endeavour to do - give you a piece of 

Architectural Plants. 

Because we love plants, 

the emphasis in our 

gardens is always on ‘creating 

an effect using plants’. 

An obvious statement perhaps 

but some modern garden 

designs seem to have a 

greater emphasis on the 

‘hard landscaping’ (ponds, 

paths, patios etc) and less 

on the plants. We’ll do the 

hard landscaping too and 

under the vigilant eye of our Thousands of plants to choose from at 

landscape manager Rob either nursery. Lots of spiky plants 

Mackinnon, it will always 

be beautifully executed but don’t forget - being us - the plants will 

always come first. 

THE PROCEDURE 

1. Triage 

If you show an interest in having us design your garden, first phone 

01403 891772 and ask for Frances Law, our triage expert. Triage? 

We’ve always had a process whereby 

we speak to a customer with the 

intention of considering how and 

who (which member of staff) can 

serve them best. I’d always been 

surprised that with the vast array of 

loony business jargon floating 

around, there didn’t seem to be a 

label for this (to us) all important 

process. Discussing this with a doctor 

friend, he pointed out that in his 

world of emergency medicine, this 

was called ‘triage’ : the decision as 

to how best to deal with a casualty 

Triage. Initial discussions start 

at the nursery 

that’s just arrived at the hospital. 

It’s nowhere near as bloody here but 

it’s still a good analogy. A brief discussion 

with someone skilled at 

triage can save a great deal of time and set everyone on the right 

course almost immediately. 

2. The Right Person 

Following this relatively brief discussion, you will be put in touch (as 

quickly as possible) with The Right Person - your designer. The 

meeting that ensues involves looking at photos, maybe aerial photos on 

the internet and discussions about your ambitions for the garden, your 

loves and loathings and if possible, your budget. (A good time to 

emphasise that great gardens rely on bold ideas well executed not necessarily, 

huge sums of money).

Usually a visit to your 

garden is then organized 

and an idea begins to 

take shape. 

This is also the point 

where things become 

idiosyncratic - all our 

sales people and garden 

designers have their own 

way of working but it doesn’t 

matter. All the different 

methods work. 

3. Propositions & Quotations 

Next, a proposition will be made in the form of a letter or quotation. 

The approach by our different designers may well be idiosyncratic 

but we’re all good listeners 

and we never forget that it’s 

your garden. We want the 

process to be cooperative 

and enjoyable, never dogmatic 

or stressful. (This is 

gardening we’re talking 

about - one of the most 

marvellous pastimes ever 

invented by the human 

race). The proposition or 

quotation could include 

information about drawings, 

plants, planting, hard landscaping 

and if necessary, 

creative maintenance. A proposed date of commencement is included in 

the quote to get you in the queue and the ball is then in your court. 

4. Getting it done. Serious Gardening 

Everything may have been preordained in a scale plan or there may 

be a degree of ‘composing on site’ but however the work is done, 

the designer will either be 

present during the laying 

out before the planting 

begins or the planters will 

have precise instructions to 

follow. It’s vital that the 

customer’s present as well, 

to be a part of this all 

important process. This is 

where it begins to be your 

garden, not our garden. 

The plants will have been 

paid for already but the 

work done by us will be 

invoiced once the job is finished 

and everyone’s happy. 

Early discussions about 

our further involvement 

with the garden may start 

at this point. Our views on 

garden maintenance are 

well known : as long as 

your garden has been built 

using sound design princi- 

After 

ples, creative and intelligent maintenance is what will create a truly 

remarkable garden. We’d love to be able to help. 

20 

Christine Shaw at Chichester. 

Full-time garden designer 

Using aerial photographs on google to 

assess the lie of the land 

Rob and Liam on the final approach to a Japanese Karikomi garden 

Before

21 

Before After 

Planting ornamental hedges, staking trees and installing irrigation. 

The first stage 

PLANTING BY US 

To clarify : this service is separate from our Garden Design service. 

Customers often just want some trees planted properly and like the 

idea of our conditional guarantee... 

Planted high, well staked and no 

competition. Perfect 

When I started the nursery 20 

years ago, I had no idea how 

many plants could fail because of 

poor planting, incorrect positioning 

and poor husbandry. 

Our response has been to set up a 

new part of the company : 

Planting and Creative Maintenance - 

the two areas of horticulture that we 

feel are so sorely overlooked and 

underestimated. We'll guarantee the 

plants for their first year (always the 

trickiest) and the only thing you'll 

have to do is keep them well watered 

for their first season. In the majority of cases we will have seen where 

the plants are going - the general aspect, the degree of shelter or 

exposure and the type of soil. We've grown the plant, we've seen the 

site, we've planted the plant - surely we can offer some kind of 

guarantee after that? Ask for a quote - distance from either nursery can 

obviously be a problem but there's no harm in asking. 

A huge curving screen of 

Bamboo just after planting 

Positioning, planting and clipping 

a Japanese garden

22 

Some plants are born architectural, some achieve architecture and 

some have architecture thrust upon them 

CREATIVE MAINTENANCE 

What does it mean? I think the best way I can explain it is by 

imagining going up to a plant and saying "You're a nice plant but 

is there anything I can do to make you look even nicer?" 

In most cases the answer is a resounding “Yes”. Raising, thinning and 

shaping the crowns of trees and shrubs, removing the tired old leaves 

on palms and yuccas. It's all 

to do with producing a garden 

of beautifully sculpted plants 

and a look of well groomed 

verdancy which is what 

Architectural Plants are all 

about anyway. Most of the 

techniques that we've developed 

over the last 20 years 

are borrowed from nature and 

if you can look at a garden 

that's been Creatively 

Creative Maintenance. Phillyrea latifolia 

and two very different bamboos 

Maintained by us and yet it 

still looks completely natural - 

then we have succeeded. 

On the subject of general garden maintenance (whether creative or 

otherwise), it’s said that one of Britain’s foremost landscapers of 

the 20th century (who’s 

name is a secret) had what 

he (or she) called the Four 

‘F’s rule when it came to his 

(or her) work : “Find it / 

Finish it / Fotograph it and 

F*** off”. Not Funny. To us 

this exemplifies a common 

attitude about the creation of 

gardens which is plain 

wrong. Don't spend time and 

money building a new garden 

if it’s then going to be largely 

neglected. It’s soul destroying 

to witness and we’ve seen it 

Creative Maintenance. We remove the 

unsightly canes and ‘raise’ the head. 

so often. Good design is vital but intelligent and creative maintenance is 

vital too and it sends us mad that this aspect of gardening is so often 

and so sorely overlooked. Once we’ve built a garden we’re only too 

pleased to continue to help you with it in any way we can for as long as 

you like.

23 

Creative Maintenance. This ancient Yew Tree in Somerset has been 

shaped like this for 40 years, by the same man 

Creative Maintenance. Stripping 

the hair off the Palm Tree trunks 

Creative Maintenance. Removing 

old bark from Ironwood Trees 

Creative Maintenance. John being intrepid up a Cypress tree. 

You can see the bit he’s done and the bit he’s about to do.

Creative Maintenance. 

Colin cleaning up a palm 

24 

Creative Maintenance. Keeping Italian Cypress looking good in England 

is a challenge. Here’s living proof that it can be done 

Creative Maintenance. 

Clipped Lonicera 

Remember the Monocots from your Bilge 

lessons? Yuccas always need attention 

Creative Maintenance. Nice work on this little Strawberry tree - just by 

removing some of the lower foliage to reveal the shape within

25 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

ow do you educate yourself on these horticultural matters? Try visiting lots of 

Hour botanic gardens - most of them seem to be either within 10 miles of 

Haywards Heath in Sussex or within 10 miles of Truro in Cornwall. Kew Gardens and 

Wakehurst Place are particularly good because they’re so huge and everything is so 

well labelled. 

FOR REFERENCE 

'Architectural Plants' 

by Christine Shaw 

Published by Harper Collins in October 2005 to rave reviews. 

[This isn’t quite a house publication but considering that Christine’s worked at 

Architectural Plants since 1991, she does know what she’s talking about and the 

book does cover virtually every plant that we sell plus much vital stuff on necessary 

husbandry. Lots of pictures - mostly taken here. Available from all self respecting 

book shops, or either of our nurseries (signed, of course) at £25.00. Alternatively, 

phone us with credit card details and we’ll send you a copy for £32.50 inc P&P] 

'Niwaki' 

by Jake Hobson 

Published by Timber Press 

[From the pen of Sculptor, ex-Architectural Plants employee, Expert on Japanese 

Gardening and General Horticultural Adventurer, Jake Hobson. You’ll learn more 

about How They Do It In Japanese Gardens from this book than all the rest put 

together and YES, we sell it - exactly the same as above] 

'Hillier's Manual of Trees & Shrubs' 

by H.G. Hillier 

Published by David & Charles 

[Incredibly useful little reference book. Comprehensive for virtually everything 

except herbaceous and alpine plants. Very affordable] 

'Trees & Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles' 

by W.J. Bean 

Published by John Murray 

[The Bible. Extremely authoritative. Lots of entertaining anecdotal information in 5 

fat volumes. A great present for all tree lovers. A bit dear, but worth every penny] 

'The Trees of San Francisco' 

by Mike Sullivan 

Published by Pomegranite 

[We can’t grow all the trees found in frost-free San Francisco but this book is an 

absolute gem and should (and MUST) become the blueprint for a world wide series. 

First : ‘The Trees of London’ - someone! please!] 

'Perennial Garden Plants' 

by Graham Stuart Thomas 

Published by J.M. Dent & Sons 

[Any book by the immensely knowledgeable Mr. Thomas is worth having] 

FOR INSPIRATION 

'Caribbean Style' 

Published by Thames & Hudson 

[Full of lovely photos of plants and buildings to inspire you] 

'The Sub-Tropical Garden' 

by Gil Hanly & Jacqueline Walker 

Published by Godwit Press 

[From New Zealand. There are many valid points in the text about the ideas behind 

creating gardens with a natural look based on foliage and architectural plants] 

'Exceptional Gardens' 

Published by Beta Plus 

[Many pictures of some grand Belgian gardens reflecting a great European tradition 

of well groomed topiary, formality, the power of strong shapes and the colour green. 

Important stuff. Full of the usual vacuous and uninformative magazine-like captions 

that are probably best ignored] 

'The Gardens of California' 

by Nancy Goslee Power 

Published by Thames and Hudson 

[Includes some delicious pictures of spiky plants and beautifully pruned trees - 

possibly reflecting some Japanese influence on West Coast American gardens] 

FOR INSPIRATION & REFERENCE 

'www.treeshapers.com' 

[Creative tree surgery taken to its logical conclusion. It’s what we blather on about 

all the time but, to be honest, these guys from San Francisco explain it so much better 

than we do. Brilliant stuff - essential viewing] 

The Bookshop at the R.H.S. Garden at Wisley in Surrey is probably the best 

for books, currently in print. Unfortunately many horticultural books don't 

seem to stay in print very long so a second-hand specialist can work. Try the 

excellent Mike Parks in Sutton, Surrey. Telephone : 0208 641 7796

26 

Some long words on why you can't grow everything everywhere 

he British climate is described as Cool Temperate Maritime. Heavily influenced 

Tby the relatively warm waters of the Atlantic, we experience cooler summers 

and milder winters than any other place at an equivalent latitude, either north or 

south of the equator. As a general rule, in Britain, the further west one goes, the 

greater the influence of the Atlantic, the further east one goes, the greater the 

influence of the Continent. So - the further west, the higher the rainfall, the cooler 

the summers and the milder the winters. The further east, the lower the rainfall, 

the warmer the summers and the colder the winters. The north-south divide is less 

well defined; the further south, the warmer the summer, is about the only obvious 

characteristic. 

This island climate allows us to grow an incredible range of plants from every corner 

of the nontropical world; select the ones that look like they come from the tropics, 

use them to excess and - Hey Presto! - you have an extraordinary garden. 

Below, we describe 5 microclimates to be encountered within the British Isles, followed 

by lists of plants for particular positions. You might recognise an exact 

description of your garden but it's much more likely that your garden incorporates 

aspects of several of these categories. 

EXPOSED OR CANOPIED 

substantial difference to the microclimate can be made to any of the following 

Acategories, according to whether they are 'exposed' or 'canopied'; overhanging 

trees will create conditions of dappled shade beloved by so many plants, create 

shelter from wind and, particularly in the Frost Pocket, will trap warm air on cold 

clear still nights. These canopy trees will create an effective wind shelter, even if 

deciduous, but to create effective shelter from frost, tall growing evergreen 

broadleafed (as opposed to coniferous) trees are essential. There are not that many 

reliably hardy trees that fit this description but some of the Eucalypts and Quercus 

ilex, especially when they've had their crowns lifted are absolutely ideal - dense 

enough to keep the heat in, sparse enough to let the light in. ('Crowns lifted' is 

Tree-Surgeon-Speak for cutting off the lower branches). 

1. THE FROST POCKET. 

old air is dense and runs downhill. During periods of clear night skies and no 

Cwind (high pressure), cold air will be trapped wherever escape is impossible - 

most commonly on valley bottoms. Gardens in so-called 'Frost Pockets' are subject 

to later frosts in spring, earlier frosts in autumn and even when frost is widespread, 

if there's no wind, the frost in these gardens will be more severe than elsewhere; a 

difference of 8°c between a valley bottom and a garden at 700ft, is quite possible. 

Much misunderstanding surrounds this phenomenon; many people with gardens in 

such a situation describe them as being 'sheltered', supposing them to be less cold 

rather than more cold. This garden can enjoy slightly higher temperatures in the 

summer during the day and is sometimes well protected from strong winds. There 

might also be a greater amount of moisture present in the soil, if it's in the valley 

bottom. Architectural Plants in Nuthurst is in a classic frost pocket - an idiotic 

place for a nursery - but at least we know what we're talking about when it comes 

to chilly places. Plants in this sort of garden are going to have to survive very low 

temperatures and it is therefore this kind of garden that is going to benefit more 

than most from being 'canopied' by tall evergreen broadleafed trees. 

WARNING TO ALL FROST-POCKET GARDENERS : NEVER KEEP A THERMOMETER 

ON YOUR PROPERTY. YOU'LL BECOME NEUROTIC, PARANOID AND DEPRESSED. 

AVOID THIS BY STAMPING ON THE STUPID THING - NOW. 

RECOMMENDED ESSENTIALS : 

Araucaria - Aralia - Arundo - Bamboos* - Blechnum - Cortaderia - Cupressus 

sempervirens - Cynara - Eryngium - Eucalyptus - Euphorbia - Fatsia - 

Fatshedera - Genista aetnensis - Gunnera - Hebe - Hedera - Magnolia grandiflora 

- Magnolia macrophylla - Musa basjoo - Paulownia - Phillyrea latifolia - 

Phormium tenax - Pinus pinea - Podocarpus - Prunus laurocerasus - Quercus 

ilex - Quercus myrsinifolia - Rhus - Tamarix - Trachycarpus - Yucca 

* see BAMBOOS on page 32 

2. THE HILL STATION 

n many ways, the exact opposite of the Frost Pocket. On cold clear still nights, 

Ithe denser cold air is pouring down the hill, constantly being replaced with slightly 

warmer air - thus, both the frequency and intensity of the frost will be minimised 

by the degree of frost drainage - particularly if it's south facing. People will often 

equate a high and exposed situation like this as being synonymous with a very cold 

garden - another common misunderstanding. The benefits of a high position (up to, 

say, 1,000ft after which the benefits begin to diminish) cannot be over emphasised; 

a garden at 500ft in Surrey could experience less frost than a garden in a bad frost 

pocket in south-west Cornwall. Here one is aiming for plants that are wind resistant, 

but, at the same time, because of the diminished problem of frost, one has a 

greater range of plants to play with. Hill Top could also suggest good water 

drainage or dry soil - characteristics that could be put to good use.

27 


Agave - Albizia julibrissin - Aloe aristata - Aralia - Araucaria - Arbutus - Arundo 

- Azara - Callistemon - Ceanothus - Chamaerops - Cordyline - Cupressus sempervirens 

- Cistus - Eriobotrya - Eryngium - Eucalyptus - Euphorbia - Genista 

aetnensis - Griselinia - Hedychium - Kniphofia - Lomatia - Lyonothamnus - 

Magnolia - Melianthus - Myrtus - Paulownia - Phillyrea - Phormium - Pinus - 

Pittosporum - Podocarpus - Pseudopanax - Quercus - Rhus - Yucca 

3. THE SEASIDE 

easide gardens are characterised by mild winters and cool summers, due to the 

Stempering effect of the sea which, unlike the land, holds its heat for a relatively 

long time. Salt laden gales are likely to be the greatest problem unless massive windbreaks 

are planted. Atlantic seaboard gardens will be the mildest in winter, the 

coolest in summer and the windiest and wettest all year. North Sea seaboard gardens 

will be less mild in winter, warmer in summer and dryer and better protected from 

the prevailing southwesterlies all the year round. Those familiar with the Isle of Wight 

may have witnessed the dramatic difference in coastal vegetation between the very 

exposed south west coast west of Blackgang and the protected north east coast 

between Ryde and East Cowes. Essentials for such a garden will be characterised by 

a resistance to salt and wind - some quite frost tender plants could also be used. 


Acacias - Agaves - Aloe - Arbutus - Arundo - Astelia - Baccharis - Beschorneria 

- Butia - Carpobrotus - Ceanothus - Chamaerops - Choisya - Colletia - Cordyline 

- Corokia - Cupressus - Cistus - Dasylirion - Dicksonia - Drimys - Echeveria - 

Echium - Eleagnus - Eriobotrya - Eucalyptus - Euonymus - Euphorbia - 

Fascicularia - Fatsia - Furcraea - Genista aetnensis - Griselinia - Hebe - 

Hedychium - Kniphofia - Lampranthus - Laurus - Lomatia - Lyonothamnus - 

Magnolia delavayi - Melianthus - Muehlenbeckia - Myrtus - Olea - Phillyrea - 

Phormium - Pinus radiata - Pinus pinea - Pittosporum - Pseudopanax - Puya - 

Quercus ilex - Rhamnus - Rosmarinus - Tamarix - Yucca. 

4. THE HEAT ISLAND 

ften, the most benign climate of all. Any built up area is going to experience high- 

Oer temperatures than the surrounding countryside due to the presence of masonry 

that absorbs heat during the day and radiates heat at night plus the concentration 

of central heating systems, cars, people and whatever else generates heat. The larger 

the built up area, the greater the Heat Island Effect; in a small town, the effect is 

measurable, in a huge city like London the effect can be dramatic. In February 1991, 

one night we recorded a minimum temperature of -17°c here at the nursery in our 

Frost Pocket. The same night in a small back garden of a terraced house in heavily 

built up Central London (Notting Hill), we recorded a minimum of a mere -4°c. An 

extraordinary difference, the implications of which will not be lost on all ambitious 

gardeners. The benefits of this situation don't stop at mere warmth; no salt laden 

gales, no rabbits, no deer. With the addition of an automatic irrigation system to 

duplicate the benefits of high rainfall areas such as south-west Scotland, perfection 

approaches. Having established that severe frost or lack of rainfall is not going to be 

the problem, presumably the only restriction would be size - trees with an ultimate 

height of over 50ft might well be unsuitable. 


Acacia - Agave - Albizia julibrissin - Arbutus - Arundo - Aspidistra - Astelia - 

Bamboo* - Beschorneria - Blechnum - Butia - Callistemon - Canna - Ceanothus 

- Chamaerops - Cordyline - Cycas revoluta - Dasylirion - Dicksonia - Echium - 

Eriobotrya - Euphorbia mellifera - Fascicularia - Fatsia - Genista aetnensis - 

Griselinia - Gunnera - Hedera - Hedychium - Holboellia latifolia - Hydrangea 

seemanii - Iris confusa - Laurus nobilis angustifolia - Libertia - Ligustrum 

lucidum - Lithocarpus edulis - Lomatia - Lyonothamnus - Magnolia - Maytenus - 

Muehlenbeckia - Musa basjoo - Myrtus apiculata - Olea - Phillyrea latifolia - 

Phormium - Pittosporum tobira - Podocarpus - Pseudopanax - Tetrapanax - 

Trachycarpus - Weinmannia - Woodwardia - Yucca. 

*see BAMBOOS on page 32 

5. THE PRAIRIE 

here are many areas of the country that are as flat as a pancake, low lying and 

Texposed to the wind - The Prairie. Quite difficult to find any particular advantage 

to a situation like this. No nasty hills to push the barrow up? It's terribly important to 

have some trees for shelter - you'll never have much of a garden without a good windbreak. 

This might involve a conflict of interest if there's a chance of obscuring fine 

views - an inspection of the flat bit of garden to the east of the car park at 

Architectural Plants might serve as an inspiration as to how to tackle this problem. 

This garden is certainly not going to have any cold air drainage but at least there's 

not going to be a concentration of cold air as in the Frost Pocket. Building an exciting 

garden when the area's as flat as a pancake is certainly more challenging than a 45° 

slope. 


Same sort of things as in The Frost Pocket, providing there is a good windbreak 

using, for example : Eucalyptus - Pinus radiata - Phillyrea latifolia - 

Prunus lusitanicus - Quercus ilex.

28 

PIGEON HOLES 

More Useful Suggestions about What can be grown Where 

ategorising plants is a hopelessly imprecise pastime; by a process of elimination 

Cand much cross referencing, we hope these fairly random lists help you find the 

plants that you really want. 

(Remember to check the frost hardiness using the coloured labels) 

An Index to the Headings 

1. Architectural Epiphytes 

2. Big Leaves 

3. Broadleafed Evergreen Trees over 25ft 

4. Broadleafed Evergreen Trees under 25ft 

5. Coastal Windbreaks 

6. Drought Resistant 

7. Essentials 

8. Good in Dense Damp Shade 

9. Good in Dry Shade 

10.Good in Pots 

11.Good in Pots when it's like Baffin Island outside 

12.Good in wet spots 

13.Good on Chalk 

14.Ground Cover 

15. Hedges 

16. Jungly & Tropical 

17. Lime Haters 

18.Long Lasting Flowers 

19.Mediterranean 

20.Plants for Frost Free Conservatories 

21.Plants for Masking Hideous Views as quickly as possible 

22.Plants that can have Architecture thrust upon them 

23.Plants to Evoke other Places 

24.Sea Side Plants 

25.Soft and Fluffy 

26. Spectacular Flowers 

27.The Yucca Bank 

28. Trailers & Hangers 

29. Wall Shrubs 

30.Windy Places 

31.Wonderful Smells 

1. ARCHITECTURAL EPIPHYTES 

ere's an intriguing idea. The following plants are not usually epiphytic (epiphyt- 

Hic means, they grow on trees) but, apart from the Astelias, they are all closely 

related, not only to the pineapple (which is completely irrelevant anyway) but to the 

epiphytic bromeliads of tropical America. When one of our customers told us how 

his clump of Fascicularia had grown up the hairy trunk of his Trachycarpus Palm, 

we decided it was time to experiment. Try tying one of these into a crook of your 

favourite tree : 

Astelia chathamica - Astelia nervosa - Fascicularia bicolor - Fascicularia 

pitcairniifolia. 

2. BIG LEAVES 

ndulge your Big Leafist tendencies. How big is Big? Not quite sure, but here are 

Isome suggestions : 

Acanthus - Albizia - Aralia - Aspidistra - Blechnum chilense - Butia - Canna - 

Catalpa - Chamaerops - Cycas - Dicksonia - Echium pininiana - Eriobotrya - 

Fatsia - Ficus - Gunnera - Hedera canariensis - Hedychium - Magnolia delavayi 

- Magnolia grandiflora - Magnolia macrophylla - Melianthus - Musa - 

Paulownia - Phoenix - Prunus laurocerasus - Rhus - Sasa - Tetrapanax - 

Trachycarpus - Vitis coignetiae - Woodwardia - Zantedeschia 

3. BROADLEAFED EVERGREEN TREES (over 25 ft) 

roadleafed refers to anything other than coniferous. These are the trees, few in 

Bnumber, that look somewhat like a deciduous tree - but don't lose their leaves in 

winter : 

Eucalyptus aggregata - Eucalyptus glaucescens - Nothofagus dombeyi - 

Quercus ilex 

4. BROADLEAFED EVERGREEN TREES (under 25 ft) 

ne of the most impressive and useful of all the groups of plants - for large or 

Osmall gardens and many landscaping projects: 

Acacia - Arbutus - Azara - Daphniphyllum - Drimys - Eriobotrya - Escallonia - 

Eucalyptus debeuzevillei - Genista aetnensis - Griselinia - Ilex perado - 

Laurus nobilis 'angustifolia' - Ligustrum lucidum - Lithocarpus - Lomatia ferruginea 

- Lyonothamnus - Magnolia - Maytenus - Myrtus apiculata - Myrtus 

lechleriana - Osmanthus yunnanensis - Phillyrea latifolia - Prunus laurocerasus 

- Pseudopanax - Quercus myrsinifolia - Quercus suber - Trachycarpus - 

Trochodendron - Viburnum - Weinmannia 

5. COASTAL WINDBREAKS 

he first line of defence. Trees and shrubs to protect your garden against salt 

Tladen gales. 

Big Trees : Pinus radiata - Quercus ilex. The Rest : Baccharis - Eleagnus - 

Euonymus - Griselinia - Pittosporum - Tamarix

29 

6. DROUGHT RESISTANT 

rought resistant once they're established. They’re described thus because they 

Dhave the vigour to find water, not because they can survive without it : 

Acacia - Agave - Aloe - Arbutus - Aucuba - Carpobrotus - Ceanothus - 

Chamaerops - Cordyline australis - Cupressus sempervirens - Cistus - 

Dasylirion - Echeveria - Echium fastuosum - Ephedra - Eriobotrya - Eucalyptus 

- Fremontodendron - Furcraea - Ficus - Genista - Iris japonica - 

Lyonothamnus - Mahonia - Olea - Opuntia - Phillyrea - Pinus pinea - 

Pittosporum tobira - Rosmarinus - Sempervivum - Tamarix - Viburnum tinus - 

Yucca 

7. ESSENTIALS 

hese are some of the plants that have that certain 'something' - a distinctive 

Tquality all of their own - strong shape, beautiful texture and they're easy to grow. 

Sparing you any more pretentious descriptions - they happen to be my favourites : 

Agave - Arbutus - Chamaerops - Cordyline - Dicksonia - Echium pininiana - 

Eriobotrya - Eucalyptus - Euphorbia mellifera - Genista aetnensis - 

Hedychium 'Tara' - Hebe parviflora angustifolia - Lomatia ferruginea - 

Lyonothamnus - Musa basjoo - Phillyrea latifolia - Pinus montezumae - 

Pinus pinea - Podocarpus salignus - Pseudosasa japonica - Tetrapanax - 

Trachycarpus fortunei - Yucca aloifolia - Yucca gloriosa variegata 

8. GOOD IN DENSE DAMP SHADE 

ear water, under trees, the sort of microclimate with high humidity in the air - 

Nnot in the ground (i.e. not in a bog) : 

Astelia - Crocosmia - Fatsia - Fatshedera - Ferns - Gunnera - Hedera - 

Lithocarpus - Luzula - Mitraria - Myrtus apiculata - Muehlenbeckia - 

Pileostegia - Podocarpus macrophyllus - Ruscus - Sasa - Trachycarpus - Yucca 

floribunda - Zantedeschia 

9. GOOD IN DRY SHADE 

he most frequent request and the most difficult to answer. These have got to be 

Tvery tough indeed. The Hebe deserves a special honourable mention as the most 

outstanding performer in this situation - an extraordinary plant : 

Astelia - Aucuba - Danae - Ephedra - Hedera - Hebe parviflora angustifolia - 

Helleborus - Prunus laurocerasus - Ruscus - Yucca floribunda 

10. FAIRLY GOOD IN POTS 

f a plant's going to succeed in a pot, it's either got to be slow growing or it's got 

Ito be clipped - so there's a constant relationship between the size of the roots and 

the amount of foliage. Topiaryis the obvious answer. Fast growing plants that 

attempt to grow unchecked will not look good in a pot for more than a few months 

and others just hate being in a pot anyway. Try these : 

Aeonium - Agapanthus - Agave - Aloe - Astelia - Butia - Buxus (clipped) - 

Chamaerops - Cycas - Eucomis - Euonymus (clipped) - Fascicularia - Fatsia - 

Geranium maderense - Ilex (clipped) - Ilex perado - Laurus nobilis (clipped) - 

Libertia - Ligustrum delavayi (clipped) - Olea (clipped) - Phoenix - Phormium - 

Pittosporum tobira (clipped) - Prunus laurocerasus (clipped) - Prunus lusitanica 

(clipped) - Pseudopanax (all species) - Puya - Rosmarinus (clipped) - 

Viburnum tinus (clipped) - Yucca - Zantedeschia 

ust because a plant is 'hardy' in the ground - it doesn't mean it will survive being 

J frozen solid in a pot for a month. If plants are moved under cover for the winter, 

they'll be fine. 'Cover' means conservatory, greenhouse, garage or shed. If you feel 

you’ve detected a certain luke-warmness about the subject of plants in pots, you’d 

be right. We’re not keen. Plants grow in the ground - not in pots. 

11. FAIRLY GOOD IN POTS WHEN IT'S LIKE BAFFIN ISLAND 

OUTSIDE 

f you live in a cold bit and you're not prepared to move the pots even when the 

Icold becomes severe (although, of course, you could so easily with one of our 

Barrows) you're rather limited to choice, but these do reasonably well : 

Aucuba - Buxus sempervirens - Ilex aquifolium - Phillyrea - Prunus laurocerasus 

- Prunus lusitanica - Sasa - Trachycarpus - Yucca recurva 

12. GOOD IN WET SPOTS 

ot quite a bog but getting on that way. This would include the margins of rivers, 

Nstreams and ponds. We prefer to call it a ‘high water table’: 

Acorus - Arundo - Bamboo - Crocosmia - Cyperus - Drimys - 

Eucalyptus aggregata - Gunnera - Luzula - Myrtus apiculata - Phormium - 

Taxodium - Trachycarpus - Zantedeschia 

13. GOOD ON CHALK 

any plants will tolerate a high soil pH (very alkaline), some will do quite well 

Mwith a regular dose of sequestered iron, but these are perfectly happy on a thin 

soil over pure chalk : 

Agapanthus - Agave - Arbutus andrachnoides - Asplenium scolopendrium - 

Aucuba - Baccharis - Bamboo - Ceanothus - Clematis - Daphne - Eleagnus - 

Euonymus - Euphorbia - Genista - Helleborus - Laurus - Ligustrum - Phillyrea 

- Prunus lusitanicus - Rhus - Rosmarinus - Viburnum - Yucca 

14. GROUND COVER 

lants that can be used to cover the ground to no more than a couple of feet. 

PSome will spread naturally, some will need to be planted in quantity. Don’t think 

that ground cover plants will suppress weeds. They just make weeding harder : 

Acorus - Agapanthus - Aloe aristata - Asplenium - Astelia - Blechnum - 

Carpobrotus - Clematis - Crocosmia - Danae - Ephedra - Euonymus 'Kewensis' 

- Fascicularia - Fatshedera - Hedera - Holboellia - Hydrangea seemannii - 

Lampranthus - Luzula - Mitraria - Muehlenbeckia - Ophiopogon - Pileostegia - 

Pteris - Rosmarinus 'Repens' - Ruscus - Sempervivum - Vitis - Woodwardia

30 

15. HEDGES 

mall leafed plants can be cut with a hedge trimmer, large leafed plants will need 

Sto be clipped with greater care with a pair of secateurs : 

Choisya - Bamboo - Eleagnus - Euonymus japonicus - Griselinia - Hebe parviflora 

- Lonicera - Phillyrea - Pittosporum - Podocarpus salignus - Prunus lusitanicus 

- Quercus ilex - Rhamnus - Tamarix - Viburnum 

16. JUNGLY & TROPICAL 

nfortunately we can't string you a line about how parky it gets in Barbados and 

Uhow a number of Caribbean plants will do just fine in Surrey. It never gets even 

slightly parky in Barbados and there are absolutely no Caribbean plants that have 

the remotest chance of lasting more than a summer in Surrey. These only look like 

they come from Barbados : 

Agave - Arundo - Aspidistra - Bamboo - Chamaerops - Clematis armandii - 

Cordyline - Dicksonia - Echium pininiana - Eriobotrya - Fascicularia - Fatsia - 

Fatshedera - Gunnera - Hedera - Hedychium - Holboellia - Magnolia - 

Melianthus - Muehlenbeckia - Musa - Paulownia - Phormium - Podocarpus - 

Prunus laurocerasus - Pseudopanax - Sasa - Tetrapanax - Trachelospermum - 

Vitis - Woodwardia - Yucca - Zantedeschia 

17. LIME HATERS 

hese won't tolerate any lime in the soil. Some plants are lime dislikers rather 

Tthan haters and can grow on slightly alkaline soil if treated with sequestered 

iron. 

Albizzia -Acacia - Azalea - Blechnum spicant - Callistemon - Camelia - 

Grevillea - Lithocarpus - Lomatia - Magnolia macrophylla - Mitraria - 

Nothofagus - Pieris - Pinus patula - Quercus myrsinifolia - Trachelospermum 

18. LONG LASTING FLOWERS 

hese have flowers that last weeks and weeks rather than days and days - often 

Tflowering more than once a year : 

Aloe - Arbutus - Beschorneria - Clematis cirrhosa - Cortaderia - Fatsia - 

Echeveria - Eucomis - Fremontodendron - Libertia - Ligustrum - Myrtus 

apiculata - Trachelospermum - Trachycarpus - Viburnum 

19. MEDITERRANEAN 

ost people visit the Mediterranean during the summer and may not be aware 

Mhow, apart from the coastal regions, winter temperatures can get as low as in 

Britain. Many of the plants we associate with the Mediterranean, grow well in this 

country and with their toughness, a Mediterranean Garden is easy to create : 

Acacia - Aeonium - Agapanthus - Agave - Albizia julibrissin - Arbutus - Arundo 

- Beschorneria - Butia - Callistemon - Ceanothus - Chamaerops - Cistus - 

Citrus - Cordyline - Cupressus sempervirens - Cycas revoluta - Dasylirion - 

Echeveria - Echium - Eriobotrya - Eryngium - Eucalyptus - Euphorbia - 

Fremontodendron - Genista - Grevillea - Hedera - Hedychium - Kniphofia - 

Lyonothamnus - Magnolia - Melianthus - Musa - Myrtus - Olea - Opuntia - 

Phillyrea - Phoenix - Pinus pinea - Puya - Quercus ilex - Quercus suber - 

Rosmarinus - Strelitzia - Tamarix - Tetrapanax - Trachycarpus - Yucca 

20. PLANTS FOR FROST FREE CONSERVATORIES 

ur own and our customers' experience of growing things in conservatories don't 

O entirely coincide with the image often portrayed by conservatory manufacturers 

and glossy magazines - that they create an ideal environment in which exotic 

plants will thrive. Many conservatories are ill ventilated and over exposed to the 

sun, making a hostile, rather than an ideal environment, for plants. The plants dislike 

it and the bugs love it - an often disastrous cocktail. Despite this, we feel we 

can accommodate these problems by giving sound advice on the best plants, names 

of suppliers of Biological Pest Controls and other useful tips : 

Acacia - Aeonium - Agapanthus - Butia - Canna - Colocasia - Cordyline - Cycas 

- Cyperus - Echeveria - Fascicularia - Furcraea Geranium - Hedychium - Musa 

- Olea - Pittosporum tobira - Phoenix - Puya - Trachelospermum 

21. PLANTS FOR MASKING HIDEOUS VIEWS AS QUICKLY 

AS POSSIBLE 

creening plants. Something we get asked for an awful lot. Often asked with a 

Snote of desperation. For 'Hideous view', more often than not, we regret to report, 

read 'Neighbour'. Whither the milk of human kindness and chummy neighbourliness? 

Fast growing, fairly tall and evergreen : 

Arundo (not evergreen but big and alarmingly fast - for desperados) - Bamboo - 

Eucalyptus - Hebe parviflora angustifolia - Ligustrum lucidum - Pinus species 

- Sequoia 

22. PLANTS THAT CAN HAVE ARCHITECTURE THRUST 

UPON THEM 

hat can this phrase that sounds so highly suspect mean? Left to their own 

Wdevices, some plants will grow into sprawling, shapeless messes. Ruthless 

pruning can produce standard, single or multitrunked and extremely architectural 

little trees. Not only is this great fun but the difference can be dramatic - rather 

pedestrian little shrubs blossom into distinguished and dignified little trees of great 

character. The room for experimentation is massive but here are some suggestions 

of ones we've tried: 

Aralia - Arbutus - Ceanothus - Eriobotrya - Euonymus - Fatsia - Genista aetnensis 

- Griselinia - Laurus nobilis 'angustifolia ' - Ligustrum lucidum - 

Lithocarpus - Magnolia grandiflora - Myrtus apiculata - Osmanthus yunnanensis 

- Phillyrea latifolia - Pinus pinea - Pittosporum - Poncirus - Prunus laurocerasus 

- Prunus lusitanica - Rhamnus - Rhus - Tamarix - Viburnum tinus

31 

23. PLANTS TO EVOKE OTHER PLACES 

ecause of the exotic looking nature of many of our plants, it's easy to use them 

Bin the garden to create a feeling of being 'somewhere else'. To help accomplish 

this, look under the headings (21) MEDITERRANEAN, (18) JUNGLY & TROPICAL, 

(30) THE YUCCA BANK. 

24. SEA SIDE PLANTS 

ough as old boots, able to withstand the ravages of salt laden gales but never 

Tsubjected to severe frost. All these plants are stocked at the Horsham nursery 

but we specialise in them at the Chichester nursery (see the map on the back for 

details): 

Agave - Aloe - Araucaria - Arbutus - Arundo - Baccharis - Beschorneria - 

Carpobrotus - Chamaerops - Cistus - Cordyline - Corokia - Cortaderia - 

Dasylirion - Echeveria - Echium - Eleagnus - Euonymus - Euphorbia - 

Eryngium - Fascicularia - Furcraea - Genista - Griselinia - Hebe - Kniphofia - 

Lampranthus - Muehlenbeckia - Phillyrea - Phormium - Pinus radiata - 

Pittosporum - Puya - Quercus ilex - Rhamnus - Tamarix - Viburnum - Yucca 

25. SOFT AND FLUFFY 

ight and airy. Feathery leafed and small leafed plants that create the perfect foil 

Lfor the very strong shapes of the spiky plants : 

Acacia - Albizia - Azara - Bamboo - Cistus - Genista - Geranium maderense - 

Grevillea - Hebe parviflora angustifolia - Lomatia - Lyonothamnus - Maytenus - 

Pinus - Podocarpus salignus - Tamarix 

26. SPECTACULAR FLOWERS 

uge flowers, copious quantities of flowers and flowers with strong colours - 

Hmostly reds, yellows, blues and white : 

Acacia - Agapanthus - Beschorneria - Callistemon - Canna - Ceanothus - 

Cynara - Echium - Eucomis - Fascicularia - Fremontodendron - Furcraea - 

Genista aetnensis - Hedychium - Kniphofia - Lobelia tupa - Magnolia - 

Paulownia - Phormium - Puya - Yucca - Zantedeschia 

27. THE YUCCA BANK 

our own little bit of Tresco. Given a well drained south facing bank, these plants 

Ycreate an extraordinarily exotic sight, summer or winter. A large concentration 

of strong shapes with contrasting textures looks particularly good at night, floodlit : 

Aeonium - Agave - Aloe - Astelia - Beschorneria - Carpobrotus - Chamaerops - 

Cordyline - Dasylirion - Echeveria - Ephedra - Eryngium horridum - Euphorbia 

- Fascicularia - Furcraea - Geranium maderense - Kniphofia - Lampranthus - 

Opuntia - Phormium - Puya - Sempervivum - Yucca 

28. TRAILERS & HANGERS 

preading ground cover, completely prostrate never more than a few inches tall 

Sbut capable of cascading down walls or hanging in curtains, if given the opportunity 

: 

Carpobrotus - Ephedra - Euonymus kewensis - Euphorbia myrsinites - Hedera 

- Lampranthus - Muehlenbeckia - Rosmarinus 'Repens' 

29. WALL SHRUBS 

hat is a wall shrub anyway? This sounds like it must be a man made invention. 

WThey're the plants that lend themselves to being trained and tied to a wall, 

covering it, without actually attaching itself to it : 

Acacia - Albizia julibrissin - Ceanothus - Fatshedera - Fremontodendron - 

Magnolia grandiflora 

30. WINDY PLACES 

his usually applies to gardens on the coast or on hills. Plants with very large 

Tleaves must be avoided as they'll be ripped to pieces, the plants described under 

(5) COASTAL WINDBREAKS, (24) SEA SIDE PLANTS and (27) THE YUCCA 

BANK are, of course, very wind resistant, but here we list : 

1. Some more plants that are pretty good in windy gardens : 

Agave - Araucaria - Arbutus andrachnoides - Arundo - Callistemon - 

Ceanothus 'Concha' - Colletia - Eleagnus - Eucalyptus - Euonymus - Genista - 

Laurus - Magnolia delavayi - Maytenus - Muehlenbeckia - Olea - Phillyrea - 

Phormium - Pinus - Quercus - Rhamnus - Tamarisk - Viburnum - Yucca 

2. A very short list of hurricane resistant species : 

Carpobrotus edulis - Puya alpestris - Tamarisk - Yucca gloriosa 

31. WONDERFUL SMELLS 

major contribution to any garden are the scents of the flowers and the leaves. In 

Athese lists, flowers or leaves that have questionable pongs, have not been 

included - Choisya and Viburnum tinus to name but two : 

1. Flowers : Acacia - Azara microphylla - Clematis armandii - Colletia - 

Cordyline australis - Daphne odora - Eleagnus - Eriobotrya - Euphorbia mellifera 

- Hedychium - Holboellia latifolia - Magnolia grandiflora - Myrtus - 

Osmanthus - Pittosporum tobira - Trachelospermum 

2. Leaves : Cistus - Cupressus - Escallonia resinosa - Eucalyptus - Ficus carica 

Laurus - Lyonothamnus - Rosmarinus

32 

BAMBOOS : CLIMBERS : FERNS : PALMS : YUCCAS 

These lists are designed as a quick reference to 'see what they've got' plus a 

few tips on cultivation 

BAMBOOS 

amboos, like any grass, will grow fast if given lots of moisture during the grow- 

Bing season and masses of food, between March and September. In order for it to 

become established as fast as possible, it's essential to restrict competition from 

other plants - keep young plants clear of anything (grass in particular), 3 ft in every 

direction. Treat your lawn like this and you'll never stop mowing it, but treat your 

bamboo like this and it'll look beautifully green and lush from one end of the year to 

the other. 

he Phyllostachys bamboos and the Semiarundinaria are different from the rest. 

TThe individual canes are bigger, more spaced out and more obviously branched. 

Like the others, they can be well fed and left to their own devices with occasional 

'Brown Bitting' (removal of old and dead bits). Alternatively, if you enjoy a more 

Japanese approach, much fun can be had with the creative use of a pair of secateurs. 

Each year when the new canes emerge from the ground, leave the biggest and 

best and cut off the smaller, unwanted ones. This way the 'mass' of growth is maintained 

but it's all concentrated into a smaller number of canes. The result is fewer 

but much bigger canes - depending on how ruthless you were to start with. Larger 

canes will not produce branches for the first few feet, exposing their decorative 

bases to view. Try it - it's a wonderful introduction to all sorts of possibilities of 'creative 

maintenance' in the garden. Something the Japanese have been doing for centuries 

but us Europeans have only ever applied to rose bushes and fruit trees! 

Enormous (could reach 25 ft or more) : 

Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' - Phyllostachys nigra - Phyllostachys 

pubescens - Phyllostachys vivax - Semiarundinaria fastuosa 

Big (could reach 18 ft) : 

Phyllostachys aurea 

Medium (could reach 12 ft) 

Pseudosasa japonica 

Small (10 ft or under) 

Fargesia murieliae - Pleioblastus variegatus - Sasa palmata 

Well behaved (not too much spread) : 

Fargesia murieliae - Phyllostachys aurea - Semiarundinaria fastuosa 

Spreading (pretty badly behaved) : 

Sasa palmata 

CLIMBERS 

ost climbers are happy on a wall of any aspect - north, south, east or west, but 

Mif you want them to flower, stick them on a warm south or west wall 

Clematis armandii - Clematis cirrhosa - Fatshedera - Hedera - Holboellia - 

Hydrangea seemannii - Muehlenbeckia - Pileostegia viburnoides - 

Trachelospermum - Vitis coignetiae 

FERNS 

erns like a quiet, fairly shady spot in moist soil containing lots of organic matter. 

FTheir liking for very good drainage is demonstrated by the fact that, in nature, 

they are nearly always found growing on steep banks: 

Asplenium scolopendrium - Blechnum chilense - Blechnum spicant - 

Dicksonia antarctica - Dryopteris erythrosora - Matteuccia - Osmunda regalis 

- Polystichum munitum - Polystichum setiferum - Polystichum setiferum 

‘Plumosum’ - Polystichum polyplepharum - Woodwardia 

here seems to be much confusion about the growing of the Tasmanian Tree 

TFerns, Dicksonia antarctica, in South-East England. We don't subscribe to the 

belief that they're particularly hardy in Britain - personal experience has shown that 

a succession of cold winters will polish them off. Understanding that their natural 

habitat is in evergreen temperate rain forest, helps. Given a position in shade and 

very well protected from the wind, under tall evergreens, is best. It's rarely humid 

enough in Britain during the summer, so frequent spraying of the trunks with water, 

or, rigging up an irrigation system to automatically water the trunk helps. Pouring 

extremely dilute sea weed extract into the centre of a tree fern, from time to time, 

during the growing season seems to have sensational results. In Central London 

winter protection is unnecessary, but in cold rural areas (such as Nuthurst), bales 

of straw must be used to protect the plant during the winter - usually, for January 

and February only. 

PALMS 

ur logo's a Palm Tree and we stock quantities of the two hardy palms 

O(Trachycarpus and Chamaerops), but here's our entire complement : 

Butia capitata - Chamaerops humilis - Jubea chilensis - Phoenix canariensis - 

Trachycarpus fortunei (stripped trunk and without) - Trachycarpus wagnerianus 

YUCCAS 

uccas are divided into two distinct types as described in 1 & 2 below. As well as 

Yregular feeding with 'Blood, Fish and Bone' (for example) to get lots of lush 

growth, by far the most important part of successful Yucca cultivation is the oft 

mentioned technique known as BROWN BITTING - removal of the brown bits and 

spent flower spikes before they are fully faded (to prevent unsightly build up of rotten 

old flowers) and removal (by cutting) of unsightly, dying or dead leaves : 

1. Those that form a trunk and branch after flowering : 

Yucca aloifolia - Yucca aloifolia variegata - Yucca floribunda - Yucca gloriosa - 

Yucca gloriosa variegata - Yucca recurva 

2. Those that form a clump of several trunkless plants together. When an individual 

within the clump flowers, it dies, to be replaced by a new plant from underneath : 

Yucca filamentosa & Yucca flaccida - two rather unexciting plants, neither of 

which we sell.

33 

GOODS AND SERVICES from 

ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS, 

OTHER THAN SELLING PLANTS 

THE ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS 

BARROW 

(Heavy Plant Crossing) 

idely acclaimed as being the ultimate two 

Wwheel barrow for moving any heavy 

load, but, specifically designed to move large 

plants in large terracotta pots. 

The entire frame is galvanised, it has 16" diameter 

wheels with pneumatic tyres and we make 

it in a wide version (33") or a narrow version 

(28"). It has a carrying capacity of 10 cwt 

(500kgs) 

Price : £275 (Inc. VAT). 

Delivery (U.K. mainland) : £55 (Inc. VAT) 

SHAPING TOOLS 

he clipping tools are all beautifully engi- 

Tneered and will enhance the quality of your 

topiary - whether Japanese or not. Visit 

www.niwaki.com for further details of both ladders 

and clippers - or phone us on 01403 

891772 

ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS GIFT 

VOUCHERS 

e sell a lot of these. If you want to give a 

Wplanty sort of present to a friend but 

are confused by our peculiar range of plants, 

take the sensible way out! 

We write and print each Voucher individually. 

The essence of it is ",,,this piece of paper entitles 

you to go and help yourself to £x worth of 

plants at Architectural Plants...". 

You phone us up, we discuss the (brief) wording 

and the amount, you give us a Credit Card 

number, we send the Voucher and a Catalogue 

to the recipient. Easy. 

JAPANESE LADDERS 

e sell a range of the remarkable Kyatatsu 

Waluminium ladders up to 3.6 metres tall. 

They’re ridiculously light, strong and easy to 

use and we feel that they’ve opened up all 

sorts of clipping possibilities that were previously 

only open to owners of JCB Teletrucks 

and Hydraulic Cherry Pickers. 

VARIOUS POTS 

e sell a small range of classic English 

WTerracotta pots from Whichford in 

Warwickshire and a range of faux copper and 

iron pots by Bill Harling. Faux because they’re 

actually made of fibre glass - clever though - 

you wouldn’t know.

34 

DELIVERY BY US 

e take this subject seriously. Badly organ- 

Wised deliveries can spoil our reputation 

and ruin your day. We'll discuss with you, in the 

minutest detail, how to get your plants from us 

to you, in safety, using one of our of liveried 

vehicles, a variety of ingenious mechanical contraptions 

and intelligent, thoughtful drivers who 

understand their role in the business. Ask for a 

quote. There are alternatives : 

MAIL ORDER BY CITY LINK - AN ACT OF FAITH 

he plants are beautifully packed in our specially made boxes and kept upright 

Tthroughout their journey. The service is 

guaranteed next day delivery and on the very 

rare occasions a plant is damaged - we replace 

it immediately and City Link's Insurers pay! If 

you order your plants between Monday and 

Wednesday, you'll receive them the following 

day. We recognise the faith you're putting in us 

(buying plants unseen) and therefore try hard 

to choose the best plants we have in stock, to 

send you. Proud as we are of this service, we 

regret that it’s more prescriptive than it used to 

be - plants can only be sent by City Link if they 

are less than 4ft. tall, including the pot. You’ll 

need to speak to us about sizes. Please note 

that orders for dispatch by City Link are taken 

at and sent from our Chichester nursery. Tel : 

01243 545008 Ask for Rebecca Carter. 

The minimum cost for this delivery service is 

£30 per box - typically about 6 plants in 3 litre 

containers - and £50 for two boxes. These prices only apply to mainland Britain; 

please ask us to quote for other places. 

D.I.Y. DELIVERY - HIRE A VAN 

ot such a silly idea. We boast about the enormous number of plants we can 

Npack in the back of an average hatchback, but when did you last hire a van? Not 

only do you avoid our delivery charge, you get your plants immediately, you enjoy a 

better view than from a car and (providing it's white) all other road users flee from 

your path in terror. Good fun. Try Thrifty Car Hire - Tel : 01494 751500 for their 

nearest van depot. 

CARE NOTES 

s far as we know, we're the only nursery that 

Aprovides printed information with 

tips and instructions on how to look after the 

plant you've just bought and information about 

how the plant was propagated. This happens 

automatically if plants are ordered and dispatched 

- if you buy direct from the nursery, you 

can help yourself. Racks of Care Notes on the 

nursery are pictured on the left. 

GARDEN DESIGN, PLANTING & CREATIVE MAINTENANCE 

his is a side of the business that’s beginning to rival the nursery itself in impor- 

Ttance and the subject is covered in great detail between pages 17 and 24 of this 

catalogue. 

NICE CUP OF TEA / ESPRESSO / APPLE 

any customers visit us from far afield. We are flattered that they should come 

Mso far and do our best to make them 

feel welcome. At the Horsham Nursery, 

apart from having the use of "...arguably 

the most beautiful lavatory in Europe", 

there are several pubs and restaurants 

offering good lunches within close range 

(see Where To Lunch on page 35), there's 

always an invitation to make yourself a cup 

of tea or coffee or browse through the 

books, press cuttings and pictures. At the 

Chichester Nursery, there are also good 

lunches available from the local pubs, coffee 

is always available and a chance to go 

through an album of pictures of the plants 

that we sell, as well as masses of advice. 

And the lavs? Well, they’re MUCH better 

than they used to be...

35 

WHERE TO LUNCH 

Lunching near the Horsham Nursery : 

The Black Horse, Nuthurst RH13 6LH : Walking distance. Under new 

management. Good. 

The White Horse, Maplehurst RH13 6LL : 1 mile away. Friendly pub. 

Beth’s chilli is delicious. 

The Half Moon, Warninglid RH17 5TR 01444 461227 : 4 miles away. 

Busy, friendly pub with great food. Can book if required. 

Lunching near the Chichester Nursery : 

The Old Stables, Fontwell BN18 0SY : 2 miles away on the A29. Pub 

with restaurant attached. 

The Robin Hood, Shripney PO22 9PA : 1 mile away. Pub with 

restaurant attached. 

Denmans Garden BN18 0SU : 3 miles away on the A27 at Fontwell. 

Restaurant / Cafe at John Brookes’ famous garden. 

NAVIGATION NOTES / HOW TO FIND US 

ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS, Nuthurst, Horsham, West Sussex 

RH13 6LH Tel : 01403 891772 

HOW TO GET THERE : In normal traffic, we're 1 hour from Putney 

Bridge, Greenwich Park, Heathrow or the Dartford Crossing and 25 

minutes from Brighton. 

From the North : Use the M23 (Brighton Road), go through Handcross 

village (the exit is south of junction 11), follow the signs to Horsham 

down the B2110. Turn right on the A281. Second left is signed to 

Nuthurst. After 1.2 miles we're on the left just after the Black Horse Pub 

in Nuthurst. Look out for the Brown Tourist Signs on the A281. 

From the South : The Nuthurst road is north of the A272 some 2 miles 

west of Cowfold. You'll find us 2.4 miles from the A272 on the right, just 

past the Church. 

Look out for the Brown Tourist Signs on the A272 

Memo to all navigators : Avoid Horsham at all costs or you may never be 

seen again ("I'm just going into Horsham, I may be some time...") 

BY TRAIN : An increasingly sensible option. 50 minutes from Victoria to 

HORSHAM, usually pretty quiet during the day. Taxis always waiting during 

the week (£10 each way). 

OPENING HOURS : Every day from 9-5 except Sundays (closed). All 

Bank Holidays except December 25/26 and January 1st. Tel : 01403 

891772 

ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS (CHICHESTER), Lidsey Road Nursery, 

Woodgate, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 3SU Tel : 01243 545008 

HOW TO GET THERE : On the west side of the A29 at Woodgate, 100 

yds south of the level crossing, next to the Prince of Wales Pub. Look out 

for the Brown Tourist Signs by the entrance. The long straight drive goes 

up to enormous greenhouse, right in front of you. This is 2.2 miles from 

the Fontwell Racecourse and the A27. 

From the Main Nursery at Nuthurst : South to the A272, turn right. Left 

onto the A24. Right at roundabout, down the A283 to Storrington. Left at 

garage down the B2139. Over the river, up the hill and join the A29. Stay 

on the A29 and use the instructions above. A pleasant 35 minute drive 

through The Downs 

BY TRAIN : An increasingly sensible option. 1⁄÷ hours on the fast train 

from Victoria to BARNHAM JUNCTION. Taxis always available (£10 each 

way). We organise the taxi to pick you up from the nursery. 

OPENING HOURS : Every day from 10-4 except Saturdays (closed). 

Closed on all Bank Holidays except Good Friday. Tel : 01243 545008

36 

OPENING HOURS 

Architectural Plants (Horsham) - Closed on Sundays 

Open every day from 9 to 5 except Sundays. We open on all Bank 

Holidays except December 25th / 26th and January 1st. 

01403 891772 

Architectural Plants (Chichester) - Closed on Saturdays 

Open every day from 10 to 4 except Saturdays. Closed on all Bank 

Holidays except Good Friday. Late opening is possible but by prior 

arrangement please. 

01243 545008 

Architectural Plants 

Our attention to detail has taken us where others don’t go. 

No garden too small - No garden too big 

PRICES 

We have a tradition of growing many of our plants in a variety of 

different sizes to suit various needs and various pockets. 

A visit to either nursery is made simple by the fact that all plants 

are named, described and priced in individual batches. 

Availability should always be checked prior to a visit but to give you 

an idea, below we list the different sized pots we use and the price 

range that any of our plants are likely to fall within : 

3 Litres : £7.50 to £10.75 

7.5 Litres : £16.50 to £24.50 

15 Litres : £42.50 to £57.50 

30 Litres : £65.00 to £117.50 

43 Litres : £141.00 to 235.00 

There are many plants we grow to larger sizes than this 

(see page 16). 

The prices of these larger plants tend to range 

from £275 to Four Figure Sums. 

Phone or e-mail and we’ll tell you what we have available. Better 

still, visit the nursery. 

We suspect we have the most beautifully presented nursery in 

Britain. 

Come and see. 

THE NINETEENTH IMPRESSION January 2011 

The Catalogue was written and typeset by Angus White on 'Quark 4' using an 

Apple Macintosh G5. The typeface is Fenice 

The cover design was by Jim Kane : The illustrations were by Paul Cox 

The photos were by Christine Shaw, Angus White & Others 

The printing was by Chris Daniels 

The Wizard Wheeze program for the nursery was written by 

Vuk Milutinovic on 'File Maker' 

www.architecturalplants.com

19TH IMPRESSION with photos - Architectural Plants

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