Page 7 - Garden News

Her grandfather
helped foster an
interest in the MY
gardening world
LIFE

in plants

Catherine
MacDonald
Catherine has an ever- Occupation Former
Catherine MacDonald carnivorous plants winning lead designer at Derek St Romaine
growing collection of
scientist turned award-
Landform Consultants
based in Surrey.
‘ I feel as if I’m turning My planting designs
Gardening type
are a mix of soft
and structural:
complementing the
into a garden pea!’ being sympathetic to
house architecture and
the landscape.

The first plant I ever grew My favourite plant The plant I’d like to The plant that shape my life
When I was young, I distinctly in the world grow more of It’s definitely the tomato plant.
remember growing a number Any plant in the genus I’d choose a tree, the pin oak, One of my strongest and earliest
of cacti from seed and being Sarracenia, the North American Quercus palustris, which has childhood memories is of the
very excited about it. I grew pitcher plant. I find these a tall, straight, elegant form smell of tomatoes growing in my
them on the windowsill in carnivorous plants fascinating with lovely shaped leaves grandad’s greenhouse. I think
my bedroom. and have an ever-growing and great autumn colour. my love of growing vegetables,
collection in my garden! gardening and of plants
The plant that shaped the Plant I am in human form generally is associated with
gardener I am today The plant that made I particularly love our native this memory.
I learned more about plants me work hardest plants and trees, so I think I’d
when I changed my career Not to single it out, as this choose to be an English oak, The plant I’d give as a gift
from science to garden design happens with many other Quercus robur, dependable and I’d choose a tree again. A
and I’d say that the plants that species, but I’m often frustrated hopefully long-lived! Or as I’m multi-stemmed June berry,
shaped my design style when varieties of echinacea working on the detail design Amelanchier lamarckii. These
were Taxus baccata and Buxus I specify in my schemes aren’t for my Seedlip Garden for RHS trees have year-round interest:
sempervirens. I really enjoy very long-lived or reliable. I trust Chelsea 2018, and currently white flowers in spring, summer
using structural forms of these long-standing or older varieties, living and dreaming about berries, fantastic autumn
evergreen plants in contrast to but not all the new ones until garden peas, that’s possibly what colour and in this form,
a palette of soft perennials. they’ve proven their worth! I’ve turned into at the moment! great winter structure!

Edible good looks! Hot pepper
Kale ‘Sympatic’
‘Biquino Red’
Inject a little colour into your veg garden with these two new
edibles, exclusive to Johnsons. Visit www.johnsons-seeds.
com, tel: 0333 321 3103. Kale ‘Sympatic’ is a lovely ornamental,
curly-leafed variety which can be grown to maturity or
harvested early as a baby-leaf crop. Great in pots! Hardy to
-18C (0F). Price: £1.79/250 seeds. Hot pepper ‘Biquino Red’
produces small, beaked fruit with a mild, smoky flavour, ideal
for salads, pizza and pasta. Started under glass in late winter
and grown on in containers, it ‘ll make an unusual feature for
a sunny patio. Price: £2.29 /10 seeds.
Photos: Johnsons Seeds
Subscribe and get 4 issues for just £1! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn January 27 2018 /Garden News7