containers – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens, September 2026

Looking toward the Water Garden. Beth Chatto's, September 2026

Last Friday, a full coach of CABAHS members took another trip to Essex, this time to see Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens. The last group visit was in 2021 and the irony of visiting a world-famous dry garden in torrential rain was not lost on those who attended then. A heavy downpour on Friday’s journey made us wonder if we might be reliving the experience, but it was brief and our whole visit was dry.

Most well-known is the Gravel Garden, which was developed in the 1990s on the former car park – at a high point in the gardens which, in Essex, are in one of the driest parts of the country. But the site has a much more varied topography and ecology than just the dry garden. Much of the site was actually boggy and Beth and Andrew Chatto carved ponds in the lowest areas. This meant that we saw green, green lawns in an area – the Water Garden – where the water table, even after this summer drought, is high.

Butomus umbellata and Thalia dealbata in the Water Garden. Beth Chatto's, September 2026 — The Water Garden and surrounding beds

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood). Beth Chatto's, September 2026 — The Water Garden and surrounding beds

A visit to Great Dixter, August 2026

The weather was forecast to be wet and possibly stormy, so we travelled with raincoats and umbrellas and extra layers of clothes. As it turned out, the weather was hot and sunny – a perfect day for garden visiting.

Unlike some other gardens, including many of our own, Dixter was full of colour and a profusion of planting. Nathaniel Lloyd and Edwin Lutyens had had the foresight to install a reservoir when the gardens were first built and this has served them well. The gardening team have focussed watering on new planting and stressed areas, which has clearly been a successful strategy. The intensively gardened areas like the Long Border have been watered end to end four times since January and the effects of this can be seen in the photos below.

Salvia and Persicaria at Great Dixter, August 2026 — *Salvias* and *Persicaria* providing colour throughout

The Gatehouse

Well used to opening in the summer to raise money for the local hospice, this year Ruth and Matthew opened their garden ‘The Gatehouse‘ for the National Garden Scheme in the spring. Ruth said she bought ‘something like’ 2,000 bulbs, not surprising in a garden of this size!

Described in the NGS Handbook as ‘one of London’s largest private gardens’, the grounds were originally part of Eltham Palace and are presided over by a hugely imposing copper beech. The great wall surrounding the garden and the mature trees lend the garden an immediate air of gravitas.

Narcissus 'Thalia' and tulips at The Gatehouse, April 2026 — *Narcissus* ‘Thalia’ and pink & white tulips

A brilliant red and purple which might not have worked together but looked stunning. The Gatehouse, April 2026 — *Narcissus* ‘Thalia’ and pink & white tulips

Pat’s 10 jobs for April 2026

1. Cut back those shrubby Salvias now if you haven’t already done so, both in the ground and in pots. Cut just above a shoot and they will grow away fast, but listen out for forecast of frost.

Cut back shrubby Salvia to a leaf node — Cut back shrubby Salvia, deter weeds (and possibly molluscs) with a gravel mulch,
and support your taller plants

Protect slug-magnets with grit — Cut back shrubby Salvia, deter weeds (and possibly molluscs) with a gravel mulch,
and support your taller plants

2. Some bulbs are now over so make sure to deadhead and then leave the foliage to die back naturally, and give them a good feed to build up the bulbs for next year.

Small gardens

What is a small garden?

Margaret P's garden — Small is beautiful. Margaret P’s garden.

Technically, a small garden is considered to be one that is approximately 100m² (33 x 33ft) or less. While the average UK garden is apparently about twice that size (225m²– almost a tennis court), and most new build etc gardens are about half the size of ‘small’ (50m²), we are based in London and what really defines a small garden is probably more a matter of opinion and perception than exact dimensions. To complicate the topic further, many larger gardens are divided into smaller spaces or ‘rooms’, which will often have features and considerations in common with smaller gardens.

What we bring to the table

Class 17 (‘photograph of a display of plants on a table’) in our recent Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show was partly inspired by Vija’s ‘Fantasy Garden Tables‘ post in May, which in turn was inspired by Monty Don’s ever-changing and covetable table displays on Gardeners’ World. Members’ photographs were displayed and judged on a digital screen, and were so varied, lovely and interesting, we thought we’d show them here (click on images to see in more detail):

Class 17 2025: a display of plants on a table

Plant of the Month: Pittosporum tobira ‘Neige du Mont Ventoux’ (May 2025)

This variegated Japanese Pittosporum — P. tobira ‘Neige du Mont Ventoux’ — is a lovely addition to any garden, and particularly courtyard gardens, where space is at a premium, as it is the perfect specimen for growing in a container.

It was at a rare plant fair in Kent many years ago when I spotted this very appealing shrub. It was “twinkling” at me so, naturally, I found I just could not resist it and brought it home! Because of its branched structure, it was placed in a terracotta container and there it has remained, contented, to this day. I hadn’t realised at the time though, that this variety is very suitable for a container, as its height and width is generally no more than one metre at maturity.

Fantasy garden tables

Those of you who are regular viewers of BBC Gardeners’ World will most likely have noted Monty Don’s table of potted plants, which varies throughout the seasons and looks like something most of us can only dream of! In a recent article by Alice Vincent, she describes what she calls Monty Don’s ‘Fantasy table’. (My latest garden fantasy? An elegant table covered in flower pots)

The scale of Don’s table and the amount he has displayed is something many of us may aspire to, myself included! On a recent visit to Anna L’s garden, I was impressed by how she had similarly grouped a range of plants in pots, a mix of bulbs, a small Phlox stolonifera, Violas, a Clematis waiting to be planted and a miniature Hosta. Anna very kindly listed the plants for me and you can see from this that a display does not have to be carefully curated, but a selection of whatever takes your fancy!

Anna's garden table — Anna’s plant table in late spring, featuring:
Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and N. ‘Pipit’; Clematis ‘Rising Star’ and C. ‘Bees’ Jubilee’; Pelargonium australe; Phlox stolonifera ‘Fran’s Purple’; Anemone de Caen blue-flowered; Primula ‘Stella Neon Violet’; Phormium; purple Viola; Hosta ‘Lemon Stiletto’

Inspired by CABAHS

I was very pleased to receive the award for the heaviest potato yield this year at the Autumn Show, but this was only part of my potato story for 2023. We have a small garden and so the space for growing vegetables isn’t great, but I’ve grown potatoes in containers for a number of years. My older grandchild, George, has often been involved and now he and his father grow potatoes in their own garden.

When we went to buy our seed potatoes this year, George quickly filled his bag with the remaining Charlottes that were available so I was left with Casablanca, a variety I’d never heard of before. In fact, I bought more than my garden could accommodate, and it was around this time that CABAHS were distributing the potatoes for the annual competition. This was the inspiration for me to use my extras in a similar way…..

I shared the spares with 11 family members, including the two grandchildren, and gave them pretty much the same information as CABAHS issues. This was met by great enthusiasm all round and with a general competitive buzz and with regular progress reports throughout the year.

Three photos of harvesting potatoes for the competition

Fast forward to July 31, our results day. Instructions were similar to CABAHS except there were three categories – the heaviest total yield, the heaviest single potato, and the total number of potatoes, with junior sections for each.

Perch Hill

Thinking we would take advantage of the extra days made available for visits to Perch Hill, we chose the one for container planting. However, on the day it was the dahlias that stole the show and which we will remember!

Although rain was not forecast, we arrived to a little bit of a mizzle and a very grey sky – in the photographs this has tended to deaden the exuberant colours. We were knocked out by Penhill Watermelon, Geri Scott and the delicious Apricot Desire, but it would be impossible to choose one favourite out of all the lovely colours. Although some are critical of the Sarah Raven enterprise, there is no question that the gardens are beautifully styled. Of course, plants are labelled so that anything you see you will find on their website, but it is a commercial business. In fact, it is good to find a label so that you can identify what you are looking at! Salvias are everywhere, edging the herbaceous borders, in pots as well as mixed through the beds. These are such versatile plants.