Date: 1 June 2006
Originally published in: Period House (UK)
Written by: Kim Wilde
Celebrity gardener Kim Wilde reveals how her once amateur gardening skills have blossomed.
I remember being a first time gardener, the whole subject baffled me… all the Latin, all the pruning, all the choice of plants! Ten years on and I’m still learning and will always find plants, gardening and design totally absorbing… and yes, baffling too, sometimes. A planting design course at the Capel Manor horticultural college in Enfield did much to clarify some of gardening’s great mysteries, but what about if you can’t make time for a gardening course? In my new book First Time Gardener I have tried to condense as much of the useful knowledge that I have acquired, to speak directly to someone who is just like I was… full of enthusiasm, but light on gardening knowledge.
June is a stunning month in the garden with borders full of summer perennials, fresh, green foliage and, of course, roses. It is a wonderful time to visit other gardens to gain inspiration and learn from. If you can, visit Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire, where a series of garden rooms are packed with ideas that visitors can easily adapt to their own gardens, and the roses there are glorious at this time of year. Capel Manor in Enfield also has a labyrinth of connected small, theme gardens which all explore different design and planting ideas. Truly inspirational.
Happy gardening!
