RHS Malvern Spring Festival

Plants in The Diamond Way: Cotswolds Estates and Gardens 60th Anniversary Garden

Historically the Cotswolds acquired the majority of its wealth from the wool trade, and so some of the plants have been chosen to reference this, including Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ears) and other woolly plants such as Buddleia ‘Morning Mist’

Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ – lamb’s ears

Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’
Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’

“The woolly foliage represents the wool trade on which the Cotswolds was built”

Rosettes of silver, greyish white leaves provide an attractive, weed suppressing carpet for much of the year. This variety of lamb’s ears rarely flowers and is an excellent, drought-tolerant groundcover or edging plant for a well-drained site in full sun. The foliage is a more intense shade of silver than flowering varieties of the plant.

Acer campestre – field maple

“We are using a large specimen removed from a client’s garden and re-shaped, representing native, road-side planting.”

This fast growing native makes a wonderful dense, deciduous hedge and is quite tolerant of coastal conditions and cold, exposed sites. In spring the emerging deeply lobed foliage is flushed with red, but it gradually turns a lush, mid green and stays that colour throughout summer. It then takes on buttery yellow tones as the temperatures start to drop again in autumn. 

Acer campestre
Acer campestre

“I hope visitors get from this garden an appreciation for the beauty of the Cotswolds, causing them to look more closely next time they go for a walk in the countryside.”

Luke Gunner, garden designer

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ – Korean lilac

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’
Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

“This is a large specimen that was also used in the company’s 50th anniversary Show garden.”

Abundant panicles of fragrant, lavender pink flowers in late spring and early summer and oval, dark green leaves. This lovely Korean lilac is ideal for a sunny, well-drained shrub or mixed border. Compact and slow growing, it’s perfect for the smaller garden or where space is limited.

Fagus sylvatica – common beech

“Semi-mature Fagus sylvatica will represent the ancient beech woodlands of the Cotswolds.”

A splendid plant with green leaves that turn a rich copper in autumn. As a tree it is only suited to large gardens or parks, grown as specimens in the lawn. However, it does make a superb hedge, retaining the brown leaves through winter and only losing them when the new foliage appears in spring.

Fagus sylvatica
Fagus sylvatica

Hyacinthoides non-scripta – bluebell

Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Hyacinthoides non-scripta

“Bluebells represent underplanting in the ancient beech woodlands of the Cotswolds.”

English bluebells are much loved for their stout spikes of bell-shaped, blue flowers in April and May. They are perfect for naturalising in a partly shaded woodland garden or underneath the canopy of deciduous trees. 

Plant lists are provided by the designer of the garden as a guide to the plants they hope to use in the garden based on the time of year, the location and the Client Brief. The plants that feature at the Show depends on a variety of factors such as weather during the growing season and availability. While the designers try to update lists where possible, the accuracy of the list cannot be guaranteed.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.