Inside Reports on Spring Gardening at Christopher Lloyd's Great Dixter, East Sussex, UK

The orchard meadow (to the left) and Long Border (right) at Great Dixter just two weeks ago.

If you have been a long-time reader of this blog, you will know that I have a great love for the challenge of succession planting at Gilmore Gardens. You may also have figured out that I have done most of my study on the subject by reading about the great gardens and gardeners of our time, especially those that have used these principles (see a partial book list here).

The garden that epitomizes this ideal of year-round gardening is Great Dixter in East Sussex lead by the late Christopher Lloyd.  There are over a dozen books from Christopher that I have enjoyed over the years, but my favorite must be Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure. (Which I hope to review very soon...) He is largely responsible for many of our current garden trends, including returning Cannas and other exotic plants to our gardens.

A few weeks ago I found that Helen at Anemone Times, a New England gardener and blogger that I have truly enjoyed this past year, is on a gardener's dream trip to the UK. She is currently working with Fergus Garret and the other talented gardeners at Great Dixter for the month. She has done a wonderful job of sharing the whole experience on her blog. Read her first post upon arrival at Great Dixter here.

Famous pot arrangements at the entrance of Great Dixter.

One of Helen's projects: weeding and planting up the Ledge with a beautifully long list of plants (read about it here!).

Other posts that I loved reading were plantinging out the High Garden and pruning Euonymous fortunei 'Silver Queen', which is the key bush in Mr. Lloyd's Long Border.

I am thrilled to get to read along about Helen's student experience at Great Dixter. I hope you get a quick look at Anemone Times to see her adventures as well!

All photos in this post borrowed with permission from Helen at Anemone Times.