GARDEN OF THE YEARMAKING HISTORY
NEWS COMPILED BY MOLLY BLAIR
Glenarm Castle Walled Garden in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, has been named Historic Houses Garden of the Year for 2023 in a public vote. Originally created in the 1820s to provide produce for the castle, the garden has been restored over the past 20 years by owners Lord and Lady Antrim with help from garden designer Catherine FitzGerald, and plantspeople including the late Nigel Marshall and Neil Porteous. It is the first time since the awards began 40 years ago that a garden in Northern Ireland has won the title. Learn more about the gardens at glenarmcastle.com
Talking pointDOES GARDENING IN JANUARY DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
As the New Year rolls in, many of us fall prey to resolutions: to start running, to dive into icy ponds, or to pay more attention to our gardens. But are we getting ahead of ourselves by pulling on the gardening gloves in January? For all our supposed seasonal sensibilities, says garden writer Daniel Masoliver (above), we gardeners are as guilty as anyone when it comes to doing too much too soon.
“If you live in the UK, then attempting to garden right now could actually end up doing more harm than good. It may be satisfying to hear the sound of frozen grass crunching underfoot, but you will feel significantly less satisfied once your lawn has thawed, and all you have to show for your little walkabout is a trail of unsightly boot prints, the blades of grass that once stood there now shattered like glass, and any hopes you had of having your best gardening year yet shattered along with them.”
There are no horticultural tasks that need to be completed with any urgency right now. Daniel’s advice for January? “Put down the spade, step away from the shrubs, and go back inside. Your body will thank you for it; your soul will thank you for it; but most importantly, your plants will thank you for it.”
To read the full piece, scan the QR code with your phone camera, or head to gardensillustrated.com/jangarden
LEARNCREATIVE CUTS
Sarah Raven is launching her debut online course with Create Academy this month. Cut and Come Again Masterclass is a comprehensive guide to creating a cut-flower patch, drawing on Sarah’s 30 years of growing and teaching experience. Through five hours of lessons filmed at Sarah’s garden at Perch Hill, East Sussex, the course covers everything from colour palettes and site assessment to
