Jimi Blake
Hunting Brook Gardens - A Beautiful Obsession
On the 6th November we were treated to a highly entertaining and informative talk from Jimi Blake of Hunting Brook Gardens. Jimi wears his undoubted knowledge very lightly, peppering his talk with humour and wry asides. Who wouldn’t be amused by the description of his classroom filled with a hundred banana plants when “the banana thing got out of control this year.”
In his opening words he exclaimed “isn’t it so exciting that we never run out of plants to be excited about!” and then went on to take us on a journey around his glorious, colourful, plant packed, treasure trove of a garden. Along the way we glimpsed inside his wardrobe of flowery shirts (a collage of which made up the opening slide) and were introduced to many of his plant collections or is that obsessions? We heard about his early childhood growing up amongst the Wicklow Mountains with his mother, a keen gardener and early inspiration and his sister, June Blake who is also now a well known plantswoman.
His garden was once part of the family farm and I could sense his strong attachment to the place. Even so he has not created a static, memory filled garden, instead this is a garden that is constantly changing driven by his love of new plants and a need to push the boundaries.
First up were the woodlanders, snowdrops (described as “good for mental health, pulling you through the winter”) Erythronium’, Corydalis, Epimedium and Trilliums along with lots of helpful advice about keeping them healthy with rich compost and moisture. Each genus accompanied by an aside “so beautiful” “I’m a fully fledged Corydalis collector”, “Oh you have to grow that one”.
His enthusiasm was palpable and infectious and his love of colour in the garden was obvious, praising Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ for its vivid orange contrasted with shocking pink Lychnis ‘Hill Grounds’ interwoven with mauve Hesperis and silver Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’ I especially warmed to his love of “good, common, hardworking plants” such as Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) and his saying “there is no place for snobbery in the garden”. He noted plants such as Helioposis ‘Burning Embers’, Pseudopanax lessonii ‘Tuatara’ , Cosmos ‘Radiance’, Dahlias ‘Burlesqua’ and ‘Cornel Brons’, Actea cordifolia ‘Blickfang’ with which he creates a loose, see-through planting punctuated by tall verticals. These plants and many others, annuals, herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs, the common and the rare are all equally valued for the contribution they make.
Although I can’t possibly list all the plants he tempted us with, I can’t resist mentioning just a few along with his comments:
Knipophia ‘Gladness’, “fabulous spire in the border”
Eryngium guatemalense, “one of the best new plants in the last few years”
Monarda ‘On Parade’ “one of the best it doesn’t get mildew”
Lobelia ‘Hadspen Purple’ “survives the slugs, we’ve slugs the size of seals in Ireland”
Roscoea ‘Spice Island’ “ oh you have to get that one, a must have plant”
Eucomis ‘Twinkling Star’ “stupid name but stays upright”
I was particularly struck by his readiness to uproot a border that most of us would be thrilled to have created saying “I hit a certain time with a border or a garden when it’s time to do something new”. I hope I can borrow a bit of this boldness in my own garden.
Whether it’s creating more paths “I wanted more edges to grow plants”, completely replanting a previously much loved area or creating a sand garden in order to satisfy a new interest in cacti and succulents, the love of plants is what drives his gardening style. An example of his ability to try out the unconventional was summed up in a final slide of cactus, conifer and petunia in combination, his comment “great taste isn’t it, most people hated it.
Although he states he is not a designer, just a plant obsessive, he has undoubtedly created a beautiful garden that I for one can’t wait visit. In the meantime I will have to content myself with reading about it and looking at the fabulous photos in his book, A Beautiful Obsession.
Marysa Norris EAGG Member
See the book review under News and Interest
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