Hear more from garden designer, author of Outside In and Instagram hero, Sean A Pritchard at the Festivals of Garden and Nature in May at Ballintubbert House, Stradbally, Co Laois …
Garden designer, author of Outside In and Instagram hero, Sean A Pritchard is one of the star speakers at the upcoming Festival of Gardens and Nature at the exquisite Ballintubbert House, Stradbally, Co Laois, from May 3 to 4. Sean joins a wonderful line-up which includes Nigel Slater, Fergus Garrett, Catherine FitzGerald and Diarmuid Gavin. The two-day festival (you can attend either day, or both) includes talks, garden tours and foraging workshops. Book tickets at www.festivalofgardensandnature.com. @sean_anthony_pritchard
“Gardening for me is about celebration; allowing the colours, perfumes and wonderful forms of plants and fl owers to really dominate a space. I’m fascinated by the cottage gardens Gertrude Jekyll wrote so evocatively about at the turn of the 20th century – gardens that thronged with untamed abundance.
“Two of my favourite climbing roses are “Albertine” and “Constance Spry”. “Albertine” is wonderfully delicate; a very soft pink with crumpled petals and a beautiful perfume. “Constance Spry” is a brighter, more vibrant pink and looks classic “old rose”. I love scented pelargoniums especially “Lara Starshine” which has a wonderful lemon scent and produces beautifully delicate deep pink fl owers with purple feathering.
March is a good time to sow annual seeds indoors, like zinnia, cosmos and nasturtiums …
“Lupins, foxgloves, fennel and angelica are some of my favourites to add height in a border. For scent, Philadelphus (mock orange) is great to include. I am a huge Euphorbia fan; it brings a brilliant sense of architecture to any border. There are so many different varieties, from the ground cover of Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae to the real statement Euphorbia wulfenii.
“March is a good time to sow annual seeds indoors, like zinnia, cosmos and nasturtiums, ready to plant out later in spring when the weather warms up. These annuals continue flowering right through summer and into autumn which means a little effort now brings months and months of reward!
When I’m not gardening, I enjoy finding a treasure trove of antiques, and reading …
“When I’m not gardening, I enjoy finding a treasure trove of antiques, and reading – I usually have a few books on the go, non-fiction books on art and political history in particular. I’m reading Paris in Ruins by Sebastian Smee and look forward to Seàn Hewitt’s novel Open, Heaven which will be published in April.
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