Wealden Times | WT181 | March 2017 | Fashion supplement inside

Wealden Times Midsummer Fair 8th -10th June 2017
Gardening
Meet the expert
Mark Lane
Mark Lane is a garden/landscape designer
and owner of Mark Lane Designs. He is
also a published garden writer, BBC TV
presenter and member of the Professional
Garden Consultants Association.
What first got you interested in gardening?
As a young boy I remember following my
grandfather around their large garden with a trowel
in one hand and a ball of string in the other. I would
help him divide plants, sow seeds, tie back climbing
roses and collect sweetpeas by the bucket full. He
loved roses and red hot pokers, so every time I
pass my rose and peony border at home I think of
my grandfather and the cherished times I had.
What’s your favourite garden and why?
That’s a really difficult question. Every
garden is special and has its own atmosphere,
scent, and moment in time. I live very close
to Godnestone Park Gardens and I regularly pop
in and make my way around the grass borders
and the walled garden. I have also been influenced
greatly by the gardens at Sissinghurst Castle,
Great Dixter and Hummelo, Piet Oudolf’s garden.
The latter is a magical place, brimming with lots
of ideas and has a peaceful, restful hum to it.
March is a busy time for gardeners, what
will you be focusing on in your garden?
I love March, watching plants gently revealing
themselves after the slumber of winter, but there
is a lot to do. I focus firstly on weeds and either
dig them out or cover them with a thick mulch
of leaf mould or home-made compost. The
compost bins will get turned and fish, blood and
bone will be gently worked into the soil.
The Cornus (dogwoods) and Salix (willow) grown
for colourful winter stems will be cut back, a
large clump of Salvia pratensis ‘Indigo’ will be
divided and replanted and all plant supports
will be put in place ready for the year ahead.
Visit the Garden Hub sponsored by Neptune Canterbury &
Tonbridge for three days of talks and workshops. Whether
you have a courtyard or couple of acres, our experts will
have plenty of gardening tips to inform and inspire.
Mark Lane
Mark Lane is a local
garden designer from
Canterbury and will be
hosting a talk in the Garden
Hub on Saturday
10th June.
Hole Park Garden
The 15-acres of glorious
gardens at Hole Park will be open
exclusively to fair visitors for the
three days of the fair. The formal rose
gardens and herbaceous borders will
all be in full bloom in early June
and entry is included in the
ticket price.
The season
in colour
Bring the house into the
garden with our Garden Hub
sponsor Neptune’s Sage &
Cactus furniture, soft furnishings
and accessories collections. See
their products on their
stand at the fair.
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