Viva Lewes Issue #153 June 2019

GARDENING
Summer borders
Zinging Zinnias and fragrant Pinks
As the first shoots of bindweed surface and the
ground-elder starts to erupt in the border, take
comfort in those fresh young seedlings emerging
in the seed trays demanding to be potted up.
Such vigorous and optimistic growth bursting
to get on with painting the summer red… and
purple, orange! My Zinnias are of deep purple
and a pure orange, and will blaze in the borders
sending shock waves down the garden path.
When potting-on try to grip the plain seed leaf
– that is, the very first leaf – gently, and dangle
the root into the pot as you pile in the compost.
This avoids bending the delicate roots and helps
the plant to establish quickly.
Keep them under cover for a week or so, then
stand them in the cold frame for a further
couple of weeks. Plant them where you want a
real splash of colour. They will become tall and
vigorous so provide a little staking: pea sticks
will do. As long as you keep up the deadheading
their bold flowers will bloom profusely for the
rest of the summer.
It is a common misconception that Pinks are
called Pinks because they are pink. They’re not.
Well, not always. ‘Mrs Sinkins’ is pure white,
whilst ‘Susan’ is a gaudy salmon red. The name
actually refers to the act of ‘pinking’ using cotton
pinking shears, which make a zigzag cut to
prevent fraying: a pattern reflected in the jagged
edges of the fragrant petals.
Pinks have a special place at Charleston. One
of the finest pictures of the garden, showing it
at its very best, is in the Tate collection. Painted
by Duncan Grant in the 1940s, this shows a
blossom-filled garden with rich herbaceous
borders and a silvery ruff of Pinks running down
the length of the main path. Vanessa Bell wrote
in 1940, ‘It’s a hot summer evening, I have pulled
up the wallflowers regretfully and now the pinks
are making the whole place smell’.
The picture was painted in May 1944, before the
pinks were flowering, so sourcing the historically
correct variety has been a challenge. Allwoods, a
family-run nursery, based in Hassocks, have been
specialist growers of Pinks since 1910. Though
many of the old varieties have disappeared,
Allwoods Nursery still hold over 400 and their
knowledge is second to none.
I showed a painting of Pinks by Vanessa Bell to
the proprietor and she was immediately able
to identify the three varieties in the flower arrangement
including ‘Alice’, bred by Allwoods
in 1930. Today, two years later, I have finally
finished propagating enough ‘Alice’ to reinstate
this lovely border. This month, the scent can
once again be found lingering in the warm, still
air of the walled garden.
Fiona Dennis is Head Gardener at Charleston
Photo of Fiona Dennis by Maggie Tran
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