'Devon Life' article - October 2006

How chicken wire, a torch and a bucket of hot water help with the cultivation of the Framptons’ six favourite plants at Collepardo.

A delectable, secret green world: that’s what it feels like when visiting Don and Betty Frampton’s garden at Collepardo in Newton Abbot, where gravel paths and wooden steps take the visitor through an unexpected landscape of trees, shrubs and unusual plants.

The garden may be small, but it’s fascinating, and Betty took me around to explain why she’s chosen the following plants as her all-time favourites, as well as why, as the owner of an alpine plant nursery some years ago, she hasn’t included any alpines in her list.

“The nursery, which stood nearly 200m (600ft) above sea level, was a good habitat for alpines,” she says. “Newton Abbot, much lower, definitely isn’t.” When running the nursery, she and Don used to travel extensively in Europe and in Northern America on the hunt for new alpines. Now they prefer to explore gardens in this country for new ideas. Acclaimed gardening writer Penelope Hobhouse is the richest source of ideas for her own planting.

Phlomis tuberose

“This herbaceous perennial has whorls of lilac-pink tubular flowers with hooded lips, but it needs to be staked,” says Betty. She uses green chicken wire at the base of the plant and, if necessary, ties stems upright with green garden twine. As the leaves grow, the ties become invisible. “Planted in the sun in well drained soil, it will grow well, wintering easily in Devon. Treat it with devotion and attention,” she says, “but even then it poses a challenge. Slugs adore it, so I go out with a torch and a bucket of hot water.”

Geranium pratense ‘Plenum Violaceum’

This variety is one of the meadow cranesbill family, and is a really beautiful plant, liking full sun. It flowers from mid-June to the end of July with double purple flowers and grows to around ½ metre (1½ ft) high. Cut the dead flowers, but though the foliage grows again, it doesn’t repeat flower, instead forming a lovely green mound. “Plant it with pensternons and other purples and it pays for itself,” says Betty.

Holidiscus discolor

This hardy flowering shrub has a graceful habit and heads of foam-like delicate white-cream small flowers hanging down, like wisteria. The arching branches reach 2.5m (8ft) or more, with a spread of 1-2.5m (4-8ft), and it’s easily grown in ordinary soil. I place it close to a variegated Symphytum (a variety of comfrey) with creamy flowers, to enhance the while palette,” Betty says. It’s a spectacular plant, but you need to look for it in a specialised nursery.”

Clematis viticella ‘Etoille Voilette’

This vigorous clematis covers one side of an arch in the garden, its bell-shaped lavender flowers offset by a red rose on the other side, illustrating Betty’s love of mixing colours. It’s a particular favourite because, having been cut back to two feel in February each year, no slugs can attack the new high growth. It may take three to four years to settle down and can be grown on walls, trellis, pergola posts and old tree stumps, but it won’t take over the whole garden as other clematis are prone to do.

Kniphofia ‘Sunningdale Yellow’

A herbaceous plant with buttercup-yellow spikes, and useful as a strong focal point in a hot garden, Betty suggests growing in it drifts rather than spots, combining it with yellow day lilies (Hemerocallis), with golden at its foot to emphasise the sunshine aspect. “I like the foliage which remains after the flowers fade, as it still continues to give a ‘flowing’ effect.”

Campanula lactiflora and Campanula lactiflora ‘Pritchard’s Variety’

Visitors to Betty’s garden are amazed when they see these large heads of light and medium lavender-blue flowers. A perennial border plant, the bell-shaped flowers, about 4cm (1 1/2in) across, on branching stems, are a real spectacle from June to July, with continuing light green foliage after the flowers have died back. Again, slugs love the new growth in early March and April but the night-hunting technique Betty advises is the answer. It needs division on a regular basis.

Galega x hartlandii ‘His Majesty’

This is a tallish plant with spiked lilac-blue flowers that needs support as it is easily blown over by summer storms. A vulnerable plant, Betty says a bit of shelter helps it. This is her favourite plant of all, hardy in Devon, and attractively bushy, with a delicate pea leaf. Cut back the dead heads to keep it flowering and perhaps grow it between two other shrubs to give it the support it needs.

From 'Devon Life'- October 2006