A royal replanting scheme
The bedtime story in pictures: all the old plants in the two beds were rooted out, and tonnes of poor-quality soil removed.
Arlington Square’s four rectangular flower beds were laid out in the early 1950s, so it’s a safe bet that this was a Coronation project. As one reign ends and we acknowledge a new monarch, it is fitting that we redesign the beds and plant a refreshingly new scheme.
After a final check for weeds and roots, many tonnes of loam-based compost were delivered and spread by hand, topped off with more peat-free organic compost.
All our four rosebeds were looking pretty tired – after all, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign was the longest in British history. The beds were also infested with deep roots of bindweed and wild strawberry. Gardeners will know that you should never plant a new rose where an old one has been growing. Roses are particularly prone to ‘replant disease’, a recognised but poorly understood problem that means you need to wait at least six years before replacing an old rose with a new one. Or you can remove and replace all the soil to a depth of at least half a metre. That is far too costly an operation for us to contemplate.
More than 250 edging plants (Ilex crenata, Japanese holly) were planted round the borders.
Instead professional horticulturalist Paul Thompson, our volunteer lead gardener, has come up with a new planting scheme that will add much interest and beauty to these beds for many years to come, with colours ranging from muted violets and lavender-blues to stand-out scarlets and yellows. (The daffodils from those beds have been replanted in the ‘Dingly Dell’ area along the south side of the square.)
After AA volunteers had prepared the beds, it was time for their new occupants. On 15 April, a six-hour planting session saw more than 1,400 new plants installed in the beds. They include Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (repeat-flowering violet and white), Crocosmia (flame-coloured montbretia), Leucanthemum ‘Aglaia’ (frilly and daisy-like), Salvia ‘Amethyst Lips’ (purple and white, evergreen, aromatic, long-flowering), Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’ (a scarlet and yellow day-lily), Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ (feathery reed grass), Kniphofia ‘Shining Sceptre’ (tall, yellow and orange), Nepeta Walkers Low (deep blue-mauve with silvery, aromatic leaves) and Veronicastrum ‘Lavendelturm’ (tall spires of tiny, pale lavender-blue flowers).
Some time in the future, when we’ve regained our energy, we will tackle the two rosebeds in the north of the square. But Arlington Square is not going to be deprived of all its roses. There are still several varieties thriving around the perimeter railings. Here are some of them, identified by the number of the house they’re facing: Warm Welcome (27), Constance Spry (30), Wollerton Old Hall (31), Mary Delany (36), The Pilgrim (41), Cécile Brunner (44).