ASTON POTTERY lies a couple miles east of Bampton, a Cotswold village that sits on the edge of the Thames Valley, where upland sheep pasture fades to lowland water meadow. Stephen and Jane Baughan, who specialise in hand-decorated pottery, came to Kingsland Farm in Aston more than 30 years ago and now employ about 50 local people. In 2009, Mr Baughan, who has the energy of 10 men, started to direct his creative impulses into making a colourful garden that includes a hot garden, dahlia beds, a perennial border and a long border.
The star of the show is the Annual Border, which measures more than 200ft in length and contains a vivid mixture of 5,000 annual plugs, all raised from 120 packets of seed ordered from Chiltern Seeds. The planting, divided up into triangles on a colour-themed plan worthy of any garden designer, is put together by Mr Baughan himself. He raises 8,500 annual plugs in an unheated, single-skin tunnel hidden away behind the hot bank.
The very best plugs are planted out in early June, after the fear of frost has passed, with the help of one or two pottery workers and a couple of volunteers. Weather always dictates the final timing, but it takes three days of intense activity and any spares are given away to staff and friends. ‘Each plug is a few inches high, which means no staking is needed. There’s no feeding either, so the plants are grown hard, although there is a sprinkler system if conditions are dry,’ says Mr Baughan. Planting small is key, because short, sturdy plants resist the weather.
This story is from the January 06, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 06, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Every picture tells a story
As the National Gallery prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary in May, Carla Passino delves into the fascinating history of 10 of its paintings, from artistic triumphs to ugly ducklings and a clever fake
Flying between extremes
Revisiting the Norfolk of his childhood bright, but not as early as planned on an April morning, John Lewis-Stempel is entranced by the wildlife of the Broads and spots a crane so large it renders his binoculars redundant Illustration by Michael Frith
Satan on six legs
The prowling embodiment of Beelzebub, the Devil's coach horse beetle could absolve you of all your sins, says Ian Morton
Sometimes, less is more
FASHIONS in gardening come and go like those on the catwalk, they simply take a lot longer doing so: sometimes decades.
Dropping down to Derwentwater
The gardens of High Moss, Portinscale, Cumbria The home of Peter and Christine Hughes Non Morris visits a much-loved, Historically fascinating Arts-andCrafts garden, which has been imaginatively brought back to life
A Georgian legacy
Down in Wiltshire and Somerset, two country houses and estates have been well tended by their owners
Processions, proclamations and punishment
The wayside crosses that were once beacons in the British landscape have seldom survived the forces of Nature and iconoclasm. Lucien de Guise follows a trail of destruction
A sparkling collection
Guided by the nose of wine expert Harry Eyres, the COUNTRY LIFE team tasted some of England's finest sparkling wines and found elegance and finesse, with notes of hedgerows and seaside air, to compete with any fizz from across the Channel-surely, this is what we should be drinking now Qu
Hampering after summer
Lifting the lid on a sturdy hamper to find cold ham and ginger beer is a summer joy. Julie Harding meets the wicker weavers who make the dream come true
Life's a picnic
With picnic season fast approaching, it's time to elevate your alfresco feast to Michelin-star levels of deliciousness. Here, Paul Henderson asks a selection of the finest chefs to open up their picnic baskets and share some of their top tips for culinary success