Above: Two years after Pentreath took a long lease on the house in southwest England and undertook an overhaul of the garden, late summer dahlias preen against a fence. Above: The herbaceous borders change seasonally; summer perennials complement each other with a mix of heights and textures. Above: Pentreath spent the first year doing rehab: pulling out bindweed and ground elder and overgrown shrubs, digging and filtering, and bringing the ground back to clean soil. Above: Dahlias and cloches—both glass and bamboo—to protect tender plants from wind, cold, and insects. For more garden cloche inspiration, see “The Beauty of the Garden Cloche.” Above: Staked dahlias hold their heavy heads high. Above: Hollyhocks, biennials, will self sow in the border. Above: In typical cottage garden fashion, Pentreach interplants edibles with flowering plants. Above: Nasturtium (R) at the edge of the garden. Above: Pentreath’s carrots, potatoes, beans, squashes, and beets, headed to the table.
N.B.: This post is an update; it was first published September 2012.
See Season of Mist for our Spring visit with Ben Pentreath. Inspired to dream some more? See:
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