The Beth Chatto Symposium, a three-day event held at the University of Colchester every two years, has become a favorite among horticulture enthusiasts due to its diverse range of speakers from around the world. This year’s theme, Connections through time, featured presentations and on-stage discussions that explored various aspects of horticulture and its relationship with the environment.
Exploring Tree Evolution and Climate Change
Jennifer McElwain’s presentation explored 400 million years of tree evolution, discussing her work on measuring carbon in the atmosphere in deep time and raising intriguing points about the shade of green trees were in the past. Dry garden guru Olivier Filippi also gave a presentation on new plant, insect, and bird interactions in a changing climate, highlighting the impact of wildfires on his nursery and the resulting altered setting.
According to the report, Olivier Filippi provided many examples of new relationships developing between native fauna and invasive non-native plants in the South of France. Gardens can act as shelters, but with no water for irrigation, more reliable sources of nectar are needed, such as from plants from further south that can extend the phenology calendar.
Slow Gardening and Ecological Succession
Sheila Das, head of gardens with the National Trust, presented her strategy for the charity’s many properties, focusing on a more gradual approach to gardening. This approach involves switching from quick fix, big reveal projects to long-term evolving garden systems, with an emphasis on less annual plantings and more perennial schemes grown from bare roots, polycultures, soil health, and being process-led rather than task-focused.
Das believes that messaging and storytelling are important for both the industry and members, and that these changes will result in more sustainable, biodiverse, and inclusive outcomes. She also stressed the need to teach ecological succession on horticulture courses and the benefits of woodland-edge planting, sand, and creative use of waste materials in gardens.
Related: NII Creative Director Shares Design Insights
Kelly Norris took the audience to the prairies with his presentation, pleading that we don’t just see them as an aesthetic form, but instead as a process that has lessons for other ecotypes. He suggested that there are ways to apply the idea of dynamic systems of prairie to other places if we transform our understanding of the settings we live in.
Dan Pearson’s Masterplan and the Future of the Beth Chatto Gardens
Dan Pearson presented the new masterplan for the Beth Chatto Gardens, which includes plans for a new seven-acre plot of land acquired on a long-term lease and changes to the original garden and nursery site. The masterplan features a new meadow and woodland, minor edits to the existing garden, and the introduction of a Mediterranean “spine” of dry gardens.
They will also create a series of new stock beds in block formations and in sand, allowing plants to be reliably grown on for sale in dry conditions. The Damp and Woodland Gardens will remain unchanged.
Kasey Toomey from LA-based design practice Terremoto explained the studio’s radical approach to setting design, including labor acknowledgement for contractors and experimental use of hyperlocal plants and materials. The final talk was given by Fergus Garrett, who took the audience on a joyful and humorous journey through Great Dixter’s inspiring mix of curiosity, creativity, and complexity.
Attendees were left with a sense of anticipation about the future of the Beth Chatto Gardens and the horticulture industry as a whole. With its focus on slow gardening, ecological succession, and sustainable practices, the symposium provided a unique perspective on the importance of horticulture in today’s world.
