Herbaceous borders have a long and graceful decline in autumn, and their fall colours are by no means to be despised. Equally, there is merit in the frosted beauty of tall seedheads such as Eryngium, but, in time, most will dampen down into a slowly collapsing mess of brown tissue. At that point, step in and apply the secateurs. Cut each plant neatly down to the ground just above the crown and remove the debris. Most of this can be composted, ideally by chopping it into short pieces, as it can be woody. It can be used for mulching next year.
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The garden created by a forgotten genius of the 1920s, rescued from 'a sorry state of neglect to a level of quality it has not known for over 50 years'George Dillistone’s original Arts-and-Crafts design at Knowle House, East Sussex, has been lovingly restored and updated with contemporary planting. George Plumptre tells more; photography by Clive Nichols.
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21 of the greatest craftspeople working in Britain today, as chosen by the nation's best designers and architectsWe've persuaded some of the most celebrated names from our Country Life Top 100 to name the craftspeople they have in their own personal little black books.
