Ramblers produce great long, vigorous shoots from the base each year. To prevent the whole framework from becoming overcrowded with thick, woody branches, it's a good idea to cut these out, and now is the hour. Don thornproof gear, detach the whole plant from its supports and lower it to the ground, where the shoots can be laid out and dealt with in turn. Remove the oldest shoot at the point where its successor arises, cart it away to one side, then lift and replace each shoot in its new position on the wall, tying in as you go.
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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.
