Useful links for couch gardening….
A list of resources I have found very helpful
on my summer dry journey.
Dan Pearson OBE is an English landscape designer, specialising in naturalistic perennial planting. I highly recommend his blog Dig Delve, which follows the development of his own garden, Hillside. This is a truly satisfying deep dive into the garden’s planning, maintenance and ethos. His post 26 May 2023 introduces plans for his new sand garden, a post I am very excited about as it brings together so many things a summer dry gardener will be interested in. Also watch his talk to The Mediterranean Garden Society about his development of Delos garden as Sissinghurst. Fabulous nerdy dry garden stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YknyvZsSPOM&t=2733s
In fact I strongly recommend all the Mediterranean Garden Society videos on You Tube. Hunt around , there are many wonderful informative talks by dry garden experts and cutting edge garden designers. A recent gem is a talk by Michael McCoy, an Australian garden designer and commentator, who has his own lovely summer dry garden, and a wonderful inquiring mind. His own blog is well worth following https://thegardenist.com.au/ and his talk to the Mediterranean Garden Society about the development of his summer dry ideas is very illuminating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuCE5rm7uIk&t=3499s
Peter Korn A Swedish gardener who plants into coarse sand amongst other techniques. There is a great video of him on You Tube: The Beth Chatto Symposium 2018: Peter Korn Designing for plants
The following is a good article written by The New Perennialist (also a blogger worth following!): https://thenewperennialist.com/high-diversity-plantings-peter-korn/
Finally there is a new video posted by The Mediterranean Garden Society on his recent activity, Peter Korn, Plantsman and Garden Designer, Klinta Trädgård, Sweden 10 May 2023. Very inspiring, lots of technical info, also he has a great dry sense of humour and self-depreciating manner. Follow this link:
Jo Wakelin Jo has a beautiful non-watered garden in Bannockburn, in New Zealand’s South Island. She gets 350 mm rainfall per annum and -15 degree frosts. There are several articles and a few good plant lists on line. Also check out the fabulous book “Wild” by Noel Kingsbury and Claire Takacs which includes Jo’s garden.
Beth Chatto Her gravel garden is probably the most famous in the U.K. There is good info on her own website, plus many articles about her, also a good book by her about her gravel garden “Drought-Resistant Planting: Lessons from Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden”.
https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/garden-nursery/gallery/gravel-garden.htm
Olivier Filippi is a nursery owner and summer dry specialist. There are 4 – 5 good books by him on Mediterranean gardens, plus 3 excellent videos online. For example, on You Tube: Beth Chatto Symposium 2018: Olivier Filippi Mediterranean Landscapes as inspiration for planting design.
https://www.gardensillustrated.com/gardens/international/jardin-sec-filippi-gravel-garden-france/
https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Gardening-Handbook-Practices-Changing/dp/0500514070
Summer-Dry Project is a website based in California. The Summer-Dry Project is an on-going initiative to provide inspiration for gardeners in summer-dry, Mediterranean climates with plant descriptions and authentic on-site photos that encourage sustainable garden practices. They are well worth following on Instagram for inspiring photos.
The Garden Professors https://gardenprofessors.com/ have a great face book page and website, if you are interested in science based gardening info, particularly about mycorrhizal fungi, the use of woodchip mulches, and heaps more. Use their search facilities and have a hunt around, lots of interesting stuff plus some fun and some controversies.
