Heatherjohnston's Outbox

I can't possibly be the only person to review one of the most influential gardens in England!

GET ALONG THERE! Massive borders, wild wild meadows, an extraordinary tropical garden, and a truly exuberant spirit, as well as a nursery which it is impossible not to spend money in.

But be warned - not for the tidy-minded, and certainly not for the National Trust-style good taste school. Hopefully Fergus will maintain the legacy of Christopher Lloyd, and if you haven't read his books, you should.

One of my favourite gardens. Extensive, woodland-style for a large part, but with formal parts near the house (whch also stages concerts) and a nusery specialising in shrubby salvias, of which there are several borders. Hosts local nurseries for garden fairs which are alo worth a trip.

Remarkably relaxed and 'natural' but with interest at every turn. Also open through the year and has good displays of hellebores in spring (if the mice don't get them).

This was (possibly - not entirely sure) my 30th Chelsea and all I can say is, you should have tried it when they didn't limit the numbers. Pace yourself, wear jeans and trainers, and try not to swear at the old dears prodding you with a walking stick. And knock off for a bevvy every couple of hours.

The things to go for are design ideas and new plants, and to pick up catalogues for interesting new nurseries (or furniture, sculpture etc). Hampton Court - which I also go to - does sell plants but most nurseries are selling reasonably easy to find types. Chelsea is the place to find and order the rarities.

NOBODY ever agrees about gold medals. I too thought Beardshaw wuz robbed, but that's part of the fun.

The weeping willow next door to me reached a height of about 30 metres and approximately the same spread over about 30 years - it overlaid not only most of the garden it was in, but both gardens next to it. The trunk, by the time it was felled earlier last year, was about 1.4 metres in diameter. And it cost a few thousand to get rid of.

Willows get a fungal condition called anthracnose which makes them drop their leaves in June, shortly after they have dropped their catkins. They also throw their weak shoots in autumn. Which means you are constantly raking up heaps of dead stuff from spring to late autumn. Oh, and they have a tendency to split in high winds.

GET RID OF THEM! Unless you live in a stately home and/or have a team of gardeners to cope with the things.

Other 'weeping' trees which look pretty and don't have a health warning are silver pears, cut-leaved beech, or caragana.

It looks like a heptapleurum which is a tropical rainforest plant so unless you can give it high humidity, chances of keeping it fo going are slim. These are produced in vast quantities in Dutch and Belgian greenhouses, so are cheap, and are not acclimated to indoor conditions, so should be regarded rather like cut flowers- which I agree, is a shame. For a houseplant with big green leaves and tough, try a ficus, an aspidistra or a fatsia.