Beth Chatto Gardens & Nursery

Annie Hughes once gave me an important RHS Gold Medal winning tip - a botanical artist needs to find a good grower who specialises in a niche interest.  

In other words, if you want to produce a great painting you need to have a great plant in good condition - and a grower who is both knowledgeable about the plant and can supply what you need.

I visited the Beth Chatto Gardens - just east of Colchester on Wednesday. She is one such grower.

About the Beth Chatto Gardens

Part of the Water Garden in front of the bungalow home of Beth Chatto

The gardens are located around the bungalow which is the home of Beth Chatto. She started to create the gardens in 1960 when her husband retired and they moved to a new bungalow built on land which had been part of her husband's former fruit farm but not considered suitable for growing as parts were too dry (the area has a low annual rainfall) while other parts were too boggy and water did not drain away.

She started her garden in what was essentially an overgrown wasteland which included both parched gravel and boggy ditches!

Beth Chatto OBE (b.1923) is now a plantswoman renowned for:

• winning ten RHS Gold Medals for her unusual plants
• having a mantra - "the right plant in the right place" based on her husband's research into the origins of different plants
• developing a practice with underlying principles now commonly referred to as "ecological gardening" 
• creating a world renowned gravel garden as an experiment to find plants which would survive in a dry environment without ever watering them
• developing a garden with specific areas for different plants.  The garden now comprises the Gravel Garden, Woodland Garden plus a Long Shady Walk, Water Garden, Scree Garden and recently opened Reservoir Garden.​​
• developing a Nursery selling plants for the different growing conditions found within her garden. The garden is now the living catalogue for the Nursery sales!
• writing books and lecturing about her plants around the world.

A list of reasons why the gardens might interest botanical artists

• The quality of the plants in the garden are absolutely superb and labelled extremely well.
• The planting is extremely intelligent - throwing up all sorts of interesting things for plants people and artists to ponder on. For example, the Salix babylonica (Weeping Willow) is planted on the edge of the Reservoir pond - right next to the Bamboo - at which point you notice that both have almost identical leaves. Then you learn that the Willow was originally grown in China and probably came to this country along the Silk Road, - very probably at the same time that Bamboo was travelling the same Road. Plus Chatto favours bamboo for its ability to bind the soil and prevent erosion on slippery slopes.  The garden reminds me of a rather good detective story!
• The Gardens are also specialist growers - on site. The Nurseries have an extremely good range of over 2,000 plants for specific environments - damp, dry and shade as well grasses and alpine plants as well more general plants. Like other specialist growers the quality of their plants are head and shoulders above those seen in other nurseries and garden centres - because they are grown on site and looked after by people who also look after the garden where they grow. It was one of the best organised Nurseries I've ever seen and they also offer mail order!
• The gardens offer damp, dry and shade gardens for botanical artists wanting to develop a "theme" in terms of plants congruent with a specific context. Those pondering on a theme for the RHS might do well to pay a visit!
• Artists can draw and paint in the gardens - with the proviso that if the paintings are for commercial use or reproduction in any form, permission is needed first.

We welcome all artists to the Beth Chatto Gardens. If however, you will be selling your art, the policy is the same as that of Photography. The Beth Chatto Gardens does not permit painting at its properties for commercial use or for reproduction in any form without consent from the Beth Chatto Gardens. Paintings of the Beth Chatto Gardens may not be submitted to photo libraries, agencies or on-line providers or provided directly to buyers.

The new Education Trust building is on the extreme left and the Long Shady Walk on the extreme right - with the Water Garden in the middle

• ​The Beth Chatto Education Trust offers scope for courses in botanical art. The Trust aims to enhance enjoyment, understanding and interest in plants, gardens and the environment for all. To this end they've built a brand new Building on the edge of the gardens to house its educational activities for all ages - which will include art courses. There are no botanical art courses at present At present, Jevans Watkins Jones, a tutor from The Royal Drawing School is offering "drawing in the garden" courses and there is a more general watercolour painting course.

We are building an extensive programme for children and adults: from school visits and holiday activities to RHS qualification, artistic and wellbeing courses.

If you are a member of the RHS you can visit for free between November and March.

​I'm one such member but I came away having bought my Friends of the Garden Annual Pass - I'll be back to enjoy the Gardens in different seasons.

REFERENCE:

• Location: Beth Chatto Gardens, Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex, CO7 7DB
• Beth Chatto | Wikipedia
• The Beth Chatto Gardens | RHS
• Simply stylish: The Beth Chatto Gardens | The Telegraph
• ​​Annie Hughes GM (RHS: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017)