On a warm summer evening we held our June gardening meeting at Arlington Square Gardens in London N1. Paul Thompson and Gordon McArthur took us round the square pointing out some of the more unusual plants they have growing there. What amazed everyone was the sheer mass and variety, especially in the sunnier border, which is about three metres deep. Layer upon layer of shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants all co-exist happily. The dense planting is supported with a thick mulch of compost and the diversity of vegetation helps create a micro-climate in which the plants seem to thrive, even under a canopy of trees. The lesson we all took away – no bare earth – plant densely and be bold!
Paul and Gordon 
Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’
One of the things that we all wanted to know is where they buy their plants! Well Paul has kindly shared his list of nurseries. He says ‘Of course, there are many others that are also good but these are the ones I have often come back to for something a little more unusual.’
Pan Global Plants: http://www.panglobalplants.com (Frampton-on-Severn)
Crug Farm: https://www.crug-farm.co.uk (North Wales)
The Place for Plants: https://www.placeforplants.co.uk (Suffolk)
Langthornes: https://www.langthorns.com (Essex)
Larch Cottage: https://larchcottage.co.uk (Penrith, Cumbria)
Plants for Shade (Long Acre Plants): https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk (Somerset)
Pictures kindly taken by Diana Mansfield.
The square is open to the public but is also part of the National Garden Scheme when it will be open as a group with 6 private Arlington Square gardens: https://ngs.org.uk/view-garden/29710
De Beauvoir Gardeners 