“If you saw our house in a cropped photo, it would appear to be set in a rural village. But if you zoom out, you will see that our house is the only house with a garden on our small street; everyone else uses theirs for parking,” explains Arthur Parkinson his childhood home, Mill Yard in Nottingham.
The small houses here were originally inhabited by employees of a nearby factory. Over time, some of the neighbouring buildings fell into disrepair, and a large copper oak tree grew and stood tall nearby. Then a relief road was built and commercial buildings were added, and a young Arthur, his brother, Lyndon, and their mother, Jill, found that one of the busiest roads in the city was suddenly right outside their front door. “It changed the feel of our home on a day-to-day basis, so making the garden beautiful became more important,” Arthur explains.
Today Arthur is known for his bold and often captivating displays of spring bulbs and Dahlia flowersand work closely with Sarah Crowfirst at Perch Hill and most recently on her podcast, Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange. He has also appeared on television, has written two books and is working on a third. However, it was gardening on this small plot with his mother that led him to gardening and then training at RBG Kew.
“Mum always had at least one doll’s bath in the garden and a couple of tin tubs,” he recalled. “She bought wallflowers every October and we planted them together.” On the way home from school, Jill and Arthur also stopped at the Friday market, where there was a stall that offered a regular supply of annual flowers. Bedding and perennials. There was always something to be bought for the tubs at home. “We did it together and then I started doing more as a teenager,” he says. Around the same time, Arthur and Lyndon began helping their grandparents with the garden, helping to cement Arthur’s calling.
As Arthur’s skills and interests grew, so did his involvement in the small front garden. Because it was paved, farming could only take place in containers in a variety of sizes, and Arthur says he quickly realized that bigger really is better when it comes to summer display in small spaces. “We wanted a garden that surrounded us with nature: any bees that were left, and blackbirds,” he says. He scoured second-hand stores for boats to put to use, rummaged through trash bins for items that might be useful, especially old coal bins that people had thrown away, and whenever there was a market, he always looked for a cheap tin bathtub.
Then came Arthur’s dahlias and tulips days. He was fascinated by flowers and filled his flower beds with their vibrant colors and attractive shapes. Dahlias and spring bulbs, while stunning when in bloom, can be difficult to care for because they require support. They can also be expensive. “The other problem is that you’re growing a monoculture rather than a carpet, which is not good for wildlife,” Arthur notes. “And some dahlias do well in pots, but the ones I like are large and they need a lot of care in that enclosed environment.”
Over time, the family adopted an abandoned island created by the relief road. They added butterfly bushes, hawthorns, and hollies to this half-moon, as well as a small hawthorn orchard. Arthur noted that “It was amazing how that little bit of vegetation, along with the trees and fruit, brought back the blackbirds.”
Meanwhile, solutions needed to be found for the demanding garden at Mill Yard. This came in the form of carefully selected annuals and perennials. Last summer, raised beds, pots and containers were bursting with defiant exuberance. Cosmos, tagetes and sunfloweras well as pollinator-friendly echinops and cardoons, all crowd together in ever-changing patterns of color and shape.
Some plants are grown from seed and others are grown as cuttings: an easy way for busy people. “More difficult plants do better when grown as cuttings, but things like Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rubenza’ and ‘Bright Lights’ will germinate without a greenhouse if you sow in April,” advises Arthur. His favorite perennial is cardoon: “Plant them in rows as a hedge with cup-shaped flowers that bees love.”
When Arthur is away, Jill looks after the feeding and watering of the pots, which are filled with peat-free compost with organic chicken manure added for fertiliser. Arthur gets a regular supply of this from his flock of hens – his other great passion.
“It’s actually a path full of potted plants, but because they’re placed side by side, they create the same effect as a flower bed. And if we didn’t have a path full of cosmos or cardoons, we’d be looking at cars, trash cans, and the harshness of city life. That’s why I’m so passionate about it.”
Arthur’s five-part online course, ‘Grow a Spectacular Garden in Pots’, is available through Create Academy.
Focusing on colourful annuals and perennials for creative displays, Arthur suggests a few planting options for vibrant pots this summer. For multi-dimensional and sustainable appeal, he adopts Sarah Raven’s concept of ensuring pots include four key elements: a central ‘thriller’, a ‘pillar’ for vertical interest, a ‘filler’ to fill in gaps and a ‘spiller’ to grow on the rim.
This rich combination of seeds and nectar will provide food for insects and birds, while also making an impressive display.
Splash Zinnia ‘Aztec Sunset Mix’
A small, hardy Zinnia that blooms profusely and is great in vases with orange and russet tones.
Main Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’
A large flower to accent this plant. Butterflies are particularly fond of rudbeckia flowers as they provide a nectar-filled landing site. Be careful not to overwater the young plant.
Main Amaranthus ‘Hot Biscuits’
Gorgeous biscuit colored tendrils. Pinch them off when they are young so they don’t get too big for their pot.
Filler Setaria italica ‘Red Pearl’
A delicate red millet with purple foliage and small reed-like seed heads, this is a natural bird feeder. It germinates quickly: pull out four seedlings and plant in a clump.
Player Thunbergia alata ‘Blushing Susie’
This vine can be difficult to germinate so try starting from a cutting and do not plant out until it has filled a 3-inch pot and the nights are warm.
I would plant this combination of delicate tendrils and fragrant stems in a deep, wicker-like triangular pot. hanging basket for my mom this summer using the trick of lining the bottom with old socks to keep moisture in.
Splash Zinnia ‘Burgundy Aztec Bicolor’
The petals are strange and the flowers are very profuse.
Main Salvia x jamensis ‘Moth’
A thin leafed, peppery scented plant with velvety purple button like flowers. I bought this in a 9cm pot.
Filler Heliotropium ‘Midnight Sky’
Many deep purple flowers, beautifully fragrant, especially fragrant at dusk.
Player Rhodochiton atrosanguineus
The strange, purple bracts resemble upside-down clown hats, from which hang tubular black flowers. The plant is very fragile, so grow from cuttings and keep on a windowsill until it reaches a considerable size before planting outside.
Player Thunbergia ‘African Sunset’
Playful chocolate drops among apricot pink petals. Drizzle gently.
