Learn the way to create painterly plant pots, inspired by the main gardener at Benton End
Creating a Shade-Loving Plant Arrangement Inspired by Benton End's Artist House Style
Inspired by the artistic and naturalistic gardens of Benton End, a historic house in Suffolk, England, this plant arrangement showcases a variety of shade-loving plants that capture the wild and textured aesthetic of the Benton End gardens.
Created by artist-plantsman Cedric Morris and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines, the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing was based at Benton End. The gardens, with their painterly, expressive style, blended vegetation and art into a creative landscape atmosphere.
To recreate this unique style, focus on layering plant heights and textures, choosing a shaded or part-shade location, and selecting a rustic or vintage container.
Key Guidelines
- Choose a shaded or part-shade location: Mimic the sheltered environments at Benton End, often with dappled light and some enclosure by walls or structures, to suit shade-loving plants like Sauromatum venosum and Begonia.
- Layer plant heights and textures: Use Sauromatum venosum as a bold architectural element with its large, marked leaves; plant Begonias nearby to provide softer, often colorful foliage and flowers; incorporate the purple-hued Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' for contrast and movement with its tall spikes and textured leaves; and add the delicate small flowering forms of Allium sikkimense to provide lightness and subtle floral interest.
- Select a rustic or vintage container or a naturalistic garden bed: Reference the archaism and simplicity of historic Benton End features like brick or stone walls and aged containers, to ground the artistic feel and allow plants room to grow with a slightly “wild” edge.
- Soil and moisture: Provide rich, well-draining but moisture-retentive soil to support the moisture-loving Begonia and Sauromatum, ensuring the soil does not dry out in the shade.
- Naturalistic composition: Arrange plants so they appear casually intermingled, avoiding overly formal or symmetrical designs.
Plant Selection
- Sauromatum venosum, also known as the voodoo lily, is used in the arrangement for its dramatic foliage shapes and hardiness rating of RHS H1C, USDA 6a-10b.
- Multiple begonia plants, including Begonia 'Solid Silver', Begonia bowerae var. nigramarga, and Begonia soli-mutata, are used to showcase variety within the genus. These begonias prefer filtered light and have hardiness ratings ranging from RHS H1B to H6.
- Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' is used to create dynamism from the center of the arrangement. This herbaceous perennial has a running habit and a hardiness rating of RHS H6, USDA 3a-9b.
- Allium sikkimense is a dwarf allium suitable for a pot or a position with little competition. It has a hardiness rating of RHS H6, USDA 6a-10b.
- Polypodium glycyrrhiza 'Malahatense', a hardy, robust, and winter-green fern, is also included in the arrangement for added texture and interest.
The arrangement is staged on a flight of steps to create a sense of theatre without relying on increasing pot sizes. The begonias, being not winter hardy, will need to be protected from frost.
In summary, create a layered, textured composition with architectural and colorful shade plants in a rustic setting, using Sauromatum venosum for drama, Begonias for softness and color, Persicaria ‘Purple Fantasy’ for purple tones and vertical interest, and Allium sikkimense for delicate flowering. This arrangement echoes Benton End’s artistic, naturalistic garden spirit.
- To evoke the artistic spirit of Benton End's gardens, select a shaded or part-shade location for your home-and-garden, reminiscent of the dappled light found at the historic house.
- Incorporate layers of plant heights and textures, such as the bold, large-leaved Sauromatum venosum, soft Begonias, the purple-hued Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' for contrast, and the delicate Allium sikkimense for floral interest, creating a naturalistic composition.
- Complete your shaded plant arrangement by using a rustic or vintage container or a naturalistic garden bed, referencing the historic Benton End features like brick walls and aged containers, providing an authentic gardening feel.
