It is so hard for any gardener to narrow their favourite plants down to just three! We may say that we would have different plants in different seasons, but when put on the spot and asked to narrow it down, it is very interesting to compare which three plants our podcast guests chose.
Lizzie and Malcolm Schofield, of Cuthbertsbrae Garden in Buckie, Moray, are the winners of the Gardeners’ World ‘Garden of the Year’ 2020. The two started out with no gardening knowledge and are very open about the challenges of gardening in an exposed coastal garden on a steep slope. They were completely amazed to be shortlisted for the ‘Garden of the Year’ competition and even more so to win. They have since opened their garden for charity, but what are their favourite three plants? When asked as part of our podcast, the Scotland Grows Show, they could not agree on an answer!
Lizzie’s Top 3 Plant Choices
“I would definitely have to have a dahlia, probably ‘Preference’. For cut flowers for the house, ‘Preference’ is just such a beautiful one.
“Then I would also have to have some sort of echinacea, great for drying, the seed heads look beautiful in autumn. Great for making wreaths and stuff like that.
“And probably agapanthus as well. I love a bit of agapanthus, probably because it grows so well in our garden.”
Malcolm’s Top 3 Plant Choices
“I’ve got this real soft spot for Melianthus major. I absolutely love Melianthus major and those big, long honey spikes.
“Another one of my favourites is Fatsia japonica. It’s just such a good plant and grows pretty much anywhere. And those big, palmy leaves on it – it’s just brilliant!
“And then third, I’d probably go with bamboo. So one that I’ve got a real hankering for at the minute is the walking stick bamboo, which has got these really big knuckles on the stems. And in fact, if anything interferes with the stems, they’ll go in 90 degree angles, so it almost looks like pipe work underneath a sink. They’re really beautiful.”
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Catch up with the rest of Lizzie and Malcolm’s chat on episode 3 of the Scotland Grows Show.