Gardeners' Question Time Postbag Edition: Seaton Delaval Hall
Feb 4, 2026
Dr Chris Thorogood, botanical scientist at Oxford Botanic Garden; Bethan Collerton, former head gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens; Matthew Wilson, garden designer and broadcaster. They tackle choosing roses for a shady memorial bed. They investigate a suddenly collapsing wisteria and a white iris that reflowered blue in autumn. They tour Seaton Delaval Hall’s parterre and South East Garden.
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Roses For A Shaded Memorial Bed
- Choose repeat-flowering, fragrant shrub roses for small, shaded memorial beds.
- Take cuttings to preserve the variety and ensure future replacements.
Recovering A Severely Cut Rose
- If a grafted rose is cut back to soil, mulch and wait for spring growth before feeding heavily.
- Watch for rootstock suckers with smaller leaflets and replace only if it fails to recover.
Managing Too Many Echiums
- Pull out excess self-seeded Echium, keep a few specimens, and pot or give extras to friends.
- Retain some plants as insurance against harsh winters that may kill volunteers.
