Dilly Evans Interview

Gardening Interviews – Mike – John – Roland – Veronica – Dilly

Profile: Dilly was born in 1947 in Ireland and lives in London with her husband, Tony. They have two grown children, Sam and Kim. Dilly owns and works her London garden maintenance business called “Forget-Me-Not.” She has maintained the same private London gardens for over twenty years.

What is your first memory of gardening?
I was not into gardening when I was young, not like my sister Veronica. I only got interested when I was in my 20’s. When I was young, I wanted to become a biologist working with animals. My first gardening experience was clearing and landscaping, then I went on to vegetable growing. I have never stopped since then.

Why do you garden now?
I love it – at least most of it. I have to be in nature. Gardening is like painting; when you are landscaping and planting, it is like art, like painting a picture. I do it to make a living, of course, but I couldn’t do anything else. I have to be outside with nature – I’m an earth person. When I’m gardening, I talk constantly to everything: the frogs, robins, plants. Everyone thinks I’m nuts!

What is your favorite part of gardening?
I love pruning to shape shrubs and plants so that they will grow well. I like designing by eye, not planning it out scientifically – just doing it by how it will look. I work with the bedding plants, shrubs, and perennials to create different designs using the colors and different heights of the plants. It’s very satisfying, especially when redesigning a garden with all the different colors.

What do you hate about gardening?
I can’t stand cutting hedges – all those horrible privet hedges in London. It’s really hard work physically. I hate doing lawns; it is really boring. And all the repetitive maintenance jobs like clearing up leaves from the London plane trees in the autumn. But I do love weeding. One of my pet hates is roses. They are more trouble than they are worth with all the diseases. I would never plant a hybrid rose if I can help it. The shrub roses are all right – not so fussy.

What are you favorite types or varieties of plants?
I plant vegetables for myself in my tiny back garden. I love green beans. I tried out a new variety last year, Slenderette and had a great crop-–very tasty. I grew Chile Peppers last year, which are difficult to ripen in England. Spinach beat or Swiss Chard is one of my favorites and Courgettes. I had so many they grew the size of marrows. In my work, I like all the bedding plants and most perennials. Some of my favorites are the climbing shrubs-–Solanum, Passion Flower, Spring Clematis. In my gardens, I like to plant Chaenomeles, Japanese Quince for the spring flowers and the small leafed Veronicas. My gardening business is called “Forget-me-not.” It is named after my favorite flower.

What are you really good at in the garden?
I am a brilliant pruner. I do drastic pruning and then watch the plant grow out again. My customers get freaked out when I cut a shrub back to the ground, but I tell them to be patient and next year it is all covered with flowers. I sometimes consult with Dad about pruning. I am a very good weeder, very meticulous. As a Virgo, I like my gardens very tidy and have to finish whatever I am doing, no matter what the time.

What are you still learning?
I am always learning different ways of pruning. A grape vine is very different from a Wisteria. Each one has to be pruned right and I consult my pruning books when I am doing a new shrub. When a perennial or shrub is in the wrong place, when it is not happy, I am still learning when and where to move it. I just know when a plant is not happy – it speaks to me.

What is your overall gardening philosophy?
I like to be totally organic and natural. All my gardens have compost heaps. I prefer not to spray chemicals even if my customers expect it, like when they get black spot on their roses. My approach is the natural garden, English style, nothing perfect, but clean and tidy. It has to have a mixture of shapes and colors; it cannot be regimented. The garden has to look well loved. I am a great fan of David Attenborough and his BBC programs. As he says, you have to look after the planet, look after the universe. My contribution is taking care of the green spaces in London, making a place for the plants, birds, frogs, fish (if they have a pond) and wild animals. Foxes visit my gardens and dig up the same plants in the same place, no matter how many times you replant. I don’t know why. One kept burying eggs in the hole he dug. I have no computer or mobile phone. I have no use for a lot of technology.

What is your personal approach to gardening?
My vegetable garden is in a small space so I use rows. I compost everything and mulch everywhere. There is never enough compost or organic matter in the soil particularly in the London clay soil. I use a lot of mini bark chips as mulch – not the ornamental stuff. It breaks down over the season and adds more organic matter. I am not very scientific where gardening is concerned. I do it by feel.

What do you gain from gardening?
I just love it. I get great satisfaction from it all and I like being appreciated. Gardening calms me down except when I have to rush, or do lawns. I love all the plants, birds and animals, and being with them. I feel like I am helping the ecology, providing a place for them to live. I love the soil. I have to touch it, get my hands into it whenever I plant something. I cannot keep my gloves on, it doesn’t feel right. That is why my hands look the way they do, all cracked and worn.