Beth Chatto
Encyclopedia
Beth Chatto, OBE
(born 1923) is a British
plantswoman
, garden designer
and author best known for creating the Beth Chatto Gardens
near Elmstead Market
, in the English
county of Essex
. She is also known for writing a number of books on gardening for specific conditions. She has lectured throughout the UK, United States
, Canada
, Australia
, Holland and Germany
. Beth Chatto's gardening and writing uses principles of the right plant for the right place developed from her husband Andrew Chatto's lifelong research into the origins of garden plants.
The Beth Chatto Gardens comprises a varied range of planting sites totalling five acres. Including dry, sun baked gravel, water and marginal planting, woodland, shady, heavy clay and alpine planting and now include the Gravel Garden, Woodland Garden, Water Garden, Long Shady Walk, Reservoir Garden and Scree Garden. It was the development of these sites that prompted Beth Chatto to write books on gardening with what could be considered as "problem areas" using plants that nature has developed to survive in differing conditions.
Today Beth Chatto continues to work within The Beth Chatto Gardens, write for International and National Press and appear in International Media.
Halls, London
SW1. More exhibits followed and eventually The Beth Chatto Gardens "Unusual Plants" exhibition arrived at the Chelsea Flower Show
. Exhibits by "Unusual Plants" were awarded 10 consecutive Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show
from 1977 to 1987. Exhibits by The Beth Chatto Gardens can still be seen at The Tendring 100 Show in Essex
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1923) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
plantswoman
Plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener , nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used....
, garden designer
Garden designer
The term garden designer can refer either to an amateur or a professional who designs the plan and features of gardens. Amateurs design their gardens for their own properties. Professionals, with experienced skills, design gardens that benefit clients...
and author best known for creating the Beth Chatto Gardens
Beth Chatto Gardens
The Beth Chatto Gardens are an informal collection of ecological gardens created by plantswoman Beth Chatto in 1960 from the gravel soil and bogs of the disused fruit farm belonging to her husband Andrew Chatto. The gardens are located in the village of Elmstead Market 6 miles east of Colchester in...
near Elmstead Market
Elmstead Market
Elmstead Market is a village in the Tendring district of Essex. It lies 3 km northeast of Wivenhoe and 6 km east of Colchester. It is on the A133 road which until a few years ago was the main road to Clacton, Frinton and Harwich...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. She is also known for writing a number of books on gardening for specific conditions. She has lectured throughout the UK, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Holland and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Beth Chatto's gardening and writing uses principles of the right plant for the right place developed from her husband Andrew Chatto's lifelong research into the origins of garden plants.
The Beth Chatto Gardens
Construction of The Beth Chatto Gardens began in 1960 as a garden attached to the Chatto family home and was land that had previously belonged to the Chatto family fruit farm. It had not been farmed as the soil was considered too dry in places, too wet in others and the whole area had been allowed to grow wild with blackthorn, willow and brambles. The only plants that survive from the earliest days are the ancient boundary oaks surrounding the Garden.The Beth Chatto Gardens comprises a varied range of planting sites totalling five acres. Including dry, sun baked gravel, water and marginal planting, woodland, shady, heavy clay and alpine planting and now include the Gravel Garden, Woodland Garden, Water Garden, Long Shady Walk, Reservoir Garden and Scree Garden. It was the development of these sites that prompted Beth Chatto to write books on gardening with what could be considered as "problem areas" using plants that nature has developed to survive in differing conditions.
Today Beth Chatto continues to work within The Beth Chatto Gardens, write for International and National Press and appear in International Media.
Exhibitions
In January 1975 Beth Chatto created a small winter garden at one of the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
Halls, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
SW1. More exhibits followed and eventually The Beth Chatto Gardens "Unusual Plants" exhibition arrived at the Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
. Exhibits by "Unusual Plants" were awarded 10 consecutive Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
from 1977 to 1987. Exhibits by The Beth Chatto Gardens can still be seen at The Tendring 100 Show in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
List of publications
Beth Chatto is the author of many gardening books including an exchange of letters with her friend and fellow Gardener and writer the late Christopher Lloyd:- The Dry Garden by Beth Chatto, published 1978.
- The Damp Garden by Beth Chatto, published 1982.
- Plant Portraits by Beth Chatto, published 1985, now out of print.
- The Beth Chatto Garden Notebook, published 1988.
- The Green Tapestry, published 1990, now out of print.
- Dear Friend and Gardener; letters exchanged between Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd, published 1998.
- Beth Chatto's Gravel Garden, published 2000.
- Beth Chatto's Woodland Garden, published 2002.
- The Damp Garden, new hardback edition with full colour photography published 2004.
- Beth Chatto's Shade Garden, previously released as Beth Chatto's Woodland Garden, published 2008.
Honours and awards
- 1987 awarded the Lawrence Memorial Medal.
- 1987 awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour.
- 1987 awarded an honorary degree by the University of EssexUniversity of EssexThe University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
. - 1995 selected to the International Professional and Business Women's Hall of Fame for outstanding achievements in introducing plant ecology to garden design.
- 1998 presented with the Life Time Achievement Award by the Garden Writers Guild.
- 2002 appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the Queens Birthday Honours.