She once said that her body now ‘creaks and groans’ if she spends too much time gardening, but nonetheless, the Queen’s passion for planting remains unabated.
‘Camilla is known to like scented flowers, as is the Princess of Wales,’ says former royal gardener Jack Stooks, who spent over two decades working at Highgrove House for King Charles. ‘Both Camilla and Catherine also focused on scented flowers in their wedding bouquets,’ he adds. ‘The royals tend to always focus on scented florals for their gardens.’
Camilla’s particular favourite is the Alchemilla mollis, suggests Jack, which he describes as ‘a gorgeous, summery plant that has always grown in her garden and has always been at Highgrove House. You see this plant on their patios.’ In fact, such is the King and Queen’s love for the plant that, ‘we used to have to go and cut it by hand once the King left for Scotland, and later in the season. This is so it would re-leaf with gorgeous, fresh leaves,’ says Jack, speaking on behalf of Savoo. ‘We also used to mow it! We used to mow over the terrace and take all the leaves off, so by the time he came back, all of the fresh leaves were out. Camilla has always fancied these plants, meaning the King always wanted them in top shape.’
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Close-up of Alchemilla Mollis or Lady’s-mantle with green leaves and yellow flowers in the summer garden
Luckily, gardening expert Dan Cooper suggests that you don’t need to have royal resources to grow their favourite in your own garden. ‘Alchemilla mollis is a pretty, frothy perennial with chartreuse green flowers,’ he says. ‘But it’s also a hardworking plant, often planted under roses and alongside hardy geraniums to create a cottage garden feel.’ Ideally, you would plant yours in spring or autumn, he explains, ‘But being tough, it doesn’t really mind when it’s planted, so long as it’s kept well-watered afterwards.’
If you’ve yet to plant yours and are heading into summer, Dan shares this advice: ‘It’s best to trim the growth back to 5cm above ground after planting to avoid stressing the Alchemilla.’ A final word of warning: ‘Alchemilla mollis enjoys full sun or partial shade but not deep shade.’
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