Fuller's Mill

While staying in Suffolk, I had the opportunity to visit some wonderful locations with Sir Kenneth, first of which was Fuller's Mill. Created over the course of 50 years by the intrepid Bernard Tickner, Fuller's Mill is a beautiful garden which used to be a site for fulling (thickening) fabric. Fulling is a process by which large mallets (driven by a water wheel) pound fabric until it becomes felted. Then the fabric is allowed to dry while being held in place by tenter hooks to prevent shrinkage.

The garden was full of interesting plant material, including many exotics from Crete. One plant bred by Bernard Tickner is the noted Euphorbia 'Charam' (Redwing), a beautiful cross betweenEuphorbia amygdaloides and Euphorbia x martinii. Also collected by Bernard is the beautifulFritillaria pyrenaica 'Bernard Tickner'. Most notably, Bernard won an RHS award with the introduction of Lunaria rediviva 'Honour Bright'.

Bernard's garden had a range of interesting specimen plants such as Cercis siliquastrum (The Judas Tree) which is said to be the tree Judas Iscariot hanged himself from after betraying Christ. Also, to my astonishment, I was shown a proud clump of Phytolacca, a merciless back in NC of which I have pulled my fair share. Other notable plants in his collection are Dracunculus, Erythrinum, Bergenia, Euphorbia myrsinites, Arum creticum, Erica arborea and Cornus controversa.