The cast mumble some of their lines as if we were in

The cast mumble some of their lines as if we were in the same west London living room as they are – which indeed we would be, if we were watching it at director Dominic Dromgoole’s old theatre, the Bush.
Close up, as with Dromgoole’s production of Clocks and Whistles, the high-quality, TV-style acting absorbs us We follow the looks as much as the lines But at the Old Vic we need something bigger. Are there more and more plays that can reach 100 people but cannot reach 1,000? It made a fascinating prospect, therefore, to see the Peter Hall Company stage Grace Note at the Old Vic last week. A second play by 28-year old Samuel Adamson, whose first, Clocks and Whistles, had been acclaimed at the Bush, Grace Note focuses on Grace, an opera-loving matriarch in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, played by Geraldine McEwan. The originals are still lovely, though, and anyone who finds the name a bit unrefined and old- fashioned can plant violas or hearts-ease – the same family but smaller and more delicate

Hester Lacey. One of the lurking anxieties when reviewing “new writing” at small venues such as the Bush is whether the quiet, precise, lovingly detailed work that is frequently on show would survive very long if moved out of a prestigious fringe venue into the draughtier atmosphere of a big theatre.

Pansies, an old, old favourite, naturally exist in beautiful, deep, velvety, blue-purple-lilac shades. Which is, of course, an excellent reason to develop them in tortuous artificial hues of orange and black A bed of orange pansies is a truly grim sight. All of these plants will thrive in fertile soil that is moist but well drained and in sun or light shade, although the bamboo will lose some of its colour if the light levels are too low.John the GardenerThree plants that look good together:Trachycarpus fortuneiAcanthus mollis `Latifolius’Pleioblastus viridistriatus. They hang from purple-green canes that can reach 5ft in height but are best chopped hard back to the ground each spring.

This encourages bright new growth, reaching about 3ft each season. Pleioblastus viridistriatus has long, brilliant-yellow, 6in leaf blades with acid-green striations along their length. Few herbaceous plants produce foliage as handsome as this – long, lobed, polished, deep-green leaves up to 4ft in length. They will make a fine clump at the base of the palm and produce 3ft-long prickly spires of unusual, mauve and white, two-toned flowers.The colour and habit of the final plant – a hardy bamboo – is in complete contrast to the Acanthus foliage. Although it will stand a good deal of cold and will grow in sun or partial shade, it should be placed out of buffeting winds which will damage the leaves.Most large-leaved plants lend themselves to lush, tropical effects and the striking, architectural foliage of Acanthus mollis “Latifolius” is no exception.The Greeks and Romans used this plant’s shape widely to decorate buildings – and it is plain to see why. These are held on rough, toothed leaf-stalks, which spring from a solid, single trunk covered in a mat of fibres as thick as horse hairs.