91Èȱ¬

A border at Montacute designed by Phyllis Reiss

Now I'm afraid you boys are going to have to forgive me here, but I'm about to turn this gardening blog over to the sisterhood for a bit.

That's exactly what the National Trust have done at the Somerset gardens of , and ,Ìýwhich have beenÌý.

All three gardens were created by women, respectively, , and Phyllis Reiss, 1930s plantswoman par excellence. The exhibition, running until the end of this month, pays tribute to their vision: and also asks what influence women have in gardening today.

Well: I can tell you now that two of these stalwart ladies spend much of their posthumousÌýtimeÌýin my garden,Ìýstanding at my shoulder and telling me how it should be done.

Gertrude is forever giving me a severe telling-off over my incurable plantaholism, disciplining me to exercise good Victorian values and buy not one of each plant but five, or seven: you can't squeeze in as many different plants, but you can plant in drifts, and believe me, that's the difference between a hotch-potch and a fabulous garden.

And Vita was whispering in my ear all the time I was designing my front garden, which is a white garden full of blowsy Philadelphus 'Manteau d'Hermine', snowy Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' and Leucanthemella serotina. Vita's clever planting at taught me to add just enough green (box edging, Nicotiana 'Lime Green'Ìýand too-cool-for-school 'Spring Green' tulips) to tone down the monochrome - though I did add splashes of background purple foliage, as my own little twist.

I could add two more Somerset-based ladiesÌýto my list of gardening heroines: Margery Fish, credited with inventing the 20th-century cottage garden at nearby ,Ìýhas had me mixing veg with my flowers for years; and , at Hadspen House only a few miles further,Ìýmakes me crave the ability to achieve simple, timeless garden architecture with designs as sublimely elegant as hers.

has me planning out a cutting garden for that sunny patch to the side of the house, and our very own Carol Klein got me digging up my sumptuous scarlet 'Goliath' oriental poppies the other day to winkle out some roots for cuttings. Alys Fowler is also likely to be held responsible when I fill my entireÌýhouse with fermentingÌýelderflower champagne next spring (hopefully she'll also get some of the credit forÌýthe sparklingly perfectÌýresults).

Then there's , whose inspirational talk at the not only got me drinking fresh rosemary tea each morning (: it helps the memory, you know. If I remember rightly): she also inspired me to convert the frankly uninspiring rockery outside the front door into a herb garden instead. And let's not forget , currently informing my choices for a damp shady spot to the side.

So let's hear it for the girls: do you have horticultural heroines? Which women have guided your trowel over the years? And what difference have they made to your gardening?

You can listen to an item about the life of Vita Sackville-West from the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 Women's Hour archive.

Sally Nex is a garden writer and blogger and part of the 91Èȱ¬ Gardening team.