I always enjoy BBC Gardeners World Live Last year I missed it so I was determined to get there this year. I was lucky enough to get a press pass and as it is my closest garden show nothing was going to stop me.
The first thing I saw as I arrived at the show was the Garden Railway designed by Andy and Louise Christie. I was taken back immediately to the model railways my dad and my brothers had when I was growing up. I even ignored the garden part of it to begin with, I just watched the trains because sometimes that is what gardens do: they inspire and take us forward and sometimes they spin us right back to a memory. Some do both at the same time. This garden won gold and supports the Greenfingers Charity, a worthy cause.
There seemed a lot of show gardens and borders this year, more than in previous years. I have always thought of this show as the 'buying' show. If I am after a large piece of equipment or the like, it is this show I will beeline for. This still stands true but I feel like there has been a shift over a period of years to focus as much on the inspiration side of gardening as well as the commercial side. Another trendette I noticed this year was sewing machines. This is the From Sewing to Sowing garden by designed by Annabel Davies and tells the story of her career change from making costumes to making gardens. Now I love gardening and love sewing and I can spot a sewing chance at 50 paces. I worried about it a little being outdoors.
There was also a sewing machine on the Threads of Life Garden, designed by Jan O'Brien for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Glibness aside, a really important cause to raise awareness and funds for.
I loved this garden. It was clever, the threads ran through the garden, through the oversized needles and told the story of the ups and downs of life with this disease. I forgave them the potential sewing-machine negligence.
I always like the school contributions in wheelbarrows. The variety is always fascinating and I, of course, thoroughly endorse any attempts to encourage young people to love gardening. It might take them sixty years before they remember the wheelbarrow, but I like to think it sets a seed (see what I did there?).
I, predictably, got distracted by gnomes, so many gnomes. This is the Garden out of Time. designed by Robert Harris and is designed to take us a little out of the ordinary and to remember that there is magic.
This is The Artists Garden designed by Denise Rice. It felt like you could walk right into it and sit down. There was so much to see and I will not go through it all.
I did of course go into the Floral Pavilion, which was stuffed with plants - absolutely stuffed.
Some of the Pavilion was dedicated to the International Orchid Show. I love looking at orchids so I had a good mooch around the stalls.
and of course football got a look in, it is everywhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and look forward to going again next year.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are approved before being published