Fothergill's Press Day - a visit to the trial grounds

I know I have said previously that Fothergill's Press Day is one of the highlights of my gardening year and it remains true.  I was delighted when the invitation arrived and accepted very quickly.

I was very interested to go this year due to the heatwaves and drought that we have been experiencing.  We were told that they have a licence to water, but even so things looked dry.

and they looked short.  The ipomea are usually covering their structures at the point of this visit.  

Some planting looked decidedly sparse.  This is a wildflower mix and it was trying its best.  One of the things I like about the trial grounds is that they really are trial grounds; you see what has grown well and what has not done so well.  

Overwhelmingly a lot was doing well.  When you look up the word 'vibrant' in the dictionary there is a picture of these dahlias by the side of it.  Well, there should be.

I always enjoy seeing the sweetcorn and beans.  I have grown beans this year but have not grown sweetcorn for some time.  No particular reason why not so I think I need to remedy this.

The courgettes were looking good. I have been growing some yellow ones in a pot this year and it has worked well.  I have managed to keep that watered better than if they were in the ground.

I said hello to the hattifatteners, well that is what I call them in homage to the characters of that name in the Tove Jansson Moomin books.  I have never grown these and every year I think about it, I need to think less and do more.

I always admire the onions too, they were looking great this year.  I used to grow onions but stopped some years ago.  They take up a lot of space and if I planted in autumn they drowned in the wet winters we currently have.  I should maybe look at spring planting ones.

In the polytunnel I admired the Okra, something I wouldn't have thought of growing but it was doing very well.

The chillis were looking fiery,

and tomatoes dangled gracefully without a care in the world.

Back in the field, the sweetpeas were not looking hugely better than mine, which is always comforting to me as it makes me think I am not doing something hugely wrong.

The zinnias were zinging,

and the Californian Poppies were popping. 

We had a real treat of a day and as ever I left excited, clutching some packets of seeds and an Oh Sow Simple herb seed kit.  I was gifted these and I will make sure I say so when I feature them again.  I am under no obligation to feature anything, but it would be ungracious not to. 

I did not leave with this little fella, but he is rather lovely and it was tempting.... I do like a gnome.

Take care and be kind.

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