This year Hampton Court Flower show seemed even bigger than ever-or is it just me? Mark Diacono, writing in the Saturday Telegraph, said that 2 days were best to see everything in the show- and I think he’s right! This year there was a massive leaning towards Growing Your Own. Marshalls Seeds had 4 greenhouses following the seasons with thoughtfully planted up growbeds (above) to illustrate the possibility of keeping veg production going all year. Very Encouraging.
I also discovered that Blackberry Loch Tay fruits every year on its current season’s growth, like an autumn fruiting raspberry. Just chop it down to the ground in Feb and fruit will follow in summer. Great find-especially for impatient gardeners out there!
The large conceptual gardens, as ever for me at the RHS flower shows, seem to take a back seat as I am wowed by the smaller gardens. This year, a few gardens particularly impressed me with so many creative touches within their designs. Above is the Wild in the City garden, designed by Charlotte Murrell. I love the way she has artfully sliced a pond into this small garden under the curvaceous seating area.
Set against the backdrop of a fab wooden log wall, Peter Bowers’ bird feeders, with their own green roofs, were also a great addition to Charlotte’s urban Eden.
The Stone Roses -‘a modern interpretation of an English garden’ by Greenes of Sussex also delighted with its lush planting and creative use of a small space.
Had a chat with Donna from Greenes about the British obsession with having a patch of lawn, however small it is. Working as a gardener, I hate mowing these fiddly areas and would much prefer to see flowers and veg in this space, although I did agree that an area of green can add an element of calm within a busy garden (and within our busy lives!).
Loved the sumptuous planting of red Achillea and Helenium ‘Moorheim Beauty’ on the Cinema Paradiso garden by Pod Garden Design,
and the purple of a Perovskia against background of yellow Hellenium (also Pod Garden Design)
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I could have spent hours more in the Floral marquee, but here’s a whizz through some of the gorgeous plants on display. Above is a Sanguisorba tenuifolium grass on the Harveys of Suffolk stand.
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’ really grabbed my attention, but do I really want all those double petals when Hydrangea quercifolia is very appealing as it is? Will the heads just flop over after the first bout of heavy rain? Anyone out there grow ‘Snowflake’?
And look at the size of this Hydrangea Avantgard-wot a whopper!!
Loved the playfulness of the chives growing out of bamboo posts on th Potential Feast Small Garden.
In the Plant Heritage Marquee, thought that this Dahlia coccinnea Orange Form would be a great ‘back of border’ summer plant,
and really want to get a hold of this Rubus ulmifolius Bellidiflorus for a wild area in a client’s garden.
I was charmed by the mass planting of Bishop’s Weed -Amni major on the Garlic Farm stand,
and have decided that I must grow lablab beans (similar in growing habit to french and runner beans) next year for their stunning pink and lilac flowers (here next to the v. attractive Allium sphaerocephalon).
The generosity of thyme planted around these slabs was really appealing,
and I did wonder if I could repeat this allium planting by Warmenhoven around our local tree pits in Finsbury Park!!
And finally, here’s a few seating ideas that caught my eye. I really liked the seductively simple seating on Sadie May Stowell’s Plant and Project garden (above),
and the custom-built chairs on the Wild in the City garden by Charlotte Murrell
Liked these Groovy Chairs supplied by Wildandwondrous
and this very popular willow garden chair by Spencer Jenkins.
So much to see, so little time. Maybe I will make it 2 days next year…….
p.s. This one’s for Nika (below)
Wow, seems like you really got a lot out of it! I spent most of my time getting lost. I loved the Wild in the City garden too x
Great blog, Naomi. Full of interest. And yes please to the Finsbury Park tree pit aliums. That display would be fantastic.
On the subject of lawns. I agree that when they are very small and fiddly they are often not worth it, but I do like the open space a lawn creates. And the way they can contribute to the vista, so you see your garden in several planes with space in between them. Sitting on grass is always a treat, and it’s cooler and more environmentally friendly than flagstones (better for drainage).
And if you are lucky enough to have a bit of space for a lawn, they’re crucial in families, for kids. For throwing a blanket down and having a picnic. For learning to catch a ball, for all kinds of play. Much as I love plants, I would not be without my lawn.
I quite agree with there are some really good ideas out there – your pics really gave me something to think about.
This looks just great. I have just come back from a school trip with 43 Y8 pupils to the Rhineland in Germany. We went to the Bundesgartenschau 2011 (flower show) in Koblenz and took a cable car over the river. I just loved it. Unfortunately couldn’t spend much time looking at the flowers – I’d love to go back by myself.
[…] Out of my shed […]
[…] ulmifolius bellidiflorus, wild, but with amazing pink pompom flowers, at the Hampton Court Flower Show last summer. Can feel an obsession coming on. Rate this: Share this:StumbleUponFacebookLinkedInTwitterLike […]
[…] planting some Allium bulbs in September for a version of this magnificent tree pit, spied at Hampton Court Flower Show one […]
[…] this rather gorgeous ornamental Rubus ulmifolius bellidiflorus in the Plant Heritage marquee at Hampton Court. The pink pom poms sitting atop such a wild habit truly spoke to me, but alas, the plants were just […]
“and I did wonder if I could repeat this allium planting by Warmenhoven around our local tree pits in Finsbury Park!!” I love this picture and the arrangement of the Alliums. Do you know the names of the Alliums exactly?
Hi Nika, Could guess at a few of these Allium, but probably best to contact Warmenhoven themselves. They do have a great selection to choose from. Peter Nyssen also have planty to tempt you with too. V.best Naomi
Thank you Naomi. Yes, I thought about that. I live in Germany, that’s a long way for flowers. Did you try to repeat this allium planting for yourself?
Hi Nika, In reality, this probably is an impossible combination to achieve-plants being so close together and I should imagine these alliums flower at different times of the year (the larger heads flower end of May/June and smaller Sphaerocephalon (small tear drops shape) normally flowers in July. There’s also not a leaf in sight, so I think these were probably grown individually in pots, leaves stripped just before planting, then artfully packed in close together just for the one week. Hope this doesn’t disappoint! Naomi
p.s. I’m sure there must be good bulb suppliers in Germany too!
Nika, have added an extra image to the post so that you can see how the bulbs were ‘planted’. Naomi
Lol, now I see. More art than real flowers for a garden. It’s kinda poodle. Thanks for the picture! 🙂