I may have mentioned in earlier posts that I’ve developed a bit of a thing for the Rubus genus. I already grow raspberries (R. idaeus), Blackberries (R. fruiticosus) and Japanese wine berries (R. pheonicolasius) and in 2011 I spotted 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 for looking at, with none to buy. However, not entirely forgotten, its image has been lurking somewhere deep in the back of my mind.
Roll on two years and Barry Clarke is back again with choice specimens from his national collection (of 170 species and 30 hybrids), this time with cuttings aplenty. Not only did he have pom poms, but also small plants of Rubus x fraseri, very similar in habit (and flower) to this gorgeous R.oderatus above. It does produce small quantities of edible fruits, so I’ll look forward to tasting these whenever they appear. Although determined to leave the show empty-handed this year (there’s no room left in the garden), I departed from the Plant Heritage marquee with my two plants in hand and my heart full of joy! Thanks Barry!
I loved Matthew Childs’ ‘A light at the end of the tunnel’ garden last year which was about recovery and hope after he was injured in the July 7th bombings. His planting this year on the Ecover sponsored garden was positively exuberant and deservedly won a gold medal and best in show. Flowing planting, winding paths and three interlocking ponds expertly illustrated the ‘Water is life’ message and with their supersized products, Ecover was none too shy in pointing out their role in sustainable use of plastics for their products!
Water and wildlife friendly planting seem to feature in many gardens this year and I really liked how Peter Reader used rills to divide his garden into distinct areas in his Four Corners garden.
Peter has just finished retraining from doctor to garden designer, and won the Provender Nurseries 2012 Student Design and Build Award to create his first show garden at Hampton Court. Impressive!
And lastly (for this post), I loved the “less hard landscaping and more plants” ethos in The Hot Stuff Garden, designed by Victoria Truman, Liz Rentzsch and Marcus Foster.
Taking inspiration from the planting in the Exotic Garden at Great Dixter, this simple but lush garden was, for me, equally best in show.
Hampton Court Flower Show continues today and tomorrow (13 and 14th July 2013).
More gardens and fab comments can be seen and read at Weeding the Web, Vegplotting , Alternative Eden and Through the Garden Gate.
Out of my shed 
Hi Naomi, thanks so much for the info about the truly heavenly rubus oderatus, I must get one, are they as easy to prpogate as all the others in the species (by layering)?
Hi Deborah, I think they are as easy to propagate as others in the Rubus genus. Happy to give this a go for you as mine grows or you could contact Barry through his website http://www.rubusspecies.com/ N x
I loved the Mathew Child garden when I saw Monty Don exploring it on the box a few nights ago. The planting looked sublime and the soft pink on surrounding structures made a perfect back drop.
Had a quick chat with Matthew Childs and he said he liked using quite simple plants such as Alchemilla, Erigeron and Nepetas in his designs, but the show stopping Agapanthus africanus were truly splendid too.
Reblogged this on My garden and it's Wildlife by Wildlife Linda and commented:
awesome
Thanks Linda!
Thank you for such lovely comments about our garden “Hot Stuff” it has our hearts in it we wanted the public to have an achievable garden at their fingertips..literally!
Hi Victoria, loved the idea of reducing the patio area to make more room for plants. Lovely to be sitting amongst such gorgeous planting.
Hi Naomi, I didn’t make it to Hampton Court show so it’s good to read your review. Your purchases in the face of determined abstinence made me smile, it’s something I do all the time! Better than coming back empty handed and kicking yourself for a missed opportunity!
Hi Caro, I was so delighted with my Rubus plants. Bought one, then had to go back for another! It’s wonderful to find such dedicated growers at Hampton Court (and no doubt at other shows too!).
Hi Naomi, thanks for the link! We had a fantastic time at the show this year, and looks like you did too. The weather was brilliant, exact opposite of what it was last year.
Hi Mark and Gaz, Really enjoyed the show too, but after 4 hours in the sweltering heat (think I might even prefer a bit of light drizzle for show visits!), I succumbed to a Magnum, then had to get the boat back to the station. N x
Sorry we didn’t coincide at the show. Great pics – managed to miss Four Corners, and it looks lovely. Thanks for the link – I’ve gone back and added yours to my HC round-up too.
Hi Helen, Think I missed a few gardens this year too as I started to wilt. MAny thanks for the link. Hopefully meet up soon. N x
Very nice!
Thanks for dropping by MM&G!
Hello Naomi,
Did you see the display which we had of the Pot Tomatoes on Pennard Plants stand at Hampton Court show last week?
We displayed hanging baskets of both tomato cherries: TERENZO and SIDERNO and a large 50 lit pot of LOSETTO on their stand and we supported them for 2 days, on the Tues-Wed selling Pennard branded seed packets of these 3 hybrids.
It was a very enjoyable 2 day’s meeting the public.
Best Regards,
John
Hi John,
What a shame! I was at the show on Tuesday and it would have been lovely to meet up. Hope you sold loads of seeds! And hopefully meet up another time. V.best Naomi
Thanks for the peek into the show! I would have liked to attend but couldn’t get the time off work 😦 Nice to have a virtual tour instead 🙂 !
[…] I first espied this intriguing plant back in 2011 at Hampton Court and incorporated it into my front garden a couple of years later. […]