Friday, March 27, 2009

Show season advances

While our little taste of spring may have disappeared in yet another week of windy, cool conditions, with not a little rain, we are nevertheless advancing towards the show season. Harrogate (from 23rd April) kicks off the season for me, followed by Chelsea.

Chelsea, this year, I think is going to be both interesting and exciting. Although the economic conditions will doubtless cause problems for all the major shows this year, I think the fact that there will be slightly fewer gardens may work to visitors advantage.

There will be more time to absorb and certainly to be entertained by the increasing number of major foreign designers who are exhibiting gardens this year. I am particularly looking forward to the Laurent-Perrier garden designed by Luciano Giubbilei, who has comented that for him Chelsea is a personal and inspirational experience. Swedish designer Ulf Nordfjell will be designing the Daily Telegraph Garden. So just two to look out for.

Over the last few months we have continued to make improvements to the website. We have now linked with The Garden Channel which you can link to from our home page - there are plenty of short snips for you to watch with plenty of gardening advice. Several of you have commented how much easier you find it to navigate the site. We are always interested to hear your views so please let us know if there is anything you would like to see on the website.

We have already started our Chelsea coverage so keep checking out the website for up-to-date news. In the meantime, we can only hope that after this weekend we may yet see the coming signs of spring and be able to enjoy a new season in our gardens once more.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

meadows

I am undone - not because some horrible little snail object has been at my plants already - not because my camellias are smaller than last year's - no the object of my woe is Lark Rise to Candleford. This enjoyable interlude into late 19th century rural life is enthralling and it makes you hark back to simpler days, although they were probably far from simple.

For all Lark Rise fashionistas the cause of the consternation is that stupid woman Dorcas who doesn't know a good thing when she sees it. Looks like the luscious James might croak it in the last episode of the current series and then she will never know what she has missed.

But one thing I do really love about the programme is the views of lovely rolling countryside and that fresh air feeling. So much so that I reproduce above a view of the wild flower meadow at Crome Park in Worcestershire, one of the loveliest sights I have ever seen and very much how I imagine areas around Lark Rise to have been. Just to get you in the mood for spring.

If you haven't checked out the website recently make sure you enter for our competition to win a copy of Toby's new book. Gardeners' World is going to move from Berryfields onto a new site for the next series so the team will be starting all over again.

We will shortly be starting with all our show news so make sure that you check out the site each week.

We have had the odd really good day to get out in the garden so we might now hope to look forward to brighter days when we can really start the season in earnest. A quick check of my clematis and other slightly tender plants this morning brought the satisfaction that all appears well after the harsh winter, so despite the dreaded Dorcas spurning the chance of eternal happiness, I at least glow with satisfaction.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

gardening feels the chill of economic downturn

The National Trust for Scotland has recently announced job losses and changes to the way it will operate some of its properties. This is hardly surprising, as charities, the same as everyone else, are finding it difficult in the present economic climate.

Britain's flower shows will doubtless be affected - the number of major show gardens at this year's RHS Chelsea will be down on last year and there is little doubt that with increasing economic pressures there will be less sponsorship around in the foreseeable future.

Quite how the economic climate will affect garden centres and nurseries is yet to be calculated. A Gardeners' World magazine survey, recently carried out with their readers panel, found that more people are intending to grow vegetables but they were not planning to cut back on flowers as a result.

That can only be good news for our nurseries and flower growers. Certainly gardeners will be looking for value plants as never before, they may buy less rather than not at all. However, the vegetable explosion has been growing apace for some years now and really started well before the economic downturn - as evidenced by the long waiting lists for several years for allotments.

Bringing colour into our lives is important and for many our gardens are not just pleasant places to sit but have real thereaputic properties and are certainly good for your health.

On a more positive note, one of the weekend gardening supplements I saw yesterday, urged gardeners to be bold and plant a hydrangea. Now if you are looking for a value plant there is one in a nutshell. Considered rather old fashioned in recent years, these lovely shrubs can give you years of pleasure, need very little looking after, and make terrific cut flowers.

I think we will see a re-emergence of the popularity of plants such as hydrangers - their second coming will cheer us all. They come in a variety of splendid colours and as the article pointed out, by planting one you will be at the cutting edge of fashion - in fact quite retro!!