Friday, July 23, 2010

RHS Tatton Park 'out of this world' gardening

Press day for the 2010 RHS Tatton Park Flower Show started calmly enough, with darkened skies and threatening rain, not  conditions to please the photographers though. We managed to get most of our shots done in a short period of brightness before the storm clouds threatened. So sad when the exhibitors put so much into their gardens and I can only hope that the weather for the rest of the show remains reasonable.

That said, there were some very unusual and challenging gardens this year and I have to admit that I enjoyed all of it despite the overcast skies. The three gardens in the RHS Young Designer of the Year Competition were outstanding, so much so that two - William Quarmby's 'Moor Work' and Olivia Stewart's 'Clear Waters Rising' both won silver gilt and Hugo Bugg's 'The Albert Dock Garden' won Gold and best in show (below). That says a lot for our talented young designers and augers well for the future of garden design.


The 'out of this world' experience of Space Ritual: Tony Heywood's Chamber Gardens (Gold) was quite something and will be a big talking point at the show but if I loved anything it was Tony and Derek Smith and John Humphreys 'A Matter of Time' (Gold) which just took my fancy. Here we have thousands and thousands of lettuces in a big crater and right in the middle (you have to look in for him) lays an alien! Loved it, loved it. So glad it got Gold.

Also in the Visionary category was 'Wave Dance' (Gold) designed by John Everiss, which won best in class. Capturing the moment when a wave breaks onto the shore, using a combination of modern materials in a contemporary style.  The galvanised steel wave is very eye catching and then you go to a beach of cobbles which leads to the shoreline planting of grasses. Sensational and again worthy of that coveted Gold.

Clive Scott, a regular at Tatton Park Show, brought us 'Dressed in Black' a sensuous garden with moody planting and a very relaxing feel. Clive was awarded Silver Gilt and I am sorry he didn't just tip 'Gold' it was such a nice garden.

The Best back-to-back went to 'Shower Time' (Gold) with its self-circulating shower and plunge pool designed for guests at a boutique hotel and day spa but in the back-to-backs one of my favourites was 'A Plant Hunter's Retreat' (Gold) which featured a neat, compact and movement filled garden. They had also made a 'Wardian' case to show how the original plant hunters used to bring back the plants they found on their travels. A lovely garden dedicated to Harry Delaney, RHS tutor at Reaseheath College.

On the Home Sweet Home garden (NACRO, Gtr Manchester) they had a nifty little wildlife home which I reproduce here because it really could be very useful in the garden.

This year the Visionary Gardens and the Flower Bed Competition Gardens were the best I have ever seen at Tatton. The winner of the Flower Bed Category was Stoke-on-Trent Council who had a fantastic design celebrating the first meeting of the new council in 1910 of the six pottery towns. The sedum seat covers on the chair were just perfect so I was pleased they got Gold and Best in Category.

As I write this blog there still a few days of the show left so if you haven't got along there yet I suggest you do so at the weekend. Tatton is always a lively and happy show, no matter what the weather, but they say the weekend is set fair so it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Finally, we returned home up the M6 in an absolute wall of water. The motorway was flooded, we couldn't see and it reminded me of my boat ride at Niagra falls, such was the force of the water. My maker was obviously alongside me because we made it back to Cumbria but it is not a journey I would want to repeat again in a hurry. But you know something? It was worth it, because Tatton 2011 has some special gardens and I wouldn't have missed them for the world.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Sun shines on Hampton Court

With the lovely summer weather in full spate the gardens at this year's Hampton Court Flower Show were just magical. To celebrate the centenary of Girlguiding a special garden was designed which seemed to attract half the population of guides throughout the UK. Packs of happy and excited youngsters enjoyed the flower show on press day and were no doubt rightly proud of their own dedicated show garden as well as the container competition especially devised for guides. Some really zany ideas for planting schemes placed into the most unlikely containers entertain visitors all down the long water. An old toilet bowl, a wheel chair, odds and bits of kitchen equipment, you name it and they used it.

The sight of happy sunny sunflowers was also a welcome one on the Home Grown feature (Fields of Gold) as were the gardens where cosmos was planted. This year these elegant and long lasting flowers seemed to be everywhere and were a pure delight. One garden which used cosmos very effectively was the 'A matter of urgency' garden which also had a large tap fountain feature which really was a double take because you immediately wondered how the tap was being supported. Very clever.

The rose festival is another highlight of Hampton Court and once again this year there were excellent exhibits. The smell of the roses as you enter the tent is the best in the country and there is no other show I attend where the smell is as intense as in the Hampton Rose Festival Marquee.

I was particularly impressed with young Jack Dunckley's garden. At only 17 Jack produced a stunning design. A typical cottage garden absolutely packed with all manner of plants. He was awarded a Silver but I felt his garden deserved higher. I am biased because I love dense colourful planting but his was one garden which drew me back again and again. I feel sure that visitors to the show this week will find his garden one of their favourites.

The Conceptual gardens are getting better and better each year and there was one garden which really caught my eye, mainly because it reminded me of the iron men on Crosby Beach and I could see its functionality as a beach attraction.  A Fable for Tomorrow, designed by students from the University College Falmouth, illustrates our native flora under pressure. The garden is an old Cornish seed bank which has been split in half to reveal its treasures, held back by great rusty steel walls with some seeds spilling out to germinate around pools that reflect light from the bank's copper core. 

The Girlguiding Garden UK was clever in that designer Philippa Pearson wove together a lot of different strands representing the role of guiding earning a Silver Gilt medal and a lot of attention from visitors. Planting is inspired by Jekyll and the garden is walk-through so there is a lot of see and take in. Well done to everyone on this imaginative and exciting garden.

I spoke about the lovely cosmos on several of the gardens. These graceful plants, gently blowing in the breeze, are typical summer blooms and make lovely additions to any garden.

I particularly liked the way Jill Foxley used them on her 'A matter of Urgency' garden. Next to the stunning sunflowers these were my favourite. Jill also used Agapanthus africanus, Sidalcea,  Geranium, Heuchera and Salvia and Lychnis in her palette.

 There was a point when I was approached by a jolly group from the Staffordshire Society who have had a rose named after the County. One lady kindly gave me her rose because she thought I had been 'abandoned' - nice thought and welcome gesture but I felt somewhat a fraud because I hadn't been 'abandoned' merely decided to take a short rest before pressing on to other matters! Hope you all enjoyed your trip down for Staffordshire and got home safely.

It is now only a few weeks to Tatton Park and the north's own special flower show so preparations are underway to  start  coverage. We always eagerly await Tatton at Reckless Gardener and so hopefully, fingers crossed, for some more stunning summer days so that visitors can have a great experience and enjoyable day out.