Without even the aid of a flying skateboard or souped up DeLorean I shall now transport you back a few weeks to the beginning of July when the future was revealed to Mum and me and our friend Anne in a giant tent. And that future (as revealed by Hampton Court Flower Show) is…..
cue drum roll and jagged violins
Lots of Achillea, a few extra crocosmia, lots more agapanthus and even more hemerocallis. Yessss. For once the latest Big Gardening Ideas include stuff that will actually grow in my garden, as evidenced by the fact that I have a ton of this stuff already. Now, as is the way with gardening shows, doubtless there will be combos that simply won’t work in the real world. Some things will have been held back and some pushed forward BUT it is the end of July and I have all 4 in vogue items, in flower together in my garden right now (and nine healthy little plug plants from Hoyland Plant Centre’s wonderful display that may have leaped into my handbag growing nicely in the greenhouse. Woo hoo.
What else caught my eye. Well, the Green With Envy hosts was well named. Anne and I positively salivated over the Sienna Hosta display. A menagerie of fancy grasses, including Squirrel, Hare and Pony tails made me reconsider trying some grasses from seed. I also had a wonderful chat with the man running a dierama stall and may have the cure for this year’s flower no show on the dark one (seaweed fertiliser – apparently they are hungry little chaps). This year there were a lot of dark and smoky leaved plants and the loveliest of them all was a dark leaved, blue penstemon. Having spotted this in many a show garden I hit the big plant tent and the street of nursery stalls until I tracked it down and copied down the name (Dakota Burgundy). There was also an astonishing Iris ensata, appropriately named Dinner Plate, and some rather charming heuchera I may try to track down.
Some suggestions I shall sadly have to pass on. As ever, it was the mission of every stall holder to cram more plants into their pot displays than anyone else (though the prize for innovation definitely went to the mushroom DMs). I have never been able to make this work (probably because my watering and feeding regime is lackadaisical). There were some extremely aspirational bulbs and tree ferns, which I think will, reluctantly, have to concede are not likely to be tolerant of Scottish climes as well as definitely Next Level sheds that would have Keith’s eyes rolling (though Alison maybe Rick will be more amenable to you having a Ladies Cocktail Shed to complement the Gentleman’s Bar). I feel certain that the large bronze pig would be a tremendous addition to the kitchen garden but suspect that agreement to move the asparagus to make room might not be forthcoming. Much inspiration though and some excellent Christmas ideas…
All in all we had a lovely day. I fully expect the garden to be transformed, and my rainy day fund emptied, by the spring.
Could that be the pig you have always wanted…or at least a token gesture? Lots of colour and very good photographs. I think you may have been in heaven! 🤣😘