The Real Gardeners Shows Have Begun
I was lucky enough to visit the RHS show at Malvern last week at the Three Counties Show Ground and what
a joy it was to see such creative gardens. There were crumbling old boat
houses, wood cutter retreats, a burial ground and even a house leek dalek! The
standard was as high as Chelsea and the planting combinations were excellent.
It's a pleasure to be able to enjoy everything without the crush of the London
crowds and the with the beautiful backdrop of the Malvern Hills.
If you didn’t catch Fridays coverage on
Gardeners World it will still be on the iPlayer.
There was a Tour de France theme that carried through quite a few of the gardens. Each representing
different stages of the race. The most remarkable gate I have ever seen, made
of wheels and bike chains, provided the perfect finishing touch to a lovely
blue and yellow alpine garden. This was ‘Cyclo
Tourisme Velocio’
What I love about these shows is not only the
inspirational garden layouts but also the planting and colour combinations
- it's all about ideas. We want to know
what plants and colours really work well together. Blue and orange are
striking, white is quite serene and my new favourite orange and purple is rich
and warm.
Three gardens
really stood out and one was ‘Reposer
Vos Rouse’ a rustic cafe where cyclist could rest, set in the south of
France. Every element catches the French character from the chequered table clothes,
the old Citron and the Mediterranean herbs planted in old enamel containers.
‘East Meets West’ was a spectacular landscape. It was lush and
inviting with a good mix of plants from all around the world, which I think
is synonymous with British gardens, where very little is actually native.
I love Acer Palmatum planted close to water and natural stone. It was a very
colourful garden brought to life by foliage more than blooms. This garden would
looks good whether plants were in flower or not. Paths wound
gracefully around the landscape and it fitted like a glove into the rolling
Malvern Hills and established trees.
Finally ‘Room for a View’. An intriguing sculptured spiral
staircase drew you into this garden. I believe it was inspired by the wonderful
Cornish Trebah Garden. The stonework creating natural cascading waterfalls was amazing
and the foliage which included gunnera and large architectural tree ferns
fulfilled the whole Durasic jungle feel I felt at Trebah, which has to be in
one of the top three gardens in Britain.
If this has wet your appetite there
is more about these and the children’s themed gardens on my blog accessible
from Preston Bissett Nurseries website.Take a Peak
