Monday, July 08, 2013
Mark and Gaz
What a fabulous day it was at the RHS Hampton Court Flower! The sun was shining, it was warm, the atmosphere was superb, grand setting, it was perfect!
 |
| Glorious setting (and was tempting to dip in!) |
And as a taster to the show that is about to open to the public tomorrow, here are photos of the show gardens at this years show...
 |
| A Cool Garden |
 |
| A Native Shower |
 |
| A Room With A View |
 |
| A Valley Garden |
 |
| Ashes to Ashes |
 |
| Athanasia |
 |
| Between The Lines |
 |
| Bugs in Boots |
 |
| Desolation to Regeneration |
 |
| Duel/Dual |
 |
| Ecover Garden |
 |
| Falls The Shadow |
 |
| Four Corners |
 |
| Home Spun |
 |
| I Disappear |
 |
| I Have a Dream |
 |
| In The Deep End |
 |
| Layers and Links |
 |
| Macmillan Legacy Garden |
 |
| Mid Century Modern |
 |
| Smoke On The Water |
 |
| Spirits of The Land |
 |
| The Claw |
 |
| The Clints and Grykes Garden |
 |
| The Garden Pad |
 |
| The Hot Stuff Garden |
 |
| The McCarthy and Stone Garden |
 |
| The One Show Garden |
 |
| The QEF Garden for Joy |
 |
| The Singing Tree |
 |
| The Witches of Macbeth |
 |
| Tip of The Iceberg |
 |
| Vestra Wealth's Jardin Du Gourmet |
 |
| Willow Pattern |
Our personal favourites? A Valley Garden, I Have a Dream, Layers and Links, Mid Century Modern, Vestra Wealth's Jardin Du Gourmet, and Willow Pattern.
Particularly inspirational for us? Layers and Links, Mid Century Modern, and Jardin Du Gourmet.
It is such a colossal show and despite being at the event since ten in the morning we didn't get the chance to see everything, focusing our attention at the show gardens, floral marquee exhibits, as well as attending a blogger's event hosted by the RHS. We will be back on Saturday however to catch up on some of the thing's we have missed.
More photos of the event today will follow later in the week, especially of what's inside the Floral Marquee (a plantsman's paradise!).
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Oh, thanks so much for this glimpse of coolness. This flower show is on my bucket list, along with Chelsea. So eclectic. Some are a little weird, some are just not my taste, and there's a handful that are just wonderful. I love that first one, with what looks like a Lucite bridge over a sunken pond. Layers and Links is very restful.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Alison! You'll enjoy both shows indeed, they are great days out as well as source for plants and gardening inspiration. You seemed in tune with the judges too, that garden you like won Best Summer Garden :)
DeleteHow very cool...I love the idea of an outdoor garden show so much more than the indoor ones (although those come at a time of year when ANY gardening activity is exciting)! Love the variety shown in the gardens, I especially like 'Between The Lines', 'Four Corners', & 'Layers and Links'!
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott! Outdoors for gardening shows are the most ideal as you see the plants under natural light, but indoor ones has its advantages too (can be done in winter for a start).
DeleteWhat, the duelling wheelbarrows weren't your favourite?
ReplyDeleteSome are pure fantasy of course but many of those show gardens have elements to inspire any gardener. I love the design of the Willow Pattern and 4 Corners - both achievable in any garden.
I agree with you there Missy, both gardens look achievable in any garden. Sadly not into the duelling wheelbarrows ;) although we found it fun and quirky!
DeleteSeveral were really nice, but too many were way out there for me. :) Enjoyed looking through them all though.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Some were pure fantasy Cher but yes there are several realistic gems too!
DeleteI kept an eye out for you yesterday but our paths didn't cross (it's amazing one manages to bump into anyone, it's so large). Sorry to miss you both and the bloggers' event. The notice about it must have gone up in the press tent very late morning, as it wasn't there when I did a pitstop around 11. Who was there?
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, it would have been lovely to have met you! We only recognised a few faces (Michelle/Veg Plotting was there) but Sue Biggs welcomed us and James Alexander Sinclair was present. They must have put the sign very late then, possibly just before 3pm. I'm sure there will be another event soon that we'll meet and have a good chat :)
DeleteThanks for sharing these gardens! What a treat to see the designers' renderings in an earlier post and now the actual gardens. Lots of cool ideas & lovely gardens!
ReplyDeleteYou can pick up an idea or two indeed Peter :)
DeleteGreat to see you both yesterday :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the show gardens in some very tricky lighting conditions.
Great to see you too, was nice to catch up! Glad the camera coped with the bright sun and high contrast.
DeleteWow those certainly run the entire gamut from beautiful and inspiring to just plain odd. I'm still blown away by the idea of a garden show outside, so foreign to us!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly did indeed. Could do with less conceptual gardens actually but we're glad there were enough gems. The timing of this years show is brilliant, with the sunny, warm weather and all!
DeleteGreat to see these without the crowds...and to see humor at play in so many of the gardens. So many of these approaches appeal to me that I fear my end result will be a mishmash of styles.
ReplyDeleteTaking just an element or two from a few is the way to go Ricki. It was enjoyable seeing the show without the big crowds indeed :)
DeleteI love the idea of an outdoor garden show. It really is hard to see everything much less photograph things under that unnatural light. Boy I like some, like The Hot Garden and some were just strange. But hey to each their own. I love to see peoples imagination at work.
ReplyDeleteNatural light is indeed the best for garden shows although indoor ones do come in handy in the colder months.
DeleteWow! so many different viewpoints on what a garden is all about. Some of this is pretty strange and some is marvelous. Must food for thought
ReplyDeleteIndeed Deanne, it's fascinating to see the different take each designer have on a garden.
DeleteThank goodness for artists and their (sometimes kooky) visions. You must've had so much fun--thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteA pleasure Heather! There are loads of 'kooky' designs indeed, interesting and fun to see even if they're not realistic as such.
DeleteGreat to see photographs that show the whole garden so you can really see what they are like, rather than some small detail shot. I've been to Chelsea a few times but the Hampton Court gardens look more adventurous and interesting. That predictable Chelsea 'look' seems less evident. Is that usually so, or was it just an unusual crop of gardens this year?
ReplyDelete