Show gardens Chelsea 2010

L'Occitane garden 2010 by James Towillis
This was one of the nicest gardens, it was build on a large slope a great height making the planting of the lavender look like the fields of the Provence's.It won a well deserved silver gilt.

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The Victorian Aviary Garden by Phillippa Pearson and Johnathan Denby
won silver
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Hows this for a hanging basket

This and the next two photo's are the work of Kazuyuki Isihara

Kazahana-an urban roof garden
There was moss everywhere and also running water, the planting was great and so much to look at. It was better when it was on the TV as we were not allowed in the little house where the water running down the side of the building was on glass so you could see it from inside.

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This was the Trail finder Australian Garden by Scott Wynd won a gold. It was Australian outdoor space. I had a job to take photo's of this garden as there was not really lots of plants apart from banana plants, fatsia,hosta and stelizia. There were no doubt more but the pavilion,pool, spa, spotted gum decking, breakfast bench, inbuilt lounge, wet bar, fridge kitchen area, barbecue and a circular swimout for me out weighed the planting. I'm not saying I didn't like it it was a great garden for a hot country with plenty of hot weather and I would imagine a big purse.

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The next four photo's are of the garden

The M&G Garden by Roger Platts

It won a gold and also the got the peoples best award, it also got my best too. There theme was a garden to stand the test of time, a quintessentially British garden that celebrates the traditional... It was lovely full of plants and tree's winding paths, summer house, shade and sunny area's a sunken pool and lovely scented flowers and roses.

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Kebony-Naturally Norway
by Darron Saines and won a silver gilt. I liked this garden except for the roof of the building it didn't seem in keeping but the garden demonstrates the garden throughout the changing seasons with traditional outdoor living with a contemporary twist a sleek central pavilion adapts to the season.

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The Laurent-Perrier Garden

Tom Stuart-Smith who won a gold

The planting was a woodland plating in spring, the plants would thrive in light shade in moisture retentive soil.

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The Daily Telegraph Garden

by Andy Stergeon won a gold and best show garden. This garden was inspired by travel it was a great contemporary garden.

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The Cancer Research UK Garden

by Robert Myers won a gold

The garden theme of enlighten celebrates the vital work that is being done. I loved this garden cool planting, timber slatted canopy terrace and timber cloister around the garden. To the back of the garden a grid of clipped box, reflecting pools scattered through the plants, and a grove of white-stemmed birch trees for shade with white and green planting beneath.

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The HESCO Gardens 2010
The Leeds City Garden
designed by Martin Walker and the Leeds city council and won a gold

It was amazing a real lock gates with wild country planting looked like it had been there for years. Woodland fringe, wetland and marsh planting and a floral meadow made this garden something different. Celebrates its industrial heritage whilst creating green corridors for people to walk and enjoy.

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Foreign and Coloinial Investments Garden

by Thomas Hoblyn won a silver gilt.
Wasn't sure about this water drill but after watching it for a while the ripples made a lovely Patton and found it to be relaxing. The colour were quite different and a refreshing change.

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The Tourisum Malaysia Gardens

by James Wong and David Cubero

won a gold.

A Terraces of minimalist angular hard landscaping modern look reflecting the Malaysia of today

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The Children Society Garden

designer Mark Gregary won gold

This was designed for a family from youngsters to teenagers. A secluded place with a plunge pool, just the weather to go with it would be nice. Nice planting all around the garden.

Courtyard gardens at Chelsea

What a wonderful day my friend Jenny and I had at the Chelsea flower show. My sister was coming but it clashed with her holiday so Jenny was delighted to come she had never been before and always wanted to. She has a great knowledge of plants and is so keen to learn the names of ones she hasn't got. This first garden was one of our favorite's there was some lovely flowers. All the gardens can be found on the BBC web site.

The global stone bee friendly plants garden

won a silver

I thought this planting in the containers was a good idea and after these plants have finished they could be replaced with fresh ones.
Christian before Dior
Bronze

Music on the Moors

Gold and best courtyard garden

The Pine and Conifer enthusiast garden

silver gilt

Lights and colours of the alps

Bronze

Tulips at Harlow Carr

On Monday my friends Lynda, Lena, Val, Jenny and I had a trip to the RHS Harlow Carr Harogate. The past two weeks had been the Tulip Festival but when we spoke to one of the volunteer gardeners she thought they were at there best now, and we thought they were looking stunning. They have planted 250,000 bulbs.

This was the children's Victorian garden.

I loved the colour of this Tulip two tone.

All these colours together were very eye catching one of my favourite. The canes were in place ready for the sweet pea and a different structure from the usual tepee style.

This was the scented garden and although the hyacinths were past it there was still a lovely smell.

There were lots of pots with varieties of Tulips

This newly planted hedge of apple line the new vegetable garden and look stunning with its blossom.

This little plant was in the new Alpine House and much to everybody amusement was called Vicky

One side of the Alpine House.

This was just a small spot in the wild flower garden.

The fox gloves and pretty forget-me-nots growing in this conservatory along with the other flowers were a welcome sight

For more infomation on Harlow Carr

www.rhs.uk/harlowcarr

Pat Dibben work shop

Last Sunday I was away at a work shop were we taught this time by a nice lady named Pat Dibben who came from the London area for the weekend. Our club Future Concepts always have teachers who inspire us to work with different materials and to make things using our imagination's with textures and forms. Whenever we get the requirement list weeks before you cant imagine what it is we are going to make this time was no exception. Moss, hay, coloured mesh, fabric, thick wire,midelion sticks, raffia, an assortment of foliage and flowers to name just a few the list goes on. There were three different designs to chose to make but whatever you take you wish or had brought something else. I took every thing but left it in the car until I saw the all the designs Pat had created then got what I wanted to do. Unfortunately the batteries in my camera died so did not get any of her designs but below are just a few.
This was my friend Cathy's design, she covered a wire ring one with moss the other with hay for two different textures.

Jackie filled a long length of gold mesh with moss to make a long ribbon and manipulated it into the shape here and added the lovely flowers and foliage.

I covered my wire rings also with moss but chose to lay mine horizontal as if floating which wasn't easy and doesn't look to good in this photo.

I had time to do a simple design just using three gorgeous red rose's and a few large leaves. The green bendy reed are midelino sticks and come in all colours and are very popular at the moment, I use them in the shop in arrangements. The horizontal and vertical natural bark is from the failing's of the eucalyptus tree collected from Roberts and my holiday last year in Scotland (I am always collecting things Robert says I never use it)

On my way in the morning traving on the busy road I turned the bend in the road and was confrunted with a sea of blue in the wood. Bluebells. The sight was amazing but i was unable to stop. But on the back i pulled into a layby and although the camera was telling me no batery's but had a go and and was able to take two. The photo's do the sight much justes.

New adventure for the dogs

On Tuesdays I am suppose to finish work at 2 o'clock so when I did this week I took the opportunity to take the dogs on a different walk. This is harder than one might think as it means a short drive of probably just over two miles. After putting Tom and Scampi in the back of the car which you have to lift them in (tom is a big dog and he growls at you) I thought it best that Tip who is getting old and fragile could is in the front passenger seat. easy you might think. By the time I walked round to the side of the car scampi had jumped over to the back seats and tip having put her in the front was trying desperately to squeeze into the back seats where she has always travelled. The back seat I might add has my two swimming bags float coat and my bible which I was trying to move out of the way.
When we lived on the farm and I was always running Fallon our daughter to training and sporting events, tip would love to come for a ride. So with leads, collars a pocket full of dog treats we set off and not out of the estate drive scampi was pushing her way through the seats to the front. Roberts health and safety person would have a field day telling me off.
The place we were going was once a coal mine but as with all the closed mines in the area they have landscaped planted trees, built bridges, little streams and many paths with a large car park. With only one other car in the car park I thought good a walk without the leads let them run free. I was a bit concerned about tip walking a long way because of her age but I didn't have to worry she loved it. At one point I was going to put her on the lead just to make her move as she must have sniffed every blade of grass, and with her having selective hearing would not come when I bellowed at her. The other two were having a good sniff but not as intense as tip. We were about an hour ambling along and only walked half way round not going to high up. Also the down side is after reaching the top the other side is the busy A1 motorway and its the sound more than the view which spoils it for me, but saying that we use this road a lot and would be lost without such roads.

having a good sniff
one of the many stretches of water

only dandelions and daisies but it looked lovely

I tried for an age to get them to sit together but stubborn tip would not sit at all and scampi was never going to sit close only tom was a good boy (but they all got a treat) I had to be quick taking the photo.

There were many pools and streams and tom after being told not to go in which he loves to do was very good until on the last leg back to the car he saw a duck and before I could say no was in!! and although the water looked very clear the mud in and out was nasty and smelly. no ducks were harmed during this incident, he could never catch one in fact I think the duck was amused and seam to have a good laugh. Tom came off worse as he was wet though and smelt awful so as the sun came out and there was a seat we sat for a while for him to dry off.

With them all back in the car we drove home sharp with the windows open as the smell of tom in a confined space-well ill let you use your imagination. At home nobody wanted tom near them, but he will probably do it all again water is his one weakness.

Art class

When I was away at spring harvest a few weeks ago and writing about it I forgot to mention the artist Hideyuki Sobue. He is a Japanese artist living and working in Cumbria. At the evening seminars whilst we were listening he painted a huge painting a different subject each time from Jesus on the cross to a simple flickering candle. There was a workshop one afternoon which some of my group attended and whilst I have to honest and say it was hard for him to teach us how he painted it was fascinating to listen and see his work from his gallery from his web page. ( just type in his name it gets you there). He uses acrylic paint but adds Sumi ink from his native Japan. He talked off his faith and how he thought he was not a good enough but after going to study Christianity found the passion and faith to paint professionally. I very much like his nature paintings.

A couple of weeks ago i joined an art class from one of the villages near to where i live. Its been nearly 7 years since i picked up a art paint brush and i just had a longing to do something other than flowers, swimming, gardening and housework. A friend from church attends the class and said what a friendly lot of people there are there so though i would give it a go. Although I'm not good at it i enjoy having a go learning the different techniques. We are doing water colour and how applying different colours on top of each other give different effects. the second painting was achieved using wax crayons starting with a wax candle to paint the daisies so when the paint was applied this left the daisies white. then using the same techniques layered up the picture. Its not to expensive for a six week course but it is government funded and the teacher dose not know how long this will last but safe for the end of this six weeks session and the next but after that its anybodies guess. The teacher is David Woolass an artist you can go to his site just type in his name on google. Over the past few weeks we have played about with salt, wax, cling film and mixing colours to achieve different effects. Ill never be selling any paintings making loads of money but just enjoying it at the moment.