Tag Archives: outdoor living

The Small Gardens at the Hampton Court Flower Show

ivy

Urban Serenity - Ivy wall panel

The scale of these gardens means that they are an excellent source of inspiration for our own gardens. Among the details that caught my eye was the ivy panel in a timber wall [1] in the ‘Urban Serenity’ garden.

It's only natural - log bench

It's only natural - log bench

In the ‘It’s Only Natural’ wildlife garden  a curved wooden bench doubled up as a log habitat for insects.

It's only natural - wildlife pond and willow sculpture

It's only natural - wildlife pond and willow sculpture

This garden was alive with bees and hover flies so the designer clearly knew what he was doing.

Edible plants in stylish planting

Edible plants in stylish planting

Food 4 thought - strawberry table

Food 4 thought - strawberry table

Hadlow College’s  ‘Food 4 Thought’ deservedly won the Best Small Garden medal.  Beautifully designed and planted with a mix of ornamental and edible plants I was particularly taken by the table with a central trough in which strawberries were growing.

A Love Lost Garden - clever detailing

A Love Lost Garden - clever detailing

‘A Lost Loved Garden’ was a garden gone wild with abandoned  metal bedheads artfully arranged and an attractively dilapidated shed.  It was well done and I did like the detailing.

The Garden Lounge - complete with working lamps

The Garden Lounge - complete with working lamps

The ‘Garden Lounge’  stopped me in my tracks. I’m not sure that I liked it (too elaborate for my taste) but the craftsmanship was extraordinary.  The slate lamps were a tour de force and the quality of the hard landscaping was stunning.

Food for Thought - log wall

Food for Thought - log wall

‘Food For Thought’ (different spelling and a different garden) had created an attractive log wall.  Maybe I’m drawn to these because I do admire nicely stacked logs and do my best to create something similar in our own log store.

The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show

Attention!

Attention!

Off to the year’s third major RHS Flower Show yesterday and walked myself to a standstill.  Despite spending 7 hours at the show, I left feeling that there were a few things I would like to have returned to, but by that time my legs had other ideas and walked me firmly towards the car. I took loads of photos and I’ve selected some of my favourites of the gardens, details and people, as well as some that I thought were worth commenting on.  There’s something for everyone at Hampton Court from the serried ranks of perfect leeks [Attention!] to the finely detailed not-so-soft furnishings of The Garden Lounge with its working lamps and cushions made from sun and moon-proof (?) fabrics.

the-garden-lounge

Fairies seem to be obligatory – thankfully there didn’t seem to be any goblins this year (I loathe those pokey-fingered pointy-eared critters) and I was actually quite charmed by the fairy in the clump of heartsease in the Midsummer Night’s Dream Garden  [Midsummer Night’s Dream/A fairy at the bottom of the garden].  To buy tickets for the rest of the week or see which gardens won the medals go to www.rhs.org.uk

Midsummer Night's Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream

A fairy at the bottom of the garden

A fairy at the bottom of the garden