My RHS Chelsea 2012 Highlights

 The RHS Chelsea flower show began on Monday with the press day,celebrity's,and of course a visit from H.M the Queen.There are lots of different gardens is four main categories.These photos show some of my favourites.Starting with the M & G garden designed by Andy Sturgeon.I love the copper ring sculpture and soft planting around the hard structures of the garden.

 It has stone steps, a wide pond, and some artfully drilled walls dividing the garden into spaces,

He was inspired by the natural craftsman of the arts and crafts period.He says it is asymmetric.He has used a variety of green plants interspersed with odd pins of colour.He got a gold medal for this garden.

The allotment gardener Cleve West won a gold medal and Best in show for this Brewer Dolphin garden.The sponsors celebrated their 250th birthday.It is a celebration of 250 years of gardening with beautiful Topiary,like giant chess pieces.

Two stone pillars topped with flaming finials draw the eyes into the garden.

 The under planting is mostly herbaceous perennials with zings of colour.I love how the Ladybird Poppies stand out in the purple and green.

 Two little fountains pour water into stone rills at the base of the entrance pillars.

The main feature at the end is a 250 year old well head that was reclaimed from a stone yard in Gloucester.It has been mounted onto a wall and painted blue behind.It supplied peoples water 250 years ago.

 The heavy rains meant that one Sunday morning a small army of people descended to save the stone work and well head from the flooding river Severn.This was a garden that was almost not.

Cleve West won best in show last year for his Daily Telegraph Libyan inspired garden.He has a natural flair for combining stone,plants,water.It looks like it has been there for years.He says he will not be back next year to Chelsea.

 I love the Chris Beardshaw Furzey garden.This is a garden to celebrate the work of Furzey Gardens in Hampshire.The students who have learning difficulties helped build the garden for the first time at Chelsea.It has acid loving plants like Rhododendrons,Azaleas,and Primulas.The planting is luscious with lots of blousy colours.He said that this style of garden was old fashioned and would never win a medal...He won a gold medal for it.

 This was Sarah Prices first Chelsea show garden and was an evocation of the Dartmoor and North Wales from her childhood.A mixture of grasses,rushes,perennials,and meadow flowers have been planted around the stone paths and rills of water.

 There is a copper lined pool in the centre of the garden.Chilmark limestone forms the paths and is overlooked by a multi stemmed Birch tree.

It is a naturalistic style of planting and looks lovely.Boulders are sat at the end for sitting on and contemplating the scene.

 She has used this beautiful Lady Slippers Orchid..

I love the colour of this Pseudocorus Berlin Tiger.She won a gold medal for her very first Chelsea garden.

 The Welcome to Yorkshire garden was one of my favourites.Inspired by the wild moorland frequented by the Bronte Sisters.

It was designed by Tracy Foster and is based around the landscape of the Pennine moors.It has included little Hearts Ease Violas painted by one of the sisters in a watercolour.It is the 165th anniversary of the publishing of Jane Eyre,Wuthering Heights,and Agnes Grey.

 There are some Victorian reading glasses and two books from the time to suggest the authors may have just wandered off to look closer at a wild Viola.It won a gold medal.

 Another Artisan garden I loved is the Japanese Satakora garden.It represents the area between the mountains and lowland.People used to live simply there in harmony with nature.

 It was designed by Kazuyuki Isihara and looks amazing.The attention to detail means it looks like it has been there for years.

 He won a gold medal and the best artisan garden award.

The show also has the Great Pavilion packed full of the worlds best nurseries and plant growers.Each year they all try to have new plants bred to be unveiled for the world.The winner of the 2012 RHS Plant Of the year is this lovely Pink Foxglove called Digitalis Illuminations Pink.

 It has been bred by Thompson and Morgan from Canary Island plants to give it the most magnificent colour.It is self sterile so it will not set seeds so will flower all summer long.

The show is like the Olympics of horticulture and sets trends for the next few years with planting styles and types of plants,trees,and flowers.It is also a show business occasion with celebreties visiting the showground.I think it marks the start of the early Summer.The garden here is in full growth and i find the gardens inspiring.It will take time to digest what has gone on.

May Flowers In The Sun

 Its been a boiling hot day with temperatures reaching 28 degrees C.I got up late and moved all the plants from the greenhouse onto the path.It was 36 degrees in the greenhouse and there was no breeze blowing.I looked at what was flowering on this day last year and things are a month behind.The Aliums had flowered and were turning into decorative seed heads.The Roses were all starting to bloom.I guess it means the flowering season will be prolonged as it is running late.
 This Pink and white Dragonfly Aquilegia looks beautiful in warm sunlight.It petals let the strong light through making it glow in the green off the sunken border.

 The Geums in the pot continue to bloom beautifully.They have compact growth but the colour just sings out to you.

 A white Wildflower growing near the fence.There are predominately two wildflowers blooming away.This white one, and a smaller pink one.

 This is called the Leopard plant because of its spotted leaves.It has hitched a lift under the Lilac Tree and adds some sunshine to the garden.

 The Lilac flowers are so heavy that they pull the branches downward.The hot sunshine heated them up and released the fragrant oils.The garden has a lovely heady Lilac perfume by the backdoor and gate.

 The sunken border has filled out really well with plants growing cheek by jowl.I love the Aliums growing beneath the Blue flowered Ceanothus,and under planted with Lupins,Monkshood,and some Irises.

  The Alium Everest has a large flower spike that glows above the green leaves of the other plants.The sphere is very nice to look at.

 One of the Alium Gladiators growing between Ceanothus branches.I love how plants grow where the light is,and can quite happily grow up into the light through more vigorous growers.

 The Astrantia Ruby has formed its flower bracts but not opened them yet.There is also an Astrantia Major growing somewhere around the pond.Last year these were both in flower now.

 The wildflower area has some White Clover growing.There was red and white Clover growing last year.I do not know where the red one has gone to.It shows the Wild white clover is much more adaptable to changeable weather patterns.

The first Rose to bloom in 2012 is this lovely red Darcey Bussell.The Rose bush by the brickwork of the conservatory was the first to start growing on after winter.None of the other roses are flowering and most have only just started growing their 2012 Rose buds.
 The blog is a fun way of recording what was growing and blooming on certain dates.This years weather has been crazy and its interesting to see how it has effected the plants in our garden.
  I have been trying to follow the RHS Chelsea flower show and will do a highlights post of gardens that I loved.
  This is the link to last years post:
  http://snappycrocsgarden.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/beautiful-blooms.html
  The Clematis has died from the birds breaking the stems and the Flag Iris has not bloomed yet.What a difference a year makes.

The Flame And A Bell

 It has been a fabulous day today.The Olympic Torch relay was started off  at 715am this morning by Ben Ainslie at Land's End.It will make a 70 day journey around the UK with 8000 torch bearers until it reaches the Olympic Park to open the London 2012 Olympics.

 The torch is golden and has 8000 drilled holes.It looks very regal, and has the Olympic logo embossed on it.Thousands of people have turned out to line the route.I checked and the Torch passes through Wakefield on the 25th June.I will see if Cat wants to see it with me.I'm loving the fact that the Queens Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics are in this spectacular year for Britain.
  The Queen had a military parade today in the grounds of Windsor Castle.I watched the coverage on the BBC.I have all the red,white,and blue themed bunting,plates,cups,napkins,hats,and balloons for the Jubilee weekend BBQ.Im a lover of our monarchy,and of the olympics.

 The Chelsea Fringe also started today,and runs for three weeks.There are lots of alternative gardening events going on around London involving gardens,grown your own,art works,a floating garden, and community gardens.This is running alongisde the famous Chelsea flower show but is completely different.
  This is the artists impression of The Pop Up Oranges and Lemons garden in Shoreditch church.This Church is famous in the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons;Say the Bells of Saint Clements"."When Will I be Rich,Say the bells of Shoreditch"
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranges_and_Lemons
 There will be Mediterranean plants,astro turf, and deckchairs.The pillars will be decorated with thousands of Oranges and Lemons.It is a communal space for people to relax,and was designed by Daniel Shea.He has worked with Homeless people and Children to plant up the church yard garden that will last a long time after the temporary garden has gone.

 A photo entitled Black,Green,and Yellow at Shoreditch church yesterday.I can see the Lemons.The link is on my twitter page.Thanks to Gabby Shiner Hill.If anyone goes to St Leonard's church  I would love to see how it looks and if people visit it.

The Chelsea Fringe runs from the 19th May to June 10th.There is a web page for the Fringe.
  http://www.chelseafringe.com/
 The good thing is that this is community inspired and  not as exclusive as the RHS Chelsea flower show.As Bunny Mcguinness said they are like Gin and Tonic.Opposite in scope but complimenting each other.Some good organic goodness and community spirit will come from these events run by volunteers.

Snails Love The Rain (and my Grape Vine)

Its not all been about the wildlife.I still am taking a keen interest in my Black Hamburg Grape Vine in the greenhouse.It is growing well despite being attacked by the local snails.The vine had three canes when it arrived and two of the three have developed new shoots,leaves,and flower buds.

I think that it must have been grown for two years before I got it as the Internet says you cannot have grapes for the first few years.There is so much conflicting information about how to grow it,what you cannot do,and even more different advice about pruning the vine in the winter.

For me it is experimental gardening,trying to grow something that I have never done before.I hope that there are grapes on it by the end of the summer.This leaf has been ravaged by the snails.I have just found three more in the greenhouse.The incessantly wet weather means they are loving the cool damp conditions.I will keep going in at night with the torch to pick them off before they munch too much.I'm hoping to cover the trellis and maybe run some stems along some string.The greenhouse is looking very tatty in places.Strong winds have ripped the plastic cover.It may be time for a proper glass greenhouse at the end of the season.They are expensive though in comparison to the Wilkos plastic covered greenhouse.

I took a Braeburn Apple pip and sowed it last year.The plant is now over a foot tall with a beautiful red stem.I am trying to grow this to see if you can get Apples from an Apple pip!It looks promising so far.It may need grafting onto some root stock once it is  more advanced.I will need to take a horticultural class for that though.

The Mexican cherry Blossom is flowering away beautifully now.It came with the house but was dug up and re potted.The flowers smell like a Bakewell tart,a lovely sweet almond scent.The leaves smell like Basil too if you crush them.It gets leaf damage by the frosts that we have here.It has revived in the wet April and looks vibrant.

I went shopping today at Asda and impulsively bought these 100 Summer flowering bulbs in the cute little bag.There are Gladiolus,Sword Lily's,Freesias,Alium,and Anemone De Caen.I would have planted them if it stopped raining long enough.I will weave them between the plants in the sunken border and maybe replant the Tulip Barrel planters.

I noticed this lone Bluebell plant growing between our front garden grass and the hedge.The small dainty Blue Bells smell like warm honey.Maybe the birds have dropped it here.A free volunteer plant that is very welcome,and great to find.I definitely want more Bluebells.Cats Dad said he will give us some from his garden as they have a surplus of plants.
  The RHS Chelsea flower show has Her Majesty The Queens visit, and press day on Monday.I have been reading the Daily Telegraphs coverage,and watching You Tube videos of some of the garden designers.
  I hope it is not raining as much there as it is here or there displays will be waterlogged.I will watch most of the show on the BBC I player.
  It is far removed from real gardens but I love the build up,characters,and colour.It is the start of the RHS Summer garden shows.Medals will be won,new plants unveiled,and storys told.It is part of the fabric of Britain.

Life In The Garden

It has been a wet and windy day so I spent most of the day sat at the dining room table looking out into the garden.It was a day of surprise visitors and watching new behaviours of the gardens wildlife inhabitants.They seem to like the garden with its eclectic mixture of plants,flowers, fruit trees,bamboos,and grasses.The Dogwood has grown these lovely pale green leaves and has dainty white flowers.This Ladybird was lulled to sleep by the nectar.The Lupins behind make a nice darker green contrast.

There is a national decline in House Sparrows according to the RSPB's big garden bird watch results.We have loads of them here.They nest in the space under the many roof tiles in Kettlethorpe.Their chattering song punctuates every day here.Here are two birds pecking the bugs off the Gooseberry.They land on all the plants,even ones who stems are too weak to take them.They are cheeky and very sociable even if they break a lot of plant stems by accident.

The bird feeders attract the neighbourhood Squirrels.This one climbed up the feeding station to get to the fat balls.The sunflower hearts in the cage are safe from their greedy paws.I saw one climb all over it and try to bite his way through the mesh.The pigeons had eaten most of the seed in the feeders so it was a lean day for the Squirrels.Three visited today at different times.

The first bird to find their way into the sunflower hearts was this Blue Tit.He is small enough to hop in,grab a few hearts, and fly off to eat them in peace.

They are safe from predators and have been happily feeding all day.One Blue Tit now has been hovering at the conservatory window pecking a spiders web off the glass in the conservatory fascia corner.

This is a local Cat who was after the Catnip.He got distracted and sat staring intently at the grass for ten minutes.I could not see anything moving.The birds are too quick to be caught and the feeders are positioned off the ground.

Whilst ginger kitty was in the greenhouse another Cat came walking along the path.They jump onto the water buts to walk along the left hand fence.He stopped in his tracks and i thought the soil is moving.being pushed upwards by an unseen force..

It was the mole.I found where the hole came out and moved the soil.A little while later the soil came up and I saw the nose and black face of a Mole.Face to face, he disappeared down below.We have had a good six months without any mole hills.He has been busy excavating and has pushed up a lot of sterile soil.I think the tunnel runs parallel to the concrete path.This is a side tunnel used to push excess soil out.The trouble is it kills all the grass underneath it.I tried to get a photo but it has proved fruitless so far.I am amazed I actually saw his little face.He is cute in a helpless way,but a devil for the garden if he continues to excavate.We will see how much havoc he wreaks this coming week.

I saw this Newt chilling in the pond today just under the surface of the water.They are terribly shy and hide if they see me coming.I find they come out more at night hence my regular torchlight safaris shining the light in the pond.

I saw three Frogs today happily sitting in the pond.They can dive down anytime under a thick layer of pond plants and murky algae bloom.Last night I thought that looks like a snail swimming across the pond.I did not know Snails could swim!It dawned on me it is a Water Snail.They are like the cows of the pond eating algae bloom and decaying matter.They have been attracted to the pond and apparently breed prolifically.You can buy them online from Pond plant suppliers.I have no idea where they came from.They obviously like the small pond.The algae bloom is shrinking so they must be doing a Stirling job.

This Pigeon was so layed back he was plumped up over the birds water bowl.He must have felt comfortable and safe to chill out there.

I saw the House Sparrows today eating the seed heads from the spent Dandelions.They picked out individual seed heads like candy floss and hungrily ate them.

Here two Sparrows eat the seed heads.I have never seen them doing this before.Cat told me a few days ago that she had seen them doing it.Its amazing how just sitting and watching the garden could be so absorbing.

The last photo is of a male blackbird who hid under the Dicentra after being attacked by a feisty female Blackbird.He just sat looking at me, then her, and stayed still for five minutes as she fed on the suet block on the bird table.Maybe he is a young juvenile just starting out.He obviously did not like the confrontation with the lady blackbird.
  I love gardening to grow fruit,vegetables,shrubs,and flowers.I also like to attract wildlife and to see it so close to home is amazing.The natural world never fails to amaze and surprise me in all its wonder.