‘Catastrophising’ is a good thing…I hope!
So what ‘glitzy projects’, a good friend of mine asked me last night, have I got on this year? Well, having caught the ‘show bug’ last year, I’m returning to Hampton Court. This time I’m embarking on an even bigger challenge – a show garden. In a way, you would think it would be easier. […]
Ode to Leigh ‘Lovely Legs’ and the rest of my build team
Finally I have a moment to sit down and write something about what has being going on in the first 4 days of the build. It is SO MUCH FUN! I wish I could do this all the time. Have to say the show manager Mandy and her whole team have been so supportive to […]
Filming with BEEB – a good way to spend the day
I spent the day at my parents house being filmed for the forthcoming BBC programme on Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. There was something quite lovely about being back in the home I grew up in. At the same time the setting was slightly ironic in that my parent’s garden couldn’t be more different from […]
Concept Garden Tastic at Chaumont International Garden Festival
Today Hugo and I went to Chaumont International Garden Show in France, near Tours. The garden show is entirely dedicated to concept gardens plus there are interesting art installations in the main Park. What an incredible setting for a Garden Show. It’s on permanently from April through to October which means that the designers have […]
It’s a family and friend freecycle affair
On the structure in the centre of the garden will hang garden tools to symbolise that every good idea and to ‘think big’, needs the right tools to make it a reality. I wanted them to be painted in silver to create a sculptural effect. Acquiring the tools has been far from easy due to […]
Plant fear sets in
I went down to visit Ann-Marie Powell’s garden build at Chelsea a couple of times last month. It was incredible to see all the show gardens being built side-by-side. When it came to planting time, I watched teams of volunteers planting thousands of plants with more than the upmost of care and attention to detail […]
So many ickle bits to sort out…
Things have been progressing fast as the build for Hampton Court fast approaches. I went down to Hampton Court to meet Mandy the show manager. They had marked out where the site is going to be and how big – and big it is!!! So exciting!!! The garden flooring has been a bit of a […]
Climbing that paperwork mountain
As a first timer when it comes to RHS flower shows, I set out to surround myself with people who have a lot more ‘know-how’ and experience than me. As well as wanting to learn as quickly as I could, I also wanted to minimise stress and worry as I found out the same week […]
“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality”. Walt Disney
Thanks Dad. The single most worrying element of our concept garden at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show has been the ‘sky’s the limit’ boundary fence. It’s huge – 2m high, just over 1.75m deep and spans a 12 m diameter. All in all you will have to walk over 28m to walk its perimeter. When […]