The Garden Spout

What I took away from FutureScape.....

2013-11-27T05:18:00.000-08:00

I’m not talking about the sample piece of artificial turf courtesy of namgrass, which my ten year old creatively utilised in his Lego ‘Hagrid’s Hut’ installation, nor the Toro light pen, which is annihilating our house in its laser gun guise assumed by my youngest, but as a industry novice and inspiring garden designer I wanted to share a relatively serious comment on this event and its relevancy to my new career path.

FutureScape is in its infancy, the second annual single day event occurred on Nov 19^th 2013 at Kempton Park Racecourse, and given the exponential growth of visitors from its inauguration last year, it is sure to need re-housing in the near future. It is aimed at both designers and landscapers, delivering product stands, seminars and expert Q&A sessions across a variety of related subjects.

Following a quick tour of the product stands and brief site orientation, the first stop on my schedule was a seminar presented by James Hewetson Brown of Wildflower Turf Ltd discussing (you guessed it) wildflower meadow installation, which I am finding to be an increasingly desirable and requested ‘look’ even in domestic gardens.

Personally, I have not experienced planting a meadow from seed, but had heard the process to final establishment to be a long and arduous one. James certainly argues the case for turf vs. seed very well, providing strong arguments and clear visuals in favour of his products on establishment, cost and performance. I guess like lawn grass, if you want the look quickly with a higher success rate you will probably lay turf, and if you’re of a more horticultural bent, who enjoys the consuming challenge and arguably the higher reward of nurturing your meadow in its entirety, then seeds’ for you.

Often, it is best to leave it to the experts and with over 30 years experience in turf development and 10 of those specialising in wildflower varieties, James certainly has exemplary credentials which are possibly reflected in his enviable client list, which most notably includes providing installations around the 2012 Olympic site, and the iconic British countryside display in the opening ceremony, not to mention some sets for the Harry Potter films. His business has developed a number of standard variants, also providing bespoke products dependent on scale, and a new retail garden border style due for release next year.

With the requirement for increasingly bio diverse environments and the onset of carbon offsetting benefits, you are certain to see the demand for this product rising further, both commercially and domestically, and in an increasingly competitive market. My advice to those looking to buy, always choose a specialist supplier, they’re called that for a reason.

Next stop was lighting. Until now I’ve not focussed too much attention on how to best to light a garden. Obviously with aspirations of producing desirable garden designs, I have never been an advocate of flood lighting the entire garden, and have always understood the importance of showcasing specific plants, retaining an element of mystery and accentuating distance and space.

One of the key skills of good design is extending your entire living space by successfully marrying the internal and external environments and this certainly shouldn't stop as soon as the sun sets. So whether you’re directly enjoying your garden during one of our infrequent balmy summer evenings or indirectly admiring the view from various internal vantage points in the depths of winter, lighting plays a significantly important part.

David Atkinson of DALD Ltd brings a wealth of lighting experience from working in the fields of theatre, film, music and architecture, which easily transfers to the world of landscaping and garden design. His passion and enthusiasm is undeniably clear and the 45 minute presentation showcased a distinguished career built upon thorough research and significant knowledge. The visuals clearly demonstrated the importance of investing time and energy to the correct installation of lights and providing me with increased knowledge of how and what to my already well recognized why.

A small sample of good tips included:

Use high quality products. Water ingression can destroy all your efforts in a number of months.
Understand the correct use of temperature. Bright to display natural plant colour, warm for back lighting.
Optical angles. Narrow for highlighting single larger specimens and sculptures, wide for border displays, boundary walls and outbuildings.
Water features. Trial and learn how to best bounce and refract light, and working with submerged lighting.
Play with different creative effects when lighting pathways and driveways. A simple down light often doesn’t do the space justice.

I left the seminar room slightly overwhelmed, but the overriding piece of advice David left me with was to keep it simple, don’t overdo it, use all the tools carefully and sparingly, retaining intrigue while introducing space and new perspectives. His recommendation of using a long cable and single fixing to test scenarios will certainly be introduced to my future surveys.

A quick spot of lunch, more product browsing, literature collection and the opportunity to quiz experts further preceded the next seminar and possibly the main motivation in my FutureScape attendance – Adam Frost Live.

Adam Frost hadn’t really appeared fully on my radar prior to a TV interview staged amongst his greatly admired gold winning RHS Chelsea garden for Homebase this year. I was immediately struck by his openness and his insistence that he is not creating art, but simply that he understands the importance of creating outdoor spaces to enjoy. This once again raises the question of what constitutes art…...

From years of appreciating the UK show gardens and following their creators, Adam does strike me as different, not in a Diarmuid Gavin 'controversial' design way, but in his persona. He’s not the typical designer you would find at RHS Chelsea, playing down his obvious abilities and displaying a warming candidness.

As the room filled, Adam was showing a certain amount of nervousness at the ensuing proposition of imparting his wealth of knowledge with the awaiting audience, eagerly exchanging a spot of banter with some of his friends and colleagues present. He needn’t have worried, with gentle and assured Parkinsonesque questioning and listening skills from Jim Wilkinson the event organiser, he fluently recalled his life and career history.

Dragged to the SW England countryside by his relocating parents aged 15, he struggled adapting to the change from his North London roots. His schooling suffered and after a period of ‘Parklife’ he cites the late widely admired Gardeners' World presenter Geoff Hamilton as providing stability and inspiration, working for him over a number of years prior to establishment of his own landscaping business. His desire to spend ‘more time in the pub’ and out of the cold prompted his move to design.

Whilst I feel after years of hard graft he is now extremely comfortable with his elevated position and the trappings that brings (as we all would be), he is genuinely at pains to point out his incomprehension of the comparative respect he is now afforded post show success and indeed how a former ‘little toe rag’ cut through the formalities associated with RHS Chelsea. All I can offer is that hard work and genuine talent will always shine and with his continued frankness and delivery of award winning designs his following will continue to rise.

Adam continued by describing 2013 as a turbulent year, encountering very close family bereavements and too much time away from his wife and children, which only heightens my admiration for his ability to deliver a gold winning RHS Chelsea garden and his establishment of the Homebase academy; a very real employment programme providing opportunities for young aspiring horticulturalists and landscapers. Inspired I presume by the importance a considerate mentor played in his own early development and his requirement to give something back.

Further questioning uncovered his own future aspirations, and with the undertaking of Homebase RHS Chelsea 2014, including managing the involvement of those participating from the academy, further private design commissions both in the UK and internationally and a book in the pipeline, I’m afraid time together with the family will continue to be limited.

During the audience Q&A session I offered the Adam the opportunity to share some insight into the inspirations for his design. A question I assume all established designers dread, but all novice ones want the answer to. He responded with his familiar stance, a desire to create a real space or landscape you would like to immerse yourself in, with plant selection and distribution playing an essential part in the entire design process. He added that surveying generally begins at the view from the kitchen kettle and inspiration often appears at the bottom of a nice glass of red - priceless. I stupidly omitted asking for a grape recommendation!

The audience included David Dodd the founder of landscaping business The Outdoor Room, who has provided construction to an enviable list of show and private gardens having established excellent relationships with a number of designers. Subsequently I have learnt from an article in ProLandscaper that David has recently announced his decision not to continue working with the popular Love You Garden TV series, stating that whilst he thoroughly enjoyed his time and colleagues during its production, he did feel that the speed and delivery of the show format did in some way undermine the true qualifications, skills and abilities of designers and landscapers alike. He mentioned that he would be keen to work in TV in the future adding a keenness to do this in partnership with Adam to produce a show of substance and humour. I agree, this pairing in a Grand Designs format would certainly make compelling viewing.

Another coffee and an opportunity to review my newly acquired knowledge before my final session of the day - The Detail Is In The Design Q&A. The designer panel (or should that be ‘panel of designers’) JoThompson, Ian Drummond, Tracy McQue, Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Kate Gould provided insights into their careers, including personal thoughts on inspiration and future desires.

Some key points of particular relevance to me were; on announcing to her friends and family her decision to pursue a career in garden design, Jo was greeted with shock and disbelief ‘you don’t know the first thing about gardens!’ I’ve experienced similar if slightly less direct remarks, retorting ‘but that’s the point, isn’t it? The journey is the fun bit.’ Now with four successful RHS Chelsea gardens under her belt and a thriving design business, Jo has certainly silenced her doubters. Equally inspiring, Tracy provided sound advice, insisting that establishing designers should stand firm on their pricing and truly believe in their value.

Whilst the majority of them agreed in not liking or being totally satisfied with elements of their work, (the curse of most creatives) Ian went so far as to say that he often had to revisit his work a few weeks later, just to reassure himself of his ability. Andrew provided strong opinion throughout, quickly rebuking the question of ‘who should earn more, designer or landscaper?’ as not worthy of an answer, and reassuringly adding that no one should accept the common misnomer that financially sustaining a career in garden and landscape design is impossible. Of equal worth and very warmly received by both panelists and audience alike was his declaration of intolerance to the evidence of elitism creeping back into the industry, (no names mentioned) ‘I thought we got rid of that!’ It’s heartening to hear a regular Chairman of Judges for the RHS, making statements to this effect; after all we should always critique the installation rather than the installer.

One thing echoed across the panel was the principal importance of establishing a strong relationship with a landscaper. There must be a mutual respect; both parties must combine with clear communication channels to produce the perfect creation.

Day over for me, I must just state that I attended less than 25% of the seminar sessions available and found the event very rewarding. It is a perfect opportunity for products to be marketed directly and established experts to impart their knowledge, build networks and meet up with industry friends. For novice designers like myself all you need do is soak up the all the information you can, its not often that such a breadth of knowledge is so compactly contained and with such ease of accessibility.

Right, I’m off stick my head into John Brookes Garden Design Book, much knowledge to acquire, thanks for the tip Andrew.

Community spirit still alive and well

2013-09-27T06:38:00.001-07:00

Responding to a call for help from a designer I greatly admire, I dashed up the A1(M) to Peterborough last week. Chris Beardshaw had been invited by the DIY SOS Big Build Team ‘Children in Need Special’, to design a landscaped garden and playground surrounding a newly built community center that will primarily house the Little Miracles Charity, a parent led support group for families with children that have additional needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions.

The project commenced on Tue 17th Sept 2013 and by the time I arrived a week later the entire main building had been completed externally and the landscaping was in full swing although with completion due in three days, there was a significant amount of work still to do. So all checked in and hard hat adorned, I entered the site to get stuck in.

Main building and surround

The number of volunteers on site was impressive, it had already been part landscaped, with various tradesmen shifting top soil to create raised walkways, installing play park equipment, building wooden and stone structures, completing resin bonded pathways around planting areas, laying a small all-weather court and all this in addition to the numerous other painters, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and roofers all flitting in, out and around the main building. It felt like I, along with a few other newbie volunteers had entered a bee’s nest, chaos of the much organised variety.

Playground area

Modern dry stone wall feature

You would imagine a ‘too many cooks’ scenario, but with the simple instruction of ‘just find someone who looks like they need help and a help them’ we got on. I swiftly found a group in the very early construction stages of a teenagers garden retreat room, and was very quickly accepted as part of the team.

Proposed site of garden room

It was a shame that my small volunteering stint could not have coincided with Chris Beardshaw’s final planting work, as I would have been far more effective, maybe next time!

Preparing the main planting area

Together we began constructing the wooden floor and wall sections, whilst we waited for the scaffolding on the main building to be removed allowing us access to level out the proposed ground area for the room. A quick trip up the road to collect some kindly donated steels for suspending the floor and our end of day goal of raising the garden building to roof height was successfully accomplished with hard graft and know how!

The project provides continual drinks, snacks and three proper meals to sustain the workforce and to those of you who dare to think that the familiar DIY SOS team are little more than camera fodder and further celebrity seekers, I can assure you that they don’t stop working and are a continual presence on site. Mark Millar as build manager appears to be in 4 different places at once and the rest of the team, in addition to their respective roles, provide positive and motivational encouragement throughout the day. It’s obvious that a substantial amount of time, organising, planning and deliberation goes into each of these projects.

Nick Knowles rallies the troops

Perhaps I worked in an office environment for too long, but this was a truly rewarding experience for me, fantastic to see how a group of strangers can so easily collaborate for the greater good. There wasn't even a hint of egos on show at the site, everyone was ready to help, decisions were made quickly, every menial task that needed to be done was completed swiftly without argument or discussion of responsibility and the few mistakes made were quickly corrected without apportioning blame, very refreshing.

It’s amazing how much you can get done in such a short space of time and if local authorities or higher public offices are not studying this carefully as a truly efficient process of encouraging the ‘big society’ they 'talk' so much about then a trick has definitely been missed.

Watch out for this project to be televised later in the year, the nine day (!) site transformation will be almost unbelievable; I can’t wait to see the final reveal especially the planting.

Oh, and I lost count of how many times I heard ‘It’s for the wife’ as a volunteer returned from collecting an autograph or photo opportunity, ‘yeah right, I’m sure she’ll love a picture of you with Nick, Billy, Julian, Mark or Chris on her mantelpiece.’ No offence guys!

Contemporary Temporary?

2013-09-17T06:12:00.001-07:00

‘Really, are you sure, an arch spanning the Long Walk?’ For those who don’t know the Long Walk is a perfectly straight path/road that stretches 2.64 miles from her majesty’s castle residence in Windsor up Snow Hill terminating near the foot of the imposing ‘Copper Horse’ statue. You receive stunning vistas from either end, in fact from any point along it!

I'm a big fan of modern art sculpture, specifically the large outdoor varieties and appreciate installations that contrast against classic architecture. This however would have to be something truly spectacular to have any sort of impact in this location, particularly in terms of scale.

So with a degree of scepticism, I took a look for myself. The Coronation Arch has been positioned just outside the George IV gateway; I decided to approach it from distance, walking from within the Windsor Great Park. In fact the Arch doesn't really appear into view until the crossing with Albert Road and at that point all my initial concerns were confirmed. The structure appears pretty much insignificant against the majestic backdrop of Windsor Castle. However now spotted, my anticipation of a close viewing had heightened considerably.

Closing in, the Arch grows magnificently and when finally reached, the sculpture in close proximity is in fact a stunning piece of art. The 6 independent willow constructed arches, representing the 6 decades of the Queen’s reign are set together forming a large tunnel across the pathway, providing framed views of both the castle and the Long Walk itself heightening and concentrating each of these outlooks beautifully!

The Arch was conceived almost 3 years ago by Andrew Try now Chairman of the Royal Windsor Rose and Horticultural Society, and working with Susann Laughton co-founder of local business Plantify. Looking for a unique way to celebrate the Queen’s 60 year reign, they selected John Warland an award winning garden designer to provide a creation that matched their vision. So esteemed artist Spencer Jenkins together with a number of volunteers have spent the last 3 months working on its construction at a nearby farm before installing it last week.

In addition to the Arch, the complete installation also includes 6 willow constructed crowns filled with native planting and elm trees that flank the gates.

I must congratulate all that have been involved in this project; I was genuinely cynical and believed that such an installation would prove to be disappointing; however I am thrilled to be proved wrong.

If you can, I urge you to take a look for yourself before it disappears in a couple of weeks time. I am unsure of the future of this sculpture, if it is only temporary, where and who will get to appreciate it for years to come? Perhaps I should start up my own campaign – #savethecoronationarch

Un Jardin Magnifique

2013-09-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long break since my last post, I've been enjoying an actual summer with sun this year and given that our choice of family holiday was decidedly risky weather-wise, we were extremely lucky!

Our destination was a small chambre d’hôte in Saint Denis sur Sarthon, Normandy. What do you mean you've not heard of it? To be honest I’m glad, I think it’s generally and somewhat inappropriately only used as a stopover for those heading further south or a quick weekend break for Parisians, but as our fellow short staying guests frequently exclaimed as we told them we were staying for 10 days ‘I wish we’d booked our stay here longer,’ this house and location definitely deserve more time.

The website described the La Louvière as an extremely picturesque venue providing gardens, a small wood, heated pool, tennis court, boules area, small lake brimming with carp etc. However, I always fear a little disappointment when arriving at our chosen holiday destinations, call me a pessimist but normally the web or brochure images always conjure up an image to me that is often unobtainable; I call it the ‘estate agent effect’ for obvious reasons. This place however equally matched my best expectations and even eclipsed them.

The short shaded driveway is beautifully tree lined affording you small glimpses beneath the branches of the magnificent and traditional French farmhouse across the herbaceous bordered front lawn as you drive in. The greeting, not only from the owners, but also from Venus the remarkably placid golden retriever, the three resident ducks and a handful of chickens was extremely warm, Shadow the cat, true to type, failed to tow the familiar greeting line. ‘I love this place’ immediately exclaimed my 10 year old son, ‘so do I’, ‘and me’ chorused his younger siblings.

A quick tour of the house and bedrooms only increased our joy as the owners Alain and Isabelle Groult have managed to combine old and new furnishing to extremely stylish effect. The large and significantly askew staircase and slanting floors added to the delightful charm of the 18th century building. Upon entering the large, luxurious and charmingly furnished bedroom our children would share for our stay, my wife and I exchanged knowing glances, mildly concerned of the damage they could wreak.

Back outside, we were left to explore the 8 acre site. Alain and Isabelle first acquired the property as a private home in 2004 and set to work restoring it and most interestingly (for me!) employed and worked extremely closely with Jean Pierre Benet a landscape designer, whose simple brief (!) was to create a traditional garden that appeared to have been established for as long as the house and adjacent barn had stood. Together their endeavours have been executed perfectly and they now have along with all their guests been rewarded with a truly exquisite setting that appears to have been here forever.

A clever and extremely effective slab and blended lawn path leads to the house, extending and surrounding it on two sides acting as an unobtrusive patio area and perfect location for le petit-déjeuner chaque matin. Mature pink and blue hydrangeas line the foot of the building on each side of the entrance as roses and wisteria creep up the walls encircling the shuttered windows. Now, hydrangeas aren't one of my favourite shrubs, I can’t really explain why, but at night when back lit, they take on a truly different form, and the effect is impressive. This garden entrance area includes a tree shaded seating and smaller external dining area flanked by a perfectly shaped waist high beech hedge, with ground and container planted spherically trimmed buxus adding yet more style.

Opposite the entrance sitting between house and part restored barn a natural and rustic wooden 'rambling rose' entangled pergola and fence encloses a small symmetrically planted garden with herbs, lavender, and other perennials.

At this point, I must just say that all the garden furnishings have been carefully selected and fit beautifully into the surroundings. Each wooden piece has aged perfectly providing the requisite silvery colouring. The grounds are also dotted with reclaimed objects; an old working stone tool sharpener, apple cart, framed mirrors, candelabras, chandeliers, stone finials, antique sports and garden equipment all add to the interest and appeal.

As you move away from the house the main lawn stretches down to the lake across the entrance driveway dotted with further topiary and bordered with mature shrubs and perennials with swathes of mature lavender, perovskia atriplicifolia and roses providing great colour and attracting bountiful varieties of butterflies, the skill of careful capture keeping my daughter amused for hours.

Beyond the border beneath the rose archway and neatly lying between the huge ivy clad wall of the barn and the more recently constructed roof tiled gazebo nestles the sun trapped heated pool, surrounded with attractively aged deck and providing sun soaked or shaded reading retreats.

The small lake on the southern boundary of the property is surrounded by mature and perfectly manicured trees including the customary weeping willows cascading their branches across the still water reaching towards the bulrushes on the opposite banks. Here, for an hour or so most evenings armed with a small float rod and some encouraged patience my family and I were not only rewarded with some good sized carp but also a remarkably close encounter with a group of kingfishers. My only previous sightings have been a couple of pearlescent blue flashes disappearing upstream as we canoed small rivers in southern England. Here we were afforded an extraordinary display, perched and occasionally striking the water and reappearing with their prize tightly clasped within their ebony beaks, and then squabbling with each other above the water with the sun setting behind. With the occasional splash of the evasive larger carp and splatter from the equally elusive resident coypu, the children remained quietly still without a handheld electrical device anywhere in sight.

Between the lake and the dark wood a further immaculately lush lawn area holds a small orchard and the beginnings of Isabelle’s cutting garden, complete with small afternoon tea room, containing a French daybed, for when the peacefulness and tranquility of this place becomes all too much!

The final area of the grounds (and I’m not including the private area retained for Alain and Isabelle’s personal use, which appeared equally enchanting from a quick glimpse over the fence) is the sports arena; a tennis court and hard dirt area specifically for the purpose of Pétanque, where our recurrent lunchtime family competition was fought over a small glass of local rosé and jus de pomme, and where our 5 year old son was elated by chalking up the most number of victories.

Tranquil canoeing on the river Sarthe, an animal park, tree running, picturesque villages, open gardens, reclamation yards and good food did distract us slightly from grounds of La Louvière, but we all equally found great enjoyment on our return.

I’m not one to return to a previous holiday destination, but I would certainly use La Louvière as a quick stopover for a more distant driving destination, and then most likely regret not staying longer!

It's not just what's inside that counts

2013-07-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

It's all relative

There’s a little hotel ‘round our way, called Cowarth Park, you may have even heard of it! Part of its attraction, and there are plenty, are the sumptuous gardens, constantly maintained by the knowledgeable and friendly garden staff.

View across the wildflower meadow

The main house is flanked by individually styled garden areas, that sit slightly raised above the large planted meadow separated by a Ha-ha wall and adjoined by a small timber arched bridge.

The wildflower meadow was planted roughly around the opening of the hotel in 2010 and initially provided a beautifully balanced array of colours from the equally distributed Anthemis arvensis - Corn Chamomile (White), Agrostemma githago - Corncockle (Mauve), Centaurea cyanus - Cornflower (Blue), Chrysanthemum segetum - Corn Marigold (Yellow), Papaver rhoeas - Field Poppy (Red). Now a few years of self seeding on, the dominance of the yellow from the Corn Marigold is very apparent from distance, that’s not to say it’s any less striking!

The small gardens nearer the main building include a sunken garden; an array of planting including white lavender and various grasses surround a quadrant of fountain filled ponds and provide an almost rusty autumnal appearance.

Sunken Garden

Rising out of this garden you are greeted with a more traditional area, providing sun sheltered seating beneath the rose covered and silvery aged pergolas, encircled by allium and lavender filled borders.

Traditional Garden

Closer to the main building a more contemporary feel greets you, with clean light paving contrasting perfectly with the black lined rectangular ponds and symmetrically lined box edged borders housing a delightful array of perennials, shrubs and small trees to stunning effect.

Contemporary Garden

Verbena bonariensis providing height to the planting

I've not had the pleasure of staying or indeed viewing the inside of the main hotel building, but if you’re looking for a summer outdoor lunch venue, I can highly recommend the Barn restaurant terrace in the hotel grounds, and don’t forget to spare time for viewing these gardens. The skill, thought, effort and ongoing maintenance that have combined in their creation, deserve more than a fleeting glance.

Food for too much thought

2013-06-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Like most, I enjoy the barbecue season, and I don’t just mean guarding the grill, beer in hand, tong armed and comedy apron attired. I mean the whole process, food preparation, marinades, sauces, salads, cooking, alfresco dining etc. As a mild pyromaniac, I was introduced to the barbecue at a fairly early age, perhaps as a vain attempt to channel my fire obsession, but more likely as a cleverly disguised chore. In those days our cooking device was little more than a stack of un-mortared bricks and a wire grill rack, but I used to revel in the process of getting the temperature/coals just right to ensure that my mum’s Indonesian recipe skewers (more on those in a future post) were cooked to perfection, and I rarely failed.

My preference of the charcoal device was continued until we were very kindly presented with a gas variety as a wedding gift.

“Wow, thanks!” I hope my feigned elation was convincing.

Wheeled out for its cooking debut, the home prepared lamb and chicken kebabs were left to grill gently under the closed lid after the very idle push button start.

“Well that was easy and equally tasty.” I remarked in pleasant surprise.

So my lifelong enjoyment of the charcoal barbecue process now filed under ‘too time consuming’ I quickly adopted the convenience of gas all too readily.

Now years later, arguably time richer and a nostalgic father reminiscing about how simple and great things were in my day, I’m back in the market for a charcoal variety. ‘MG!’ (They’re abbreviating acronyms now, keep up) I exclaim as I’m totally side tracked in my quest, the barbecue market is flooded with so many different varieties, it’s completely overwhelming. Come on, how important is it to know the exact cooking temperature on one of these things, I’m not making a soufflé! Did you know there are modular kitchen type ranges on the market? Now, in other countries where rain is scarce and blue sky commonplace I can just about envisage their desirability, but here in the UK the last thing we need is a large stainless steel construction similar to the Starship Enterprise control deck collecting puddles on its gleaming surfaces for 350 days of the year. Not to mention the ugliness obscuring the view of your beautifully landscaped gardens.

It seems that this industry, in its successful attempt to attract a more varied customer base has adopted a strategy similar to the car industry.

“I just want to get from A to B, efficiently, reliably and stylishly (sorry for my vanity, but it’s my marketing weak spot).”

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting the headlights that simultaneously and automatically turn round corners.”

Silly me, of course, what a complete oversight?!

As you can probably tell, I’m not the type to be seduced or rushed into adopting the latest gadget or widget. In fact when it comes to cars, I even argue against the necessity of certain ‘improved’ electrical components. What was wrong with pull and slide seats, or even and to a lesser agreeing audience, wind down windows?

A little digression there; so back to the barbecue and all I’m really looking for is a device to suspend food above heat and therefore my very undemanding must have features simply include:

Family sized grill – I need to grill more than one chop at a time.
Height adjustable grill – I’m not sure this is entirely essential, but I feel happier with having the option.
Easy use lid – One important thing I have learnt since my early grilling days is that in order to retain moist barbecue fare you must cook under a closed lid, and there’s nothing more frustrating (in a barbecue situation, obviously) than finding a suitable resting place for a scorching hot lid whilst checking cooking progress.
Excellent build quality - I’m looking for a perennial not an annual.

Following these requirements, my research leads me to the kettle shaped variety and both Napoleon and Weber offer models that exactly meet my needs. There is very little difference between them, so it’s all a matter of personnel taste. For what it worth, I choose the Weber, swayed by a combination of price, guarantee and personal recommendation.

If you are keen to barbecue at every opportunity then I would suggest investing in both varieties; gas for the spontaneous or quick occasions and charcoal for when you want to indulge yourself in the traditional process. But always as with most things in life keep the equipment simple, good food is mostly about preparation, an overpriced appliance will never improve flavour. So when you next invited to a barbecue and you are greeted with a £1,000+ appliance, prepare for a culinary disappointment, it is more likely than not, to be the ‘all the gear, no idea’ scenario.

Recycle and re-buy British

2013-06-11T07:22:00.001-07:00

It used to pain me, the way my parents and grandparents labelled us the ‘throw away’ generation.

“It’s not worth replacing, it’ll cost almost as much as buying new,” I would argue. Or “Don’t blame us, were the consumers not the manufacturers.”

But now as a parent myself, a little older and slightly more responsible (!), I now discover myself agreeing with them to a certain degree, but don’t let on.

Now I’m not saying every product built today is inferior to those of yesteryear, that would be ridiculous, although quite why advancements in technology and our so called increased intelligence do not allow the smartphone devices we urgently rely upon today to last longer than a couple of years annoys me, but I guess that’s the point, intelligence has taught us that we need to replace items frequently to maintain positive economical sustainment. Confusing isn’t it?

Whilst I do find myself reluctantly accepting of shorter product lifecycles, I am also instinctively becoming more attracted to older and solidly made items particularly with interior and exterior furniture and now more recently garden tools.

A fairly large 10 foot+ high privet hedge borders one side of my property, and unable to maintain it myself satisfactorily I employed a local gardener to do the job, a sole trader of 30 years, the ‘knows his onions’ experienced type as opposed to the new ‘landscaping and garden design company’ leaf blowing variety.

“Only time I can do is 7.30am on Saturday.”

“Fine I’ll see you then.”

“Bit harsh on the neighbours to fire up the garden machinery that early, don’t you think?” my wife quite rightly comments later.

“It’ll be fine; it’s the only time he could do.” I respond resolutely.

7.28am said gardener appears and begins unloading his tools, and to my neighbours unknowing delight there’s not a powered hedge trimmer in sight.

“You could be here a while.” I jokingly suggest.

“Nah, it’s not a big job, I’ll get through it pretty quickly and you’ll have a much better finish with these,” he replies holding hand shears that wouldn't look out of place in a British Garden Tool Museum. (Is there one? If not there should be.)

Further discussion uncovers his enthusiasm for using older tools. Yes, of course he equips himself with faster power tools for certain larger jobs, unfortunately for him as with all of us now ‘time is money’. But generally his tool collection was sourced from car boot sales and ‘his little grinding and sharpening man’ round the corner.

“Just look out for the Sheffield steel variety, all wooden handles can be easily replaced if needed, and a quick service will provide you with a tool unrivaled by most on the market today at a fraction of the price.” He informs me.

As I trial his long arm lawn-edge shears, I can’t fault his logic, the weight and solidness of the design all add the effectiveness and ease of their function. I fail to show or indeed mention my not long acquired, made in SE Asia, cheap, ergonomically handled and light weight variety that honestly struggles with the same task, tucked away in my shed.

So when you’re next perusing the tool aisles of your local garden center being seduced by the overwhelming and technology advanced varieties available, and unsure whether to invest in a new well made (yes, they do exist) dearer model or taking the cheaper option, bear a thought to the 30 years experience of my new garden savvy friend and take a visit to your local car boot, check eBay (some lovely vintage examples on garden tools, auction only listing, at time of writing) or seek out an independent tool servicing business to source well made items at agreeable prices.

Your new found frugalness may be counter-intuitive to the frequently preached and encouraged public spending policies that exist to defy the global recession, but remember with an annual service of these tools you are still investing your hard earned coffers in the service industry and combining that with extremely effective recycling.

Cripes, sorry for the mild business economics theme there, all I really wanted to do was show you how lovely this old hoe was!

Have I found a 'free lunch'?

2013-06-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

If you ever wanted a clear example of the importance pricing plays in a marketing strategy to increase the desirability of a product or service, then look no further than The Royal Landscape, part of The Crown Estate near Windsor.

The area is broken down into three areas, namely The Savill Garden, Virginia Water and The Valley Gardens all housed within the Windsor Great Park. Very fortunately I live on the doorstep of this thousand acre site, and utilise its entirety often for various family activities.

Arguably the leading attraction is The Savill Garden, a 35 acre site wonderfully fronted by the strikingly modern The Savill Building, a 2007 RIBA Sterling Award Finalist. As you would expect this garden offers diverse planting with a myriad of plants, design and landscaping and of particular splendour is the fairly new contemporary rose garden addition, designed by RHS judge Andrew Wilson.

But for me and particularly around this time of year, ‘the jewel in the crown estate’ is The Valley Gardens. This 200 acre site is showcase to the rhododendron and azalea, containing innumerable varieties, culminating in the spectacular display found in the very aptly named ‘punchbowl’.

With copious ground coverings of narcissus, bluebells, lily of the valley and hostas among others, the endless and vast varieties of rhododendron and azaleas litter the site alongside the camellias, magnolias, dogwoods and acers.

These well established gardens offer spectacular vistas, with delightful hidden pathways that truly immerse you within the planting, all of which have been painstakingly labelled, so whether you coming here to contemplate, for garden ideas, a family day out or just simply to be inspired, you will not be disappointed.

Now back to my first thought, entry to The Savill Garden requires payment (with some periodic exceptions) and attracts crowds of visitors. Meanwhile and I might regret sharing this with you, The Valley Gardens, ½ a mile away are free for entry and at times whilst enjoying them I have barely seen a soul. Each are equally rewarding to the horticultural enthusiast, so why the disparity in visitors? It appears that despite tougher times, we still often require a monetary exchange for an experience to be more gratifying.

It’s another excellent example of why it’s so important to occasionally stray off the worn and trodden path both metaphorically and physically, even if it’s only slightly!

There’s no such thing as a small garden project!

2013-06-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have a little lawn to the north facing front of my house. Over time I've added some box hedging to line the front path, some birch trees, that I intend to keep small with regular pruning, a few pale narcissus that pop up briefly in the spring and a Rosa banksiae 'Lutea' rambling rose which I'm currently training along the wall and adjacent fence.

Unfortunately the lawn is a bit of eyesore, with neglect leaving it overrun with moss and a brown colour suggesting a small infestation of Chafer grubs, and whilst I do like a bit of the old green blades, I’m still finding the area fairly featureless and so decided to attempt a little bit of simple landscaping to create a new central bed.

With some lovely stock bricks left over from a part removal of a garden wall, I've decided to attempt bordering this new bed with a lattice brick and loose stone surround just for a little bit of added interest. So lining out the intended bed with string (no matter how good you think you are with free hand turf cutting, this is very advisable; trust me I've tried without, with staggeringly poor results!) and prior to making any cuts, I laid out the bricks on top, firstly to ensure I had the correct quantity, but also to have a play around with a few designs layouts.

Right, I've got the design I want, now the hard work begins. Putting the bricks aside, I removed the turf by cutting the outline with an edger and then into small strips to allow easier removal.

Whilst this brickwork surround is for aesthetic purposes and not a pathway with lots of traffic, I discovered that it is still advisable to dig down about 15cm and line the bottom with some hardcore to avoid the brick from sinking over time. Then using a 5:1 dry mixture of sharp sand and cement, I placed it on top of the hardcore to a depth that ensures that the top of laid bricks are level with the existing lawn, apparently you should use a spirit level to keep it flat, though I didn't as I wasn't too fussed if it's slightly off kilter, it all adds to the look and appeal!

Filling with sand and cement mix to just below the top of the brick allowing the loose stone space to nestle down, the whole area was then left to settle, absorb the ground moisture and set for a day or two, before finishing it off with a little 10mm pea shingle.

Now the fun bit, off to choose some plants, and a little bird tells me there’s a problem with the bees, apparently they’re on their proverbial knees. So with motivation to ‘do my bit’ my new planting will incorporate a little help for them. The Bumble Bee Conservation Trust website provides lots of great advice on ‘bee kind’ plants and it seems that these environmentally crucial little beauties aren't fussy and actually have extremely varied and sublime ‘taste’ in plants. In fact I’m not sure why you wouldn't choose to follow their lead anyway!

So with a little Chelsea Flower Show inspiration and my newly found bee friendly knowledge I set off for the post-Chelsea Crocus open day. If you ever have the chance to visit a Crocus open day, is it strongly recommended, the expansive site holds thousands of plant varieties to inspire and with discounts to their standard online retail prices, the only problem is trying to contain your enthusiasm. It’s probably akin to an Ikea visit for an interior enthusiast, you may plan a quick visit to pick up a bag of tea-lights but you leave with a full trolley and a strong intention to replace your kitchen.

A stroll of the site is a pleasurable experience in itself, even without the additional enjoyment of matching the plants to the Chelsea show gardens this year as designed by Ulf Nordfjell and Christopher Bradley-Hole and both built and supplied by theirs truly.

Crocus opens its grounds a handful of times a year, I wish it was open everyday, but everything in moderation I guess. On this visit I wander the grounds, head half admiring all the plants on offer, half in my iphone checking identification, height and spread, flowering period, bee friendliness etc. After two hours of blissful enjoyment I finally picked out the three perennials; Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum', Agastache 'Black Adder' and Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Globe' for my own and the bees appreciation and the lovely gentle grass Luzula nivea to blend between. I've decided to surround the bed with a small box hedge (another bee favourite), just for a neat finish and also because I can't get enough of the stuff. (I'll let you decide which was my best-in-show garden this year!) All my collections of these varieties were swiftly delivered to the checkout area by an army of staff on hand to deal with all the customers and I was off with my bounty.

Back home with new additions quickly installed and my new found friends suitably appeased, I now sense this new bed as being like the jewel in a somewhat very ordinary crown. Ahh, a gardener’s work is never done; this small project is now developing into something slightly bigger…

A quick trip to the drawing board, a play around with a few layouts, and I think I've finally decided to leave a little lawn surrounding the bed and convert the rest to border planting as soon as larger plant decisions (tips gratefully received) are made and finances allow. ‘What’s that you say?, Crocus is open again this weekend’ Hmm, I’m not sure I’ll have the time for making those decisions prior to then, but will make another trip, with enthusiasm curbed, just for inspiration purposes you understand. Who said Saturdays are boring without football!

The saga continues….

Providing even more treasure

2013-05-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Dorney Court Kitchen Garden is a delightful collective nursery, café, children’s play area and garden providing the perfect coffee and cake destination for all the family to enjoy. Obviously the main attractions for us are the three ride-on pedal tractors that our children use to explore the site, keeping them amused and allowing our uninterrupted cappuccino supping!

The beautiful and recently restored Victorian kitchen garden is accessed through the main nursery, and as you pass through the gap in the encircling wall, you are immediately greeted by a clever and contemporary suspended steel arched tunnel, supporting flowering wisteria and a pathway beneath bordered with striking flowering alliums among other perennials.

The path leads you to a sunken garden, housing the unusual, yet charming ‘Brussel Sprout’ fountain and pond, centrally positioned within the symmetrically landscaped and planted beds traditionally outlined with box. At this time of year the planting is just beginning to burst into life, but from my previous and frequent summer visits I know the crowning display to be outstanding.

The remainder of the garden provides further planting of standard herbs and vegetables along with more unusual and exotic varieties all resourcefully utilised for your culinary delight by the chefs in the café kitchen, a small lawn area and the headless-chicken coop, aptly named by my children; you need to see the poultry to understand.

The entire garden delivers great inspiration for the amateur horticulturist; most of the plants are available for purchase in the nursery, and as I discovered whilst identifying Polygonatum × hybridum or ‘solomon’s seal’, the friendly and helpful nursery staff will happily answer any questions and source your selected plant from their small and varied stock.

The wonderfully sheltered space the garden offers is also cleverly utilised to host various events throughout the year and our visit on this occasion involved a theatrical theme with the garden collaborating with the Cambridge Travelling Theatre to provide a children’s workshop and performance of Treasure Island. With a simple stage area and the lawn providing a ‘bring your own blanket’ auditorium the players staged the show to the delight of the children who all chorused together having learnt the songs in the aforementioned workshop.

Captain Smelly’s affable performance was only marginally eclipsed by the cameo performances from the very young audience participants Eva and Daisy. Eva was so horrified and disgusted by her newly appointed pirate name of ‘Evil’ Eva, that she spent her entire ‘moment of fame’ head-shaking in an attempt to convince all and especially her parents that the descriptive adjective really wasn't befitting! Meanwhile ‘Dangerous’ Dais clearly hadn't read the script or indeed realised she was actually participating in the show, and her dumbfounded expression pertinently translated into a face of terror to abhor, priceless!

With the sun shining, this is a delightful way to spend an afternoon and early evening, and having already experienced the Roald Dahl delights of James and Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr Fox as performed by Illyria at Cliveden and Greys Court respectively we will certainly be back here for The Mikado in August.

More of the same please DCKG.

Does mint feature in Chris’ Arthritis Research UK Garden?

2013-05-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

While watching the opening coverage of the RHS Chelsea on the BBC yesterday, I was enchanted with the Arthritis Research UK garden that Chris Beardshaw has designed and constructed for the show this year, and engaged by his typically eloquent description of the journey it represents. I was also surprised to learn of his personal battle with the disease and could relate to his previous personal choice not to expose his diagnosis.

As Chris explained, arthritis exists in various forms and as a fellow long term sufferer, the result of a childhood infection; it was enlightening to hear someone speak so candidly about their choice to suffer in relative silence.

As a teenager (and indeed to a smaller degree now, twenty or so years on), I also failed to acknowledge my symptoms to others. Perhaps for the fear of not wanting to accept or associate myself with a disease more commonly related to the elderly. I would always brush off my inability to participate in certain activities with a quick retort revealing some falsely manufactured sports injury.

Chris Beardshaw appears a picture of health and one major dilemma I encounter with arthritis is the unpredictable nature of the symptoms and also the ability to easily conceal them, many known factors influence their severity, particularly climatic changes, but also some that are unknown, one day all is rosy ‘in the garden’ the next….

He also very poignantly declared that his attempts to understand his suffering with frequent consultations often left him disillusioned and he has now learnt to live with the disease in his own way.

I’ve always enjoyed Chris’ articulate and educated garden musings and delighted in his design, with my recent discovery of his illness, I am inclined to re-evaluate his ‘If you were a UK garden plant, what would you be?’ He would now be mint, an extremely welcomed garden perennial; composed, industrious, practical yet intriguing, concealing a ferocious desire and will to explore its boundaries and push beyond them regardless of the enforced restrictions. You just never know where it is going to pop up next!

A tour de force Mr Beardshaw, truly inspirational.

La crème de la crème anglaise and a splash of sake

2013-05-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

I recently visited Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Great Milton, Oxfordshire. Oooh! I here you cry as you raise your imaginary handbags to your chin, but ‘hey’ how else do you celebrate your grandmother's 90th year milestone? If you want to eat great food, it's best done in terrific settings, I’d say. After reading and viewing images of the gardens, I desperately wanted to take a look. The place had so much to offer, so here’s just a little snippet of our outing.

The house approach is exactly as you’d expect, the traditional lavender lined path, interspersed with tulips, informal box hedging and alliums just ripening to explode, on a backdrop of mature shrubs and occasional oxford stone walling, quite an entrance.

Just off this path is a small orchard, with long established and beautifully pruned apple trees, traversed via a meandering lawn path through a wild flower meadow currently being developed in consultation with Chris Beardshaw, I would love to see the final results later in the year….

Small apple orchard

This path leads you out into the 1.5 acre certified organic vegetable and herb gardens. The latter elegantly laid out in the Elizabethan knot style, framed with box and with larger bay hedging partially concealing a small centralised pond and fountain. The beds contain a diverse and abundant variety of herbs and in addition to their obvious culinary uses are also collected for the tea infusions; the peppermint aroma was delectable.

Herb garden

The remainder of this area is split into four equally large sized beds, and at this time of year, save a few winter greens, are vigorously being prepared by the gardeners for the main growing season. Complying with the strict organic certification requirements, chemical insecticides are forbidden, therefore good old fashioned weeding techniques and barriers of netting and fleece are applied to deter birds and mammals along with crop rotation to prevent pests and diseases. Knowing that such efforts are being made to supply the ‘as nature intended’ produce on your lunch plate certainly enhances the whole culinary experience.

Vegetable garden

Vegetable garden and scarecrow

Alongside the vegetables, a valley area has been constructed specifically for the purpose of growing mushrooms, with mentoring from Richard Edwards at Humungus Fungus, they hope to produce up to twelve different varieties throughout the year.

La Vallee de Champignons

On the opposing side of the vegetable garden, secluded by hedging you are suddenly and quite unexpectedly submerged in the sanctuary of a Japanese tea garden. Now, I’m particularly ignorant in Japanese culture, in fact my only knowledge is entirely television based and almost exclusively from the Japanese cult TV show ‘Monkey’, which I now discover was actually entirely filmed in China! But whenever I hear those two words ‘Japanese’ and ‘garden’ together it immediately conjures up images of miniaturised plants and rock formations, almost like I've been washed up on the island of Lilliput!

Tea Garden of Fugetsu-An

This Tea Garden of Fugetsu-An however is beautifully executed and long established, incorporating Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto influences and providing the flora and fauna expected along with single stone walkways, rock gardens, linked ponds and babbling streams, traversed by small bridges and housing a traditional Tea House pavilion. It is idyllic to wander through and offers contemplation locations aplenty. Although, and it’s probably just me, but isn't placing a garden of serenity within this whole heavenly setting akin to sedating a sloth? I guess that’s the beauty of gardening, each design, layout, or plant offers something different for everyone. I would think that the hardest decision Mr Blanc and his kitchen staff have, is which delightful location to choose in the entire garden when contemplating their next culinary delight.

Striking bronze statues are situated throughout the garden and really draw your view to all corners of the site. We were particularly enchanted with the little boy lying on the lawn, book in hand, outside la maison des fleurs in the center of the gardens.

The stroll back to the main house lead us past the 17^th century pond, now partly used to irrigate the garden and through an arch back on to the main lawns. As my wife and I sat on the terrace awaiting our family, we couldn't help feeling that something wasn't quite right, and then both agreed that the ‘L’Orangerie’ addition to the main house is not aesthetically pleasing and feels exactly like that ‘an addition’; it’s not nearly architecturally striking enough and sits uncomfortably against the classic splendour of the main house. It either needs a colour to blend it or some creative planting to partially obscure. And while we’re at it, the modern garden furniture doesn't lend itself to the surroundings either and compromises the view of the ancient garden wall. OK, so these are our own humble opinions and it does feel a little like we're picking holes in a work by Millais, but we thought we’d offer them all the same.

Main lawn and La Maison Des Fleurs

Unsurprisingly, our lunch was a real masterpiece, and each course and meal was enjoyed by all, and delivered impeccably by the friendly and extremely well informed staff.

I guess the clue’s in the name and like all gardens this one needs to be viewed throughout the seasons. One down, look forward to future outings in summer, autumn and winter. It could get very expensive!

Wand 'er' lust?

2013-05-13T05:11:00.000-07:00

Listen, I’m as bigger admirer as most of all things ‘non-muggle’. I delight in the creativity of the stories and the pleasure it gives my children to re-enact these adventures.

After a recent trip to the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios, I was equally impressed with the tour and marvelled at the work and detail that has gone into producing this magical world to the screen, and was particularly entertained by Warwick Davis and Nick Dudman’s beautifully comical guide to special effects.

However with all these things the tour throws you out into the gift shop, and whilst you always attempt to prepare yourself for the worst, my surprise at the merchandise prices was matched only by my realisation that Professor Snape was one of the good guys.

In my family, this is how it works; as I don’t have an overflowing vault deep in Gringotts, the parents pay for entry and children earn pocket money for spending on any superfluous items they desire. That way they make their own judgement on good value for money……they all left empty handed.

Back at home in the garden, (yes, there is a tenuous link) whilst my children had fashioned Hagred’s Hut from dust sheets and our garden furniture, and were unsuccessfully performing spells with cricket stumps, it dawned on me.

Not wanting to harp on or rant about ‘in my day’ stories prior to the current health and safety influences that occasionally blight our children’s creativity. I certainly recall having a small collection of penknives and can remember my joy at receiving my first Victorinox knife and the comparative discussions with friends about how useful the various tools were. ‘It’s for cleaning horses hooves of course’ ‘oh yeah, really useful!’ We would whittle all sorts of various items and even produced a line of well designed fishing priests.

Back to the present, I asked my children to find a wand sized stick or branch, and with careful supervision, we used some knives to remove bark, sandpaper to smooth and created some magical, spell bounding and truly unique devices. I know these will be treasured for years to come.

Real magic!

Blue Cliveden

2013-05-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been visiting Cliveden since I was a small child, so I’m thrilled that my three young children get as much as I did and still do from this amazing setting. But hey, what’s not to like? Woodland, river, formal gardens, sculpture, great architecture, history, pond gardens, maze, secret paths, wildlife, play parks, picnic areas, not forgetting cappuccino and ice cream. No wonder it’s the flagship attraction for the National Trust.

Cliveden - southerly view of the house from the bluebell woods

As a family we are frequent visitors, and often find ourselves in the woodland to the south of the main house, where they have recently constructed ‘Clive’s Den,’ (you see what they did there, brilliant!) a simple and somewhat impromptu wood structure that my children believe they have conquered as their own.

Today, a bank holiday, sun shining, everyone quite rightly had the same idea to make this there destination. Directed to the temporary overfill car park we immediately set off to the fitness trail in the woods and the ‘children’s’ den. ‘Daddy, daddy, come quickly, look the ground’s gone blue’, well aware of the awaiting azure carpet that would greet us, I’m still astounded by the natural beauty of this sight and delighted that my four year old first experience of this view was equally exciting.

The ground has gone blue!

Tulip 'Mount Tacoma' & forget-me-not

Check out the Woodland Trust for great info on bluebells.

With our escarpment decent (steep path) to the river walk and seemingly endless step climb back the main house lawns successfully accomplished, we had deservedly earned our picnic lunch beside the formal gardens displaying perfect white ‘Mount Tacoma’ tulips rising from the unmistakable blue of ‘forget-me-nots’, very striking.

Great flower staking

En route to the maze, pond and playground we crossed through the house gardens. The border displays are in very early growth, but I was inspired by the simple and good looking natural staking, that will eventually support the stunning summer blooms. Also spotted a prominent Rhododendron augustinii.

Rhododendron Augustinii

Purples and blues are definitely my favourite spring colours this week!

Hocus Crocus - now you see it.

2013-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Rosa banksiae ' Lutea'

I’m a long term fan of Crocus, but surprisingly and probably disappointingly for them I've never made a single purchase from their website and tend to use it for inspiration purposes and then source my plants elsewhere. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I just like to see exactly what I’m buying!

Anyhow, I was in the market for a Rosa banksiae 'Lutea', (a thorn-less rambling rose, displaying abundant beautiful small yellow flowers at this time of year) and noticed that Crocus were opening their doors to the public for a day, so I took the opportunity to check out their operation with my family and make a direct purchase.

The Crocus story appears to be a remarkable one; it started in 2000, with sales of 15 plants in the first few months to becoming one of the leading online plant retailers in the UK whilst also supplying a succession of highly acclaimed designers and achieving 'best in show' at Chelsea for 5 out of the last 6 years.

Remarkably my three young children enjoy a day out at a plant nursery, always keeping themselves entertained and today was no exception, particularly when my wife suggested ‘if you look hard enough among all those bamboo varieties you may find a panda.’ So off they hunted!

Crocus - Rose area

The site is large and with claims of providing in excess of 4,000 plant varieties, the selection is quite overwhelming. Amazingly I quickly found my desired rose and was delighted to discover that all 3ltr pots of roses were £10 each today ‘I’ll have two then.’

One little warning, if you do intend to make a visit to Crocus on an open day, be aware that they are not set up as a ‘retail’ nursery, so point of display pricing is pretty non existent and whilst the staff are extremely friendly and helpful, the numbers of visitors they're dealing with can hinder your attempts to quickly locate plants and their cost.

Further exploration of the entire site, with olive and lemon trees to wow my four year old and a abundance of large box hedging for the children to hide between, we eventually discovered the RHS Chelsea preparation area, with some truly inspiring plants.

Crocus - RHS Chelsea preparation

Luzula Nivea

Centaurea 'Jordy'

Briza media

We were particularly impressed with the evergreen perennial 'Luzula Nivea' displaying beautiful white tuffs of flowers which would blend beautifully with the deep purple flowers of the Centaurea 'Jordy', and if you’re into a wild flower meadow display then Briza media is the perfect grass.

Look out for all of these in either the Telegraph and Laurent Perrier gardens at SW3 this year. I’ll certainly be back for the Crocus ‘Post Chelsea Show’ open day in early June to pick up some of my favourites to finish a small garden project - full details will be published in a future post.

Will I now buy online from Crocus? Well if it’s good enough for the likes of Tom Stuart Smith, Jinny Blom, and Andy Sturgeon, it’s good enough for me!