Oxonian Gardener

Hats on, its show time!: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

petrahm — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:07:32 +0000

Eternally venerated, my RHS Chelsea Flower Show trodden, mud encrusted, steel cap boots stand proud in the hallway. Ever the devotee of RHS Chelsea, being part of the build and planting stages to experience the enormity of the work involved and undeniable dedication to detail, has made attending this most esteemed of horticultural shows, all the more special. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show signifies much more than the habitually referred [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Show Garden Planting: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

petrahm — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:28:55 +0000

‘Bring kneeler, trowel, and nail scissors’ read the email. Usually only comically referenced for the ludicrously finicky of gardeners, though at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, nail scissors are simply convention. Detail and precision is the name of the game, far beyond anything one could ever imagine. At Chelsea, not even the brawniest of builders, lifts an eyelid at the scrupulous hoovering of garden walls, washing of trees, meticulous cleaning [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Sneaky Preview RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

petrahm — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:29:36 +0000

Wearing embarrassingly new steel toe cap boots, with matching high visibility couture, access was granted to the Royal Hospital grounds, where preparations for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 are in full swing. The sheer scale of work required to create this most famous of plant shows, is quite incredible. The grounds are simply packed with JCB’s, bobcats, lorries and vans, causing traffic jam havoc. The main Chelsea buildings; the [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

The Special Relationship: Chelsea Flower Show, Designer & Plantsman

petrahm — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:02:33 +0000

Renowned, award winning garden designer & plantsman, Roger Platts, explains that the real secret to growing award winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show plants, is the collaborative relationship between nurseryman and designer. In this, the fifth article in the RHS Chelsea 2012 series, Platts shares his experience in growing show garden plants for Jo Thompson, and The Caravan Club’s, ‘A Celebration of Caravanning’ RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden. Team Thompson is [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Painterly Plants by Clare Foster: Book Review

petrahm — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:39:48 +0000

Garden history tends to revolve around the gardens and their gardeners, yet little is written about the plants that actually make those gardens. The humble plant, be it a common Narcissus, or blowsy peony is simply drenched in history, with Egyptians, Hugenots, Aztecs, Ottomans all thrown into the mix. Clare Foster’s book entitled, Painterly Plants, is a marvel. Meticulously documented and beautifully photographed by Sabina Rüber, Foster reveals the intriguing [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

The Socially Acceptable Kitchen Garden: Fruit & Veg Snobbery

petrahm — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:19:00 +0000

Deciding on the varieties of fruit and vegetables to grow is a delightful undertaking. Experienced kitchen gardeners tend to base their choices on; taste, (seasonal) yield, ripening period, soil suitability and disease resistance to limit/prevent use of pesticides. Nostalgia often also plays a part, where (local) heritage varieties may be chosen over modern (F1) hybrids. However, one can’t help but notice the ever increasing pressure to grow the trendier; unusual, [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

RHS Chelsea Linchpin: The Show Garden Contractor

petrahm — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:19:45 +0000

Without their autographed covenant, the aspiration of an RHS Chelsea Show Garden will remain just that; an aspiration. Eligibility for designing an RHS Chelsea Flower Show requires not just exceptional design, salient designer qualifications, previous show experience, generous sponsor, but above all, cooperation with a dexterous and experienced contractor. Leading on from ‘Chelsea Flower Show: The 2012 Thompson Design‘, the fourth article in this Chelsea series, highlights the role of [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Daffodil Detection: Identification Narcissus Cultivars

petrahm — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:23:28 +0000

For years, we have simply enjoyed the yellow sea of Daffodils in the garden without knowing their true identities. Originally planted in the 1930′s, as part of major structural changes to both the house and garden (believed) by Clough William-Ellis, the daffodils are an important element of the garden. Since the purchase of the house in 1960′s, a minor few cultivars were added, but the daffodils have largely, been left [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Chelsea Flower Show: The 2012 Thompson Design

petrahm — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:05:08 +0000

Leading on from ‘Marathon Woman: An Interview with Jo Thompson‘, the third article in this Chelsea series, highlights Thompson’s inspiration for the design of her ‘A Celebration of Caravanning’, 2012 Chelsea Flower Show Garden. Diarmuid Gavin, once said that good garden design required finding ‘the secret of the location’. Though, what if the location is a flat, 10m by 10m section, along one of the busiest interim avenues in London, [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden

Jostaberry: Last Chance Saloon

petrahm — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:22:18 +0000

Meet our rather adventurous 2009 purchase, Rubus Nidigrolaria; the Jostaberry. Developed in Europe, the Jostaberry is a thornless cross between the Blackcurrant and the Gooseberry. Results to date have been poor to say the least. This, the Olympic year, is its last chance to determine its future; compost heap or eternal sorbet/crumble rich prospects. On the endless quest for tasty curiosities, the Jostaberry joined a whole crew of fruit bushes [...]

Oxonian Gardener - Updates from an Oxfordshire Walled Garden