UNITED KINGDOM - GARDENS SPECIAL 2011
Posted March 30th, 2011
GARDEN SHOWS
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 24-28 May
Australian Garden to feature rarely seen before plants - The Australian Garden presented by the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, will be displaying unique and endangered plant species native to Australia that have rarely been featured before at Chelsea Flower Show.
The Australian Garden tells the story of the metaphorical journey of water through Australia’s arid outback eastward to the urbanised coast.
All plants displayed, including the turf, are Australian native plants and have been sourced from specialist nurseries in Spain and Sicily. The Show Garden will feature over 2,000 Australian native plants, including a number of species not commonly seen at Chelsea, such as the iconic Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychitonrupestris); 25 varieties of Grevillea, including the intriguingly-named Grevillea ‘Spiderman’; and the distinctive Firewheel Tree (Stenocarpussinuatus).
The Australian Garden, is based on the multi award-winning Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in Victoria.
Visit www.rbg.vic.gov.au / www.visitmelbourne.com/uk
There are other gardens at the Chelsea Flower show that will encourage visitors to travel the world. Plant expeditions to the Himalaya, Alps and Andes have inspired a magnificent display of alpines by Edinburgh-based Kevock Garden Plants. Birmingham City Council has been inspired by the work and landscapes of American zoologist, Diane Fossey, who devoted her life to studying gorillas in the mountain forests of Rwanda, Central Africa. Dave Green, an amateur grower is bringing the flora of South America to Chelsea, inspired by trips to Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. Whilst closer to home, the Somerset countryside will be recreated by Kelways, Fever-Tree’s Tree House Garden sounds interesting too. The Tree House is the focal point of the garden made partly by using reclaimed wood from ‘Cinchona Ledgeriana’ trees (fever trees), whose bark produces the world’s highest quality quinine, the vital ingredient in Fever-Tree Tonic Water. Fever-Tree co-founders, Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, traced one of the last remaining plantations of ‘Cinchona Ledgeriana’ trees to the Congo. As well as creating the bitter flavour in tonic water, quinine is also known for its treatment of malaria.
Fever-Tree’s Tree House Garden, celebrates a selection of other plants that have been used over the years to treat fevers: Rosa Gallica (Apothacary’s Rose) is an easy rose for amateur gardeners as it is not prone to black spot or green fly. One of the oldest known roses, it been used in medicine for centuries, most commonly the leaves would have been made into an herbal tea to break a fever.
FillipendulaUlmaria (Meadow Sweet) is another fever remedy administered after drying and grinding up the roots and adding to beverages. The leaves are reminiscent of strawberries and turn almost variegated after flowering. It grows anywhere and the flowers have a heady musky sweet scent.
Verbena Officinalis (English Vervain) is a strikingly delicate plant with tiny pink flowers and grows to about one metre. The name Vervain is Celtic and means to drive away (fevers). It is usually found in meadows and not widely grown but is perfectly suited to garden cultivation.
For Fever-Tree, taste is everything and Rolls and Warrillow have travelled extensively hunting for the highest quality natural ingredients for the mixers range. Other key plants in the garden include citrus, lemon thyme and rosemary from the Mediterranean as well as a ‘chocolatey’ ginger from Cochin in India.
One hundred of the world’s best growers and nurseries will also be at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, creating the spectacle that is the Great Pavilion.
Ticket prices range from £15 - £50. All tickets must be bought in advance.24-25 May, RHS members only ; 26-28 May, RHS members and non-members. To book tickets, visit www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea or call +44 (0)844 338 7528. RHS show information: +44 (0)20 7649 1885 or www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea
Holker Hall Garden Festival 3-5 June -Set in the grounds of Holker Hall & Gardens in Cumbria, the festival is a celebration of gardens, countryside, food and crafts. This year’s three-day event’s special guest is BBC Gardener’s World presenter Carol Klein.
The prize for the winning show garden at Holker is always hotly contended and with more show gardens than ever before, there will no doubt be some beautiful creations in the running for the Best Festival Show Garden Award. Last year the judges commented that the standard of the Show Gardens was so high that at least two of them would have been awarded very good medals at Chelsea.
More than 160 exhibitors from Cumbria and further afield attend the event ranging from food producers and hand-made crafts to garden furniture and plant nurseries. Visit www.holkerfestival.co.uk.
BBC Gardeners’ World Live –Tickets are now on sale for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2011, both at NEC Birmingham 15 – 19 June 2011.
BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be playing host to leading garden experts including Monty Don, the returning presenter of Gardeners’ World, and Alan Titchmarsh.
With over 25 Show gardens, more than 100 nurseries and top experts, keen gardeners will find inspiration in abundance. Head to the RHS Floral Marquee for award-winning nurseries and rare collections of plants or stroll down Plant Avenue. Visit the Shopping Lanes, packed with all the latest gardening gadgets, gifts and local crafts from top manufacturers to artisans. Drop into the Grow Your Own Garden in the heart of the Show gardens for top tips and advice on growing fruit, vegetables and herbs successfully this summer.
BBC Good Food Show Summer –Entry to the BBC Good Food Show Summer is included in the ticket. Discover a wealth of local producers and see live cooking demonstrations from top celebrity chefs.James Martin will be hosting Saturday Kitchen Live with celebrity guests discovering their food heaven and food hell. Once again the nation’s most popular food TV programme will be brought to life in the MasterChef Experience with hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
For ticket prices and bookings: BBC Gardeners World Live call +44 (0)844 581 1340 or book online at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com; BBC Good Food Show Summer call +44 (0)844 581 1344 or book online at www.bbcgoodfoodshowsummer.com
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 20 –24 July, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. The Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show Tatton Park will once again be set in the beautiful surroundings of Cheshire’s stunning thousand acre deer park.
Renowned for its pioneering and innovative gardens and ideas, RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is the highlight of the North of England’s gardening calendar. The 2011 Show will feature Visionary Gardens, Show Gardens, the RHS National Flowerbed Competition, Football Gardens, the announcement of the Young Designer of the Year, the Floral Design Studio, a regional food market and much more.
This year’s Visionary Gardens will bring together art and horticulture to challenge traditional ideas of garden design. Drawing upon a diverse range of global issues, subjects include the Rwandan Refugees’ flight to freedom; the portrayal of women in society and the battle against HIV.
Visitors in search of culinary inspiration should head for the regional food market which will showcase delicious produce from the local area. In addition to this, Fortnum & Mason Michelin-starred Chef Shaun Hill will select the finest ingredients available at the market and incorporate them into his menu on offer at the restaurant in the Fortnum & Mason Marquee.
Garden designers of the future will also display their expertise with this year’s School Gardens. Based around a theme of ‘Countries of the World’, 28 local schools will create gardens – each representing a different country. Local primary schools will also be encouraged to enter the ‘Beautiful Butterflies & Busy Bees’Containers Competition. Containers will be on display for the duration of the Show with visitors voting for their favourite across the five days.
New for 2011 will be the Ladies’ Day taking place on Thursday 21 July. Featuring talks, fashion, demonstrations and cocktails.
Ticket prices range from £19.50 to £28. Children under 16 go free.To buy tickets visit www.rhs.org.uk/tatton or call +44 (0)844 581 0810
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 5 – 10 July, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower show will unfold for the 22nd time this summer, taking over the palace grounds with a lavish feast for the senses. A yearly spectacle spanning 34 acres, it is the UK’s biggest gardening show and has grown into a British cultural institution that is sure to delight both young and old green-fingered visitors.
Visitors will be able to explore the RHS Edible Garden and witness artisanal production methods first-hand - from hop pickers on stilts to the art of bee-keeping. Show Gardens will offer an arresting display of colour and design while this year's Conceptual Gardens will stimulate mind and body alike, tackling themes as wide-reaching as cancer, the human thought process, and life in a technologically connected world. A literary touch will be found in the Poets' Gardens, dedicated to the works of Keats, Byron, Lewis Carroll, and other British greats. Plant Heritage will be on hand to breathe life into selected chapters of plant history and geography in its 'Living Library of Garden Plants', and a shopping experience to make any green thumb and plant lover's heart accelerate will be offered in the Floral Marquee.
A stunning new feature this year will see the bank of the Long Water transformed into the set of an Indian summer wedding. Visitors will be immersed in the customs and rituals of these rich and vibrant events which will include a mandap(a traditional Indian wedding pavilion), a giant Ganesh statue made of flowers and greenery. Stands will offer associated activities and ceremonies such as an Indian wedding shopping experience, the exchanging of floral garlands, Mehendi (Henna) art, Indian food and live performing musicians, dancers and fashion shows. The various plants that play central roles in the rituals (henna, tea plants, rice and turmeric) will all be interwoven in the displays.
Tickets from £14.50 - £32.50. Children under 16 free with an accompanying adult
To buy tickets visit www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt or call +44 (0)844 338 7528
GARDENS TO VISIT
London
Open Garden Squares Weekend will take place on 11 and 12 June, Organised by the London Parks and Gardens Trust, the annual event, now in its 13th year, includes approximately 200 gardens in 22 of the London Boroughs.
The weekend offers the rare opportunity to get behind walls and gain inspiration from London’s private community gardens and squares. The majority of the gardens are not normally open to the public; rich in variety and often hidden from view they range from the historically memorable to the small and quirky. They also present a glorious reflection of London’s diversity and visitors will discover contemporary spaces; renowned roof gardens; cemeteries and working allotments.
One weekend ticket allows access to all gardens, although advance booking is essential for Her Majesty's Prison - Wormwood Scrubs and Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace. For the first time, there will be a garden on top of a supermarket; a garden with a building with a fizzy bottle roof and the garden used for horticultural therapy at Royal Hospital Chelsea. There will be the opportunity to tour the newly-restored gardens of Chiswick House with a local historian.
Many of the gardens will be offering activities like garden trails for children, for instance the Culpeper Community Garden in Islington.
Open Gardens Squares Weekend offers free guided cycling and walking tours between the gardens. Two podcasts and self-guided bike rides can be downloaded from www.londongardenstrust.org/guides and www.opensquares.org provides all the latest news and updates.
One ticket allows entry to all venues over the entire weekend. Ticket prices will be £7.50 in advance and £10 if bought during the weekend. These will be available from 5 May. For full information visit www.opensquares.org
W Sussex
Borde Hill Gardens, Roses in Bloom 6 – 30 June - One of the finest arrays of roses in South-East England comes into its full glory in June, as Borde Hill Garden, near Haywards Heath celebrates a season of heady fragrances and enchanting walks through beautifully scented displays.
The spectrum of colour, from soft pinks to deep crimson, intermingled with the heady fragrances of old English roses, marks a glorious celebration of the best-loved of all garden flowers.
The Rose Garden planted in 1996, boasts a lavish display of some 100 varieties of David Austin roses. The Rose Garden comprises a number of formal beds bordered by box hedges amid softly curving paths and walks. Reflecting the original style of the 1902 plantings are blue cast iron trellis poles decked with clematis swags leading to an archway into the Mediterranean Garden and beyond. Delphinium, peonies and phlox are also used to great visual effect, complimenting the star turn, the roses.
Borde Hill Garden opens from 21 March to 11 September and 22 to 30 October 2011. Season tickets are also available. Visit www.bordehill.co.uk
Yorkshire
A Garden and a Brewery-Visitors to the TV featured garden Hunmanby Grange Garden, East Yorkshire will get extra value for money on 4 and 5 June when the opening of the garden under the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) coincides with the annual open day for award winning East Coast micro-brewery, Wold Top Brewery.
For just £3 visitors will be able to marvel at the beautiful and interesting garden that Gill Mellor has created despite its exposure to the elements and a challenging soil. Gill will share her stories about how the garden has evolved over a 25 year period into a series of gardens that have been developed depending on shelter, aspect, views and need.
Visitors to the micro-brewery will see where and how the award-winning ales are made and will be able to talk to the brewery owner, Tom Mellor and head brewer Tony O’Rourke Kilburn about what makes Wold Top’s ales so special. There will also be special offers on bottled beers to celebrate the event and refreshments will be available.
The gardens and the brewery will be open between 11am and 5pm on both days and proceeds will go via the NGS to charity. NGS gardens across England and Wales welcome over half a million visitors a year to gardens of quality, character and interest and raise over £2 million each year for nursing, caring and gardening charities. Visit www.hunmanbygrange.co.uk and www.ngs.org.uk.