Winter swept past and suddenly summer is looming large. There are a plethora of gardens to be visited and the best shows on earth to be trawled around, unless of course you’re showing yourself in which case frantic preparations will be underway.
Spring shows have already kicked off with the RHS plant fair and Early Spring shows already done and dusted, next there is Cardiff, THIS weekend, 17-19 April.
Then there’s the Malvern Spring show in early May
RHS Chelsea is lining up to be brilliant with the first appearance of Dan Pearson for a long stretch as well as a new show manager who had delivered some delightfully avant garde ideas in his own show gardens as well as curating for miNiATURE so I’m looking forward to seeing if that translates into changes at Chelsea this year, fingers crossed. I’ve limited myself to one afternoon/evening session, at least for the moment.
Gardeners World Live nips in between the two big London shows and takes us all north and west a bit.
With the RHS Hampton Court flower show being heralded and THE best international garden show (event) no doubt this year it will be all a flurry of people testing this theory. I am going for the first time in years with friends. For a jolly really this time, no tramping round from dawn to dusk notebook and camera in hand talking the ears of all the suppliers and dissecting gardens for bits to incorporate (steal for) my own work. I am kidding myself of course I am nothing if not OCD about gathering ideas.
Bringing up the rear is Tatton Park at what often feels like the height of the gardening season, mid July. I am aiming to get to Tatton this year although it is a bit of a trip for a softie southerner!
Of course there are literally hundreds of other great gardening and garden related shows every year and the RHS by no means has a monopoly,well ok it does have the most media coverage but it’s not the ONLY series of shows! This wonderful website lists so many it makes your eyes water http://www.gardenshows.com/
As well as Chelsea and Hampton Court we’ll be going to Grow London, the Shrewsbury flower show and no doubt a few others.
There are specialist society days such as the British Iris Society and Plant Heritage, plant fairs from Plant Hunter fairs, Rare Plant fairs, Flower Power fairs and open days for the wonderful national garden scheme and of course the National Trust
And next winter there is the Edible Garden Show nothing like being prepared!
