Chelsea 2011: The Power of Nature

The Power of Nature garden, sponsored by Worcester-Bosch, was supposed show how nature provides renewable energy for heating, with materials chosen to represent the elements: earth, air, fire and water. It even included strips of photovoltaic cells in the walls to power a waterfall.

Chelsea 2011: Homebase Cornish Memories Garden

Designer Tom Hoblyn won a Silver Gilt for the Homebase Cornish Memories Garden, having been marked down by the judges for not fulfilling his own brief to base the garden on the native plants of Cornwall, instead using many of the species more commonly found in the famous Cornish gardens (such as tree ferns and rhododendrons).

Chelsea 2011: Shell game

One of the most attractive gardens on show wasn't one of the show gardens, but an exhibit created by Cheltenham-based Architectural Heritage, which showed off several of their pieces, some nice planting (as seen above), and lots of different things you can do with shells - and unlike the show gardens, you could walk in rather than having to mill about outside.

There's a buzz about Paeonia lactiflora

The Trailfinders/Fleming Nurseries Australian Garden, designed by Ian Barker, won a Silver Gilt  at Chelsea. It was inspired by the journey made by Captain Cook and Sir Joseph Banks on the Endeavour as they mapped the Southern hemisphere (1768-1771), and featured plants found by Banks on the journey.

Chelsea 2011: M&G Garden

The M&G Garden, designed by multi award-winning garden designer, landscape architect and journalist Bunny Guinness, won a Silver Gilt medal.

It had been expected to win a gold, and possibly should have. Apparently the judges felt that too much was packed in to it, but we rather liked much of the design and planting in this very ordered kitchen garden.

Allotted

My neighbours obviously like potatoes

I've been on the waiting list for an allotment for about 3 years. I did get to the top of the list before Christmas. However, the first plot I was offered was too far away. Carrying a fork, spade and compost would have been a real struggle along a narrow, overgrown path. The second plot was right beside the boundry fence and triangular - not an easy shape to divide into beds and it wasn't near any water. So, I suggested they were offered to someone else and I sadly went back on the waiting list.

Well it was worth the wait. The plot I've been offered is 6m wide by 15m long (it is actually half a plot). It is right beside the tap, so I don't have far to carry water. It is in a great position - lots of light and neighbours who obviously work their plots.

So, what does it look like...

Tongues and Lungs

Pulmonaria or Lungwort

If you have a shady spot where nothing will grow - try Pulmonarias. These beauties will grow quite happily in that shady corner, will stay evergreen all year long and provide early nectar and pollen for the bees. I have a clump I inherited when we bought the house. I'm not certain which variety they are but, every year they provide the most fantastic show. Plus, they also attract one of my favourite bees.

Daffodils in flower

If you choose carefully it is possible to have Daffodils flowering in the garden from January through to May.

All my Tete a Tete daffs are flowering away at the moment. But, I have a couple of pots of Hawera which have very tight flower buds that are still developing. They won't be flowering for a few more weeks.

Here is a selection of Daffodils and Narcissi that have caught our eye.

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not - Mon Ami

Some gardeners have an encyclopedic memory. They would no more forget the name of a plant and when they planted it in their garden - than forget their children's names and birthdays.

Unfortunately I'm not one of them - which is why I started this blog. Hopefully writing things down will help me remember plant names long after the label has been bleached in the sun or lost down the back of the compost bin.

It was such a nice weekend that I thought it must be time to go shopping in the garden centre...

Snowdrops are go...er gone

All my snowdrops have stopped flowering and I'm trying to decide whether to dead head them or not. For the last couple of years I have got down on my knees and dead headed the lot. 

But, some of the show gardens that specialise in showing off their galanthine collections don't seem to bother and they still keep flowering vigorously every year. Hopefully my little lot will self seed and I'll be up to my ankles in a snowdrop carpet.