Hampton Court Palace (copyright Ian Curley)
Of all the RHS flowers shows Hampton Court Palace is the one I’ve wanted to visit the most. Held in the grounds of the historic royal palace, once home to Henry VIII, it is the world’s largest flower show and known for its relaxed, friendly feeling. So far I hadn’t got round to going, that is until yesterday. It was all rather unexpected though. A friend had been given some tickets but wasn’t bothered about going so he asked us if we’d like them. Free tickets to Hampton Court, I couldn’t quite believe it. So here’s a bit of a round-up of our day.
The weather – Left home in Monmouthshire on Wednesday at 7.30am, rain, rain and more rain. Arrived at Hampton Court to dull skies and drizzle and stepped out of the car into what felt like a sauna, the humidity was so high. By lunchtime the sky was blue and the sun was shining but the humidity kept on rising.
Hazards of the day – Firstly, the mud. It was squelchy and slippery in places and I narrowly missed an embarrassing slip. Fortunately, I didn’t have to spend the day with a muddy backside. Secondly, there were a couple of ladies stood behind us at one stand who were a little overexcited at the prospect of meeting Monty Don, I hope he survived the experience.
Trifolium ochroleucon (copyright Ian Curley)
Most Popular Plant of the Show – It had to be Trifolium ochroleucon or giant clover as it became known on the day. It was everywhere, used in the show gardens, on the nursery stands and in trolleys and bags all over the showground.
Mark Diacono about to make cocktails (copyright Ian Curley)
Purchases of the Day – With so much to choose from and an empty car boot I think I was very restrained, or maybe reality has finally set in that my garden cannot take any more plants. I did bring home a Tanacetum ‘Flore pleno’ or the double flowered feverfew. I’ve been looking for this plant for several years now but hadn’t come across it until here. There were some Franchi seeds of an Italian broccoli and several packets of seeds from a great stall in the ‘Growing For Taste’ marquee. I’ve never come across the organic seed company Beans and Herbs before but they had a great selection. And finally, I succumbed to the charms of Mark Diacono at his ‘edible forest garden’ stand. Mark has become known, in recent years, as an exponent of growing more unusual edible plants at his nursery Otter Farm. To show us the taste sensations of some of the plants he grows, he was making and serving cocktails from his stand. We timed our visit perfectly to experience a thyme syrup and lemon verbena cocktail which used some unusual plants to add the sweetness and flavour and then as we were leaving we were passing his stand again, just as his second session was starting. It was a coincidence, unless it was Wellyman’s cunning plan. So we stuck around for his strawberry cocktail, well it would have been rude not to. The cocktails were gorgeous and I fell for the idea of giving something a little unusual a go and came a way with a yacon plant and an Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis). I’ll post in more detail about these plants another day. All I can say is, it’s just as well he’d sold out of the Szechuan pepper trees.
The Casablanca Steps (copyright Ian Curley)
Summery Moment – We haven’t had much of a summer so far, so when these moments happen it’s all the more memorable. I just loved the 1920s/1930s band Casablanca Steps, dressed like they had just stepped out of a Jeeves and Wooster book, they played in the bandstand, whilst we ate lunch in the sunshine. Perfect.
The ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ Show Garden (copyright Ian Curley)
Favourite Show Garden – Bridge Over Troubled Water. I just loved the planting on this show garden. The use of grasses and plants mingling in between, made me think of a hedgerow but with a cultivated, contemporary look. This is where I spotted my favourite plant of the show, Dianthus carthusianorum.
The ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’ Conceptual Garden (copyright Ian Curley)
Favourite Conceptual Garden – Light at the End of the Tunnel. This garden was designed by Matthew Childs who was injured in the July 7th bombing of Edgware Road Station in London in 2005. Inspired by his experiences on that day and subsequently, I thought it felt like a garden with real substance. You entered the garden through a hole in a large stone wall where a path took you through a dark, claustrophobic feeling tunnel but as you walked down the path the tunnel gradually became more open to the sky until you were once again in daylight. It was a simple but clever way of expressing the impact his experience had on him. The planting was beautiful with shade loving plants alongside the path in the tunnel and soft forms and flowers as you left.
The colour of the show – orange (Copyright Ian Curley)
Colour of the Show – This had to be orange. Achillea ‘Walter Funke’, Heleniums, Pilosella otherwise known as ‘fox and cubs’, Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’ were all a stunning shot of colour which came to life as the sun came out.
Favourite Plant – This was the Dianthus carthusianorum used in the Bridge Over Troubled Water garden. The brilliant shot of pink from the flowers worked so well planted with grasses. With flowers similar to sweet williams but with fewer flowers on a stem, they looked quite ethereal, similar to verbena bonariensis although much shorter in height. This is definitely a plant that will go on my wish list.
The herbaceous borders at Hampton Court Palace (copyright Ian Curley)
Surprise of the Day – The stunning herbaceous borders of the palace itself. We’d only visited Hampton Court once before, about 13 years ago in January, to look around the palace. We had no idea that the gardens themselves would be so beautiful.
We left tired, with sore feet but having had a great day. Can’t wait to explain my yacon plant to the guys on the allotment.
A lovely gift of a day out. That dianthus has been on my wishlist for a little while too, it’s rather lovely isn’t it?
Hi Hillwards, It was such a lovely day. Definitely put the dianthus on my wish list. I’m annoyed I couldn’t get a close up photo of it at the show but I don’t think you’re meant to go clambering over the show gardens. 🙂
What a lovely surprise being given tickets like that, especially when it’s somewhere you’ve wanted to go for sometime. It sounds like you got some decent weather too, so different from the weather we’re having here today, torrential rain, yet again. It sounds like you had a very interesting day.
Hi Jo, We were lucky, fortunately. It’s such a shame when so many events have been ruined by the weather this year. People work so hard to organise so many great festivals and fairs. I mean we’re quite used to rubbish summers in Britain but this year is testing the most hardened of us.
Off there on Saturday. Had a lovely ladylike Summer outfit planned, but looks like I will be in jeans and hiking boots as usual.
Hi Blueshed, When I left home it was cold and wet so I dressed for that. When we got there it was so humid, jeans and boots were just too much. A summery dress would have been much better but then the ground was in such a state that boots were the only footwear that were appropriate. Hope you had a good day despite the weather.
Looks like you had a great day, despite the mud!! Excited ladies for Monty.. didnt know he had groupies 🙂
Hi Mark and Gaz, It was quite amusing.. I had an image of these 2 woman stalking him around the show ground and appearing in the TV footage, hovering in the background.
Lucky you, being given tickets!! Have been twice in the past and thoroughly enjoyed it, coming home with too many plants! Love the colour of Achillea Walter Funke, just what I need in my Bee and Butterfly border.
Hi Pauline, I know I couldn’t believe it. Every year we say we’ll go and then other things get in the way and then I watch the TV coverage and think there goes another year. I was mostly interested in the growing food marquee and the show gardens so didn’t see too many nurseries which is just as well really. It is a beautiful rusty colour. I was meant to have it in my garden but the one I bought was labelled up wrongly and I’ve got ‘red velvet’ instead. Beautiful but not quite the colour I was looking for.
Hampton is fantastic and it sounds like it was a great day out – particularly like the sound of the strawberry cocktails :-)) …
Hi Woolly Green, They were tasty enough for someone who doesn’t drink to give them a go. Hampton is certainly my favourite RHS show so far.
You’re doing well this year. First derek Jarman’s garden now Hampton Court. I’m envious!
Hi Bridget, Yes I know. I was so lucky to come across those tickets. It’s not normally the sort of thing that happens to me so I was so chuffed. I’ve been waiting for years to go but just never got round to it.
Lucky you! It’s certainly the one big show that I’ve really enjoyed having been a couple of times some years ago.
Despite the humidity, you were fortunate with the weather considering what it had been like earlier in the week
Thanks for an excellent post which really gives such a good impression of this year’s show. xx
I know, Flighty, I was over the moon to get the tickets. It is certainly my favourite RHS show so far and we were lucky with the weather. Glad you enjoyed the post. WW x
You’ve put me to shame Welly, driving all the way from North Wales for the day. I had a ticket for today, overslept and woke with a muggy headache. No motivation to get out of the house as it was chucking it down and a friend who went yesterday had told of huge crowds. Now, reading your post, I wish I’d gone. Mark Diacono’s display was the reason for buying the ticket, his cocktails sound great! I’m going to have to look up Yacon tree to see what you’ve bought!
Oh don’t feel guilty. We’re in south Wales, just a few minutes from the M4 so it’s not that bad a journey, as long as traffic is kind, and fortunately it was. We were lucky to go on a day when it’s for members and corporate tickets only. It was much quieter and the weather did make a difference. Sometimes you just get days like that where things don’t work in your favour. The cocktails were good but I’m sure you’ll get a chance to experience them another time. I’ll be posting soon about the yacon.
Sounds as if you had a great day out WW. Visited Hampton once years ago by train from here – exhausting but fun. It was a tremendously hot day and we remain convinced that my friend’s clematis purchase grew at least a foot on the way home. Look forward to reading more about the lippia which was mentioned in the tv coverage along with those cocktails which looked most moreish. As for explaining your purchases to the guys at the allotment surely yakon do it.
Anna, you did make me chuckle! It was a lovely day and not too tiring for us because we didn’t really do the trade stands which I’d seen a lot of at Malvern. Feet were still tired but we paced ourselves a bit more.
Lovely focal images to give us a flavour of the day. Rather chuffed that the Trifolium is catching on as I’ve been growing this big clover as a Courtyard garden plant for a few years now.( http://patiopatch.co.uk/2012/06/courtyard-garden-plants-5-6/) Such a trend setter 😉