THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING
Spring is a time for looking forward and with the help of our television horticulturalist, Camilla Bassett-Smith, we’ve plenty of horticultural hope ahead to share………
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show may have been postponed until September and the Malvern Spring
Show 2021 is no longer, however there is still plenty of choice for horticultural activity and botanical banter amongst fellow enthusiasts!
Dibleys Nurseries, known for their spectacular Streptocarpus and Begonia plants and winners of 30 RHS Chelsea gold medals, are hosting another of their highly successful virtual flower shows. Save the date for the 17th and 18th April and sign up at
virtualflowershow.uk. They will be joined by a large number of their fellow gold medal winning nursery friends, including Plantagogo with their handsome heucheras, Dianthus of distinction from Calamazag Plant Nursery and perfect peonies from Primrose Hall. It’s not just perennial classics, weird and wonderful carnivorous will be represented by Wack’s Wicked Plants and the best horticultural picks for your ponds will be putting in an appearance courtesy of Waterside Nursery.
You can browse the virtual floral halls, take behind the scenes tours and partake in Q & A sessions. A dedicated YouTube channel will also offer ‘how to’ guides and nursery information to help you select and grow your perfect plants for 2021.
If daffodils are your thing, as you know they are definitely top of my botanical pops, then by joining the Daffodil Society, you could enter your blooms in their Virtual Show. You can submit photographs of your best showstoppers until the 16th April, with many different classes for different types. Blooms will be judged by Daffodil Society and overseas judges. For some free floral fun without signing up to the Society, you could take part in the judging yourself - public are being invited to submit their scores with a prize being offered to the person whose submission most closely agrees with the official results! Who knows, you may be on
an RHS judging committee before the year is out! For more information, visit
www.thedaffodilsociety.com
However, if you’re itching to get outside and experience a real live plant fair for yourself, then head for the brand new BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, from the same team that bring you Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC! Just a couple of hours away in the grounds of Beaulieu in Hampshire, this will be a gathering of gardeners galore. The event is being partnered by the critically acclaimed Hillier Nurseries – founded in 1864 and owner of 74 RHS Chelsea Gold Medals – many readers will have seen their eye-catching gardens created inside the Great Pavilion at Chelsea over the years, with a plethora of perennial plants, trees and water features to impress.
At this new spring event, they will be presenting the Hillier Experience – a feature you can walk around, filled with spring garden ideas and planting combinations. Experts will offer advice and you can come away with a plant or two, including a couple of new introductions to excite and show off to your neighbours once they can finally share a garden soiree!
There will also be a number of other high-quality nurseries on site with plants to buy, a BBC Good Food Market, gardening exhibitions, the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Editors’ ‘What to Do Now Stage’ and a bandstand with music to keep you entertained. Taking place at the end of May, providing some light in the loss of RHS Chelsea in their usual slot, book tickets now online at BBC
GardenersWorldFair.com for Friday 28th – Sunday 30th May and ensure a botanical bank holiday!
If you’d prefer to stay at home but celebrate the happiness that our green spaces bring, then Garden Day UK is for you. Taking place on the 9th May, this nationwide community benefit movement, now in its third year, aims to inspire and bond the
35
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
