RANGE REVIEW: OUTDOOR LIVING RANGE REVIE : OUTDOOR LIIVING RANGE REVIE TA AK EW EW: TAKE ITOUTSIDE


Fiona Garcia reports from this year’ s RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, picking up on some of the key outdoor living and garden trends.


they’d just sold their last one in that shade. It’s little wonder, consider,, considering red is tipped to be a big colour in the garden thr ough 2018/2019. Charlie Bloom’s garden also boasted Imperata ‘Red Bar on’, or blood grass, as it is known, and another Achillea called ‘Saucy Seduction’.


B&Q wowed with its Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden, which was brimming with the newly-launched Imara Bizzie Lizzies in r ed, r ose and orange.Awall filled with hanging planters packed with the blooms was particularly striking. The garden, which was designed by Matthew Childs and built by Living Landscapes, was created to showcase Britain’s bedding favourite in an unexpected way and Matthew based the look on a photograph of impatiens in a natural setting in their native South Africa. The finished article saw the bright blooms set against the tropical greenery of palms, Japanese banana tr ees, gunnera magellanicas, ferns and hostas.


It was a feast for the eyes and a real favourite with the RHS judges, who awarded it a coveted gold medal, as well as awards for Best Show Garden and Best Construction.


Amber tones Another


colour that was in


abundance at the show – as it had been ay Chelsea in May – was vibrant yellow in a range of shades. It was wherever you turned; from cushions and outdoor living accessories, to planting schemes and even, in the instance of Alan Rudden’s show garden, bright oxide-yellow walls. The bold backdrop was inspired by Alan’s recent trip to Chile where he said the colour was “used Valparaiso region.


A selection of Mediterranean and (probably


everywher e” in the Va drought-tolerant plants


B&Q’s Imara Bizzie Lizzies were displayed to great effect in Matthew Childs’ design


opportunity to get some inspiration and see what’s at the forefront in outdoor living and gardening.


W


The show boasts a huge cross- section of visitors with the same aim in mind, fr om RHS members and the general public to garden designers and horti professionals. One domestic garden designer DIY Week spoke to was on the look-out for unusual


We 28 DIY WEEK 20 JULY 2018


hen looking for the latest outdoor trends, a show like Hampton Court Flower Show is the perfect


garden sculptures for one of his clients and came away very happy clutching information on a number of exhibitors that caught his eye.


away very happy y,,


Unlike RHS Chelsea, the flower show at Hampton Court has much more space to spread out, with gardens, plant marquees and exhibits stretched out across


extensive grounds. This makes for a more relaxed atmosphere, I’m told by many of the growers and exhibitors, who say it’s one of their favourite shows; and, more importantly puts people in the mood to buy As at Chelsea this year


e mood to buy his year, therr,


an abundance of lupins in various hues at Hampton Court, and bright blooms wer e


all the nting, set off rage. The


Brilliance In Bloom show garden, designed by Charlie Bloom, proved popular with visitors thanks to its bold planting, set of


the palace’s y.. I ff by a vibrant


y,, often y..


e was


coloured mosaic at the heart of the display. It also featur ed a flower Isaw in more people’s tr olleys and bags than I can count. A huge number of people seemed to have bought themselves an Achillea millefolium ‘Red Beauty’ – so many


auty’ – so many


more relevant than ever this summer), blue agapanthus and purple salvia complimented the colour scheme perfectly, while Irish strawberryy,ftl trees were pollarded and “pruned really har d to give them an unusual and more gnarly and architectural look”, Alan explains. “People have been asking about the trees and are surprised to find out they are just Irish strawberry tr ees,” he says, adding that “it’s really important to use plants you can get in the UK, so it is realistic that people can recreate the look themselves if they want.”


perfectly, while Irish strawb


when I spoke to Hardy’s Cottage plants on day three of the show


y,, in fact, that w,,


The Gold-medal winning garden also boasted a glass panel running along the back of the exhibit, which was used to create light. “Lighting is r eally important in a garden,” Alan says “That’s what show gardens are about – trying new ideas.”


The colour was also echoed in the gold tones of the corten steel


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