In my last post I promised some photos of some of my favourite of the show gardens. The first was the Hope on the Horizon garden built by Matt Keightley. I took loads of photos of this garden, it was very photogenic from almost any angle.
A number of injured soldiers (mostly from tours of Afghantistan) were being interviewed by local TV and radio. They clearly felt a connection with the garden, which is great because it will be dismantled and rebuilt at a Help for Heros centre in Colchester. The public have also enjoyed it as it was awarded the People’s Choice award for the favourite show garden.
Above is Harry and David Rich, who’s Night Sky Garden’s naturalistic planting really hit a spot for me.
The Garden for First Touch was right up my street. I loved the rusted steel water courses. The garden was inspired by, and sponsered by, the St George’s Hospital charity, to highlight their neonatal work.
One of the gardens that really caught my eye was the House of Frasier fresh garden called Texture, that featured a pink furry antlers head, a pink coffee table covered in moss balls and a pretty combination of cottage garden favourites.
I also promised you celebrities. The so called ‘great and the good’. Although just because someone is on the telly doesn’t necessarily make them and greater or ‘good’er’ than the rest of us. When we returned that evening we watched the BBC coverage of the day and they listed a long ream of celebs who had been there: Stephen Fry (didn’t see him), Rowan Atkinson, (didn’t see him), Rob Brydon (didn’t see him), Jerry Hall (didn’t see her), Jennifer Saunders (didn’t see her), Michael Parkinson (didn’t see him).
Apologies to my readers not in the UK if none of these names mean anything to you. So I might have missed some of the big stars, but not all of them. Oh no. I did manage to see Christopher Biggins. The poor guy was having to explain himself to somebody as to why he was not going to have his civil partnership changed to be a marriage now the rules have changed. I’d have told her it was none of her business…
Susanna Reid was there, and really pleased the paparazzi by dancing with some guy who’s son she had been chatting too.
We saw that guy from Countryfile and his wife, who managed to get a taste of the deliciously smelling strawberries from the Ken Muir stand. We chatted with the exhibitor but no strawb was forthcoming to us mere mortals. In fact the other guy from Countryfile was also there with his wife too. As was the woman from Countryfile. And come to mention it, the other guy from Countryfile was there too being shown around the floral marquee with Mary Berry, I couldn’t get a decent shot as they were surrounded by RHS minders.
You can tell who are the guests and who are the press/exhibitors from their footwear.
Andy Murray’s wife Kim Sears was there, but I didn’t get a photo as it felt intrusive as she was on her own not with him, although I later see that thought didn’t occur to the Daily Mail photo editors. Kirsty Allsopp was there, as was Gary Kemp. I know it is a nice day out, especially if they have been given free tickets just for being famous, but many of them did seem genuinely interested in seeing the stands and the gardens. (I guess many of those I didn’t see were otherwise engaged in the hospitality tent).
I could go on and on. I’ve spared you the photo of Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen with his nose in a rose. I’ve also spared some of the gardening press who’s photos I took, but daren’t publish.
Some poor model dressed in only underwear was draped over the BrandAlly Renaissance garden, again surrounded by paps, but it seemed designed only to get themselves in the papers so I walked on by. I did however take a picture of a different more tastefully dressed model on the World Vision upside down garden, because although the garden itself didn’t do it for me she looked so serene compared to the surroundings.