Tune in to Woolcott & Smith on Gauntlett’s Gourmet Show on the BBC’s Three Counties Radio (95.5FM, 103.8FM, 104.5FM) on Saturday, 29 August, 26 September, 24 October, 21 November and 19 December from 11 am to 2 pm and pick up the latest gardening tips and tricks.
This week we visited Hampton Court for the first time in a few years. There was lots to see and we had a fabulous day helped in part to our new friend Mr Caipirinha (fab Brazilian cocktail). Here are a few brief highlights.
What’s Hot…….
Philippa Pearson’s garden for Sadolin Woodcare (Silver-Gilt). We really loved this, a bright combination of vivid perennials and wild flowers, right up our street. If a garden can be happy then this is positively ecstatic, a real mood lifter. The clashing bright colours almost shouldn’t work, but to our eye and many others it worked a charm, as did the different heights of planting and the covered seating area complete with living roof. We stood there transfixed for ages.
We also liked the Southend-On-Sea Borough Council exhibit, entitled ‘Pastures Bye’ (Silver Gilt) which had a nice feeling to it and some great nostalgic detail (see below).
Also quite interesting and thought provoking were the Six Wives of Henry VIII gardens, one garden representing each wife. Particularly well ‘executed’ (ha,ha !) was our friend Anthea Guthrie’s garden, ‘Anne Boleyn’s Garden for a Witch’. We liked the peacock feathers and deep red cornflowers, although Anthea did tell us that the crows played havoc with her corn.
What’s Not……..
There was a strange sinister black pyramid exhibit decorated with red flowers that seemed to be leaking tar all over the grass and poisoning the ground around it. I didn’t want to take a picture of it as it left me totally cold and angry that it was even there in the first place. Maybe I’m just not into conceptual art – ho, hum, a place for everything I suppose.
What’s Fun……..
The Grow Your Own ‘hanging bra-skets’ exhibit made us smile, using old bras, knickers and underpants as hanging baskets, although we weren’t sure about the stains on some of the Y-fronts.
Also great was the kids scarecrow exhibition, taking its inspiration from Henry VIII, there were some very well done Anne-Boleyns complete with detachable heads.
A courtyard garden designed and installed by Woolcott and Smith at Chiltern Street Studios in fashionable Marylebone in central London continues to flourish. The Studio was launched by Whistles founder Lucille Lewin as an independent fashion house and fashion showroom and has been used for many fashion launches and events, for such names as Calvin Klein and Ghost.
In keeping with the ambience of the studio, the garden was designed to complement the studio and offer an attractive outdoor space that could be used for entertaining and as a backdrop for photography and events. Our brief from Lucille was quite specific in a number of ways as she wanted something quite unique and interesting that would make a statement. Taking inspiration from the work of artist Maria Grossman, the courtyard design evolved to become part art installation and part real garden. Entitled ‘Botanical Enigma’, the main feature was a large raised bed made of reclaimed brick with an old fireplace placed in the centre of it with old cast iron window frames, gothic arches and wooden mantelpiece. The backdrop of the garden was created by cladding the back wall with old reclaimed floor boards and other features including a planted up Victorian lavatory cistern, Victorian doors and vintage gardening tools and ornaments. A second raised bed, our ‘Wunderkammer’ feature, built against another wall, was a separate garden containing a ‘Cabinet of Wonders’; old shelves with antique apothecary bottles and botanical curiosities.
The planting had to be for shade and we used many large ivies and ferns and a large cycad to create the effect of an almost sinister space. Also included was Eucomis bicolor, Liriope muscari, Fatsia japonica, Leucothoe fontaneisiana ‘Scarletta’, Pseudopanax crassifolius, Hedera erecta, Polygonatum biflorum, Ruscus aculeatus and numerous sedges. Amongst the more rare and unusual plants used were the fabulous Trochodendron aralioides and the delicate climber Muelenbeckia complexa.
(The garden was featured in the Saturday Times magazine 3rd January 2009 when it was first installed )
It seemed really strange for us this year walking into the Chelsea Show ground without having a garden of our own to go to, having had courtyard gardens here for the last 3 years. Nonetheless, it was great to meet up with friends both old and new and support our fellow designers.
Thankfully, the weather held out on the day of our visit, despite some brief showers early in the morning. Some gardens seemed to be drying out towards the end of the day and some designers were frantically watering their plants to keep them perky.
As always with Chelsea, the quality of most of the gardens was excellent and the nursery exhibits and floral displays in the Great pavilion were amazing. In the pavilion our favourites were the ‘Cayman Islands’ stand (Gold) that recreated an underwater scene with plants placed to resemble a coral reef; we stood there for ages taking it all in, the detail was wonderful. This is a must see and well worthy of the Presidents Most Creative Award. We also loved the Plants with Altitude exhibit which had some really intriguing and interesting alpine plants. The scent in the pavilion was also a knockout with the heady smell of roses and sweet peas.
Amongst our favourite Show Gardens were the ‘Chetwoods Perfume Garden’ (Gold), with its romantic planting, the ‘Leeds City Council Garden’ (Silver Gilt) which had a great feeling and emotion to it and the ‘Canary Island Tourist Board Garden’ (Silver) which had some fabulous exotic plants and a striking memorable layout.
The small gardens didn’t disappoint as usual, although we were at a lost to see why James May’s ‘Paradise in Plasticine’ Garden (No Medal) was included in the Show at all especially as it robbed another gardener of a great opportunity of having that space. Indeed, we have since learnt that this plasticine garden subsequently won the ‘People’s Choice Award for the Favourite Small Garden’. It seems a complete irony that at the world’s best flower show an exhibit without a single living flower in it wins an award for the Favourite Small Garden – The world’s gone completely bonkers!!!!!!! As twice winners of this award ourselves (2006/2007) we always thought artificial flowers were banned from Chelsea, much like the gnomes that we have heard a lot about this week. Ho hum there’s nowt as queer as folk.
Strangely, the ‘Modern Rock Garden’ was one we did like, even though we don’t normally like contemporary gardens, along with the fabulous ‘Helios Eco Chic Garden’ (Gold, Best Urban Garden) and the ‘Children’s Society Garden’(Gold). Amongst the courtyard gardens the ‘Giles Landscapes Fenland Alchemist Garden’ (Gold) well deserved its accolade of ‘Best in Show’ and ‘The Entente Cordial Garden’ (Silver Gilt) was bright, memorable and well executed.
Amongst the trade stands we very nearly got the wallet out to give a good home to an 11 ft high giraffe made out of recycled oil drums. These were amazing and may well be coming back to Bishop’s Stortford with us at a later date, must start saving!
All in all, Chelsea felt a bit different this year, not surprising given the reduced number of gardens as a result of the credit crunch but it was a wonderful Show and we really enjoyed our visit. One thing is for sure we will try our hardest to get back their next year, not visitors but exhibitors once more – watch this space.
Check out our latest showreel
Listen in to Woolcott & Smith on the Gauntlett’s Gourmet Show on the BBC’s Three Counties Radio (95.5FM, 103.8FM, 104.5FM) on Saturday, 25 April, Saturday 23 May and Saturday 20 June from 11 am to 2 pm where they’ll be sharing their top tips and offering plenty of gardening advice.
Opposition rally against the building of an All-Weather Flood Lit Hockey Pitch on Green Belt land in Bishops Stortford, Herts. Sunday 29th March 2009, 11am
Nearly 300 people with their children and their dogs turned out today (Sunday 29th March 2009) to add their support backing the mounting opposition against the development of a beautiful green space in the historic market town of Bishops Stortford in leafy Hertfordshire. The plan proposed by a local hockey club, involves caging off the area with 3.5m high fencing, rising to 4.5m in some places, laying Astroturf and then lighting it with 8 x 14m high floodlights. Sport provision is tremendously important but we need to site the facilities in the right place.
Organised by local gardeners, Woolcott and Smith, who live in the area, the ‘Keep it Real’ rally was an amazing success in raising the profile of the issue. Further coverage together with photos will be available in the next edition of The Herts and Essex Newspaper due to come out on Thursday 2nd April 2009.
The planning decision will be made at a public meeting of the Development Control Committee on the 8th April 2009. Email info@woolcottandsmith.com for more information.
