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.