Doddington Hall visit - Sculpture (part one)

 Last Wednesday, we headed out to Doddington Hall, which is hosting a sculpture exhibition over the summer.  I took many photos, so will split them up into several posts.  If I can find or remember the number, I will add the name of the sculpture and the artist.  All of the sculptures were for sale but the prices reflected the creativity, the time they took to make and the costs of materials, as they should. However, I could dream and in my head, I spent a lot of money!

I do like hares, so this first one, 'Large Leaping Boxing Hares' by Martin Duffy was right up my street.

'Rain man' by Shaun Gagg was made out of nuts.

'Smoke - Life size whippet' and the 'Sitting greyhound' by Stuart Anderson were ones I would have happily taken home.  I do like the elegance of these dogs.

This bronze pangolin by David Cooke caused lots of interest as we went round.  

This horse, 'Stanley's Shoes', by Paul Pibworth, is made of of stainless steel plates which have letters stamped out of them.  

I really liked this idea.

These three large panels, 'Make a Wish' by Ian Gill warranted a closer look...

...the artist has bent the cut out pieces back, rather than removing them, to give a three dimensional effect.

More blue stained glass by Joe Szabo...

...and again.  It's the blue panes which captured my interest.

The bronze and steel 'Stag Head' by Nadine Collinson looked very much at home in the tree filled setting.

I would have loved to have taken the 'Corten Fern' by Ian Gill home with me too, but it was a little out of my price range.

It is a beautiful thing.

More photos to come...

RHS Chatsworth 2018

I had a lovely day at RHS Chatsworth last Saturday.  This was the second show and the organisers had learnt a lot from last year.  The traffic was well stewarded and things went very smoothly.  We were incredibly lucky with the weather - it started off warm but dull; however, once we arrived, the sun came out and it was hot.  I needed the suncream, hat and sunglasses I had taken.  Last year, there were not enough seats, which had been improved a lot this year and when we wanted to sit down, we found plenty of seating available.  We sat under a convenient tree for tea and cake and the shade was much appreciated by us all.  Above is the river of cosmos in front of the house - around 12,000 plants, I understand.

It was very pretty and the insects were enjoying it.

The view across the river with the 'glasshouse' ...

...and the view from one of the bridges.

(collages created using picmonkey)

There were installations such as these trees and this foxglove.  There was a moving sculpture which fascinated me but which reminded me of an alien - in a photo, it is much less impressive.

There 'long borders' were alive with insects too and contained some lovely planting combinations.  The theme was 'movement'.

There were some show gardens which all featured naturalistic plantings.  I did like the little Yorkshire cottage (top right).

Inside the floral marquees were some beautiful displays although the cut flowers found the heat a bit much.

Inside the 'glass house' was this amazing display of orchids, with ferns and lilies.  I spent a lot of the time in there saying 'wow'.  It was stunning.

I do like the dandelions and buttercups - do buy one (if you have a spare £750.00).

Of course, I bought some plants (and incidentally, kept my crown for spending the most money!).  Above are some lewisias, which I have recently started collecting.  Raspberry ice on the right and Snowberry on the left.

Ginkgo biloba Mariken - a dwarf conifer which I didn't even know I wanted until I saw it.  I love the big ginkgos, but didn't think I would ever be able to have one as they get too big.  This one will only grow to two feet high and it will take it ten years to get to that size.

I was after a blue hydrangea as I don't have one and I thought 'Fireworks Blue' would be a good one.

The flowers are a very delicate baby blue.

I also bought a cow parsley sculpture, made from nails - much more in my price range than the dandelion!

Finally, a little sisyrinchium biscutella whose beigey-purple flowers close when they are out of the sun.

It was a lovely day and I am already looking forward to next year.

Chelsea week 2018 (a biased view of my favourite things based on the TV coverage)

 One year, I would like to visit Chelsea Flower Show in person, just to say I have been.  However, I do watch all the TV coverage that I can and in fact, I probably see more through the coverage than I would if I actually went.
I can't take any credit for the photos as I have found them courtesy of the RHS Chelsea website and I have chosen the ones of the gardens or planting or features that I really like.  It is a totally biased view!
The first is The Claims Guys 'A Very British Garden' designed by Janine Crimmins.  It is indeed what a formal British garden conjures up - dry stone walls, roses, box bushes.

This would have made a beautiful fountain.

I also like the cool greens of this garden, The Warner Edwards Garden by Kate Savill and Tamara Bridge. More lovely dry stone walls here too.

I liked the pietra dura mosaic of the British Council Garden, India: a billion dreams by Sarah Eberle and thought the embroidery on the cushion echoing the beautiful stone work was really clever.

 This is such beautiful workmanship.

 The David Harber and Savills garden by Nic Howard featured some dramatic sculpture and striking colours.

 This view of the same garden shows a more gentle side.

 The 'Welcome to Yorkshire' garden by Mark Gregory again showcases beautiful dry stone walls and a great attention to detail, with wool stuck on the fences and a cow pat in the field.

 It has a vegetable plot and I like the water feature.

 I think this is my favourite garden.  I would love to sit by the wisteria and enjoy a cup of tea and piece of cake.  Edited to add: this garden won The People's Choice award this year, voted by viewers and visitors.  It seems we all appreciated the atmosphere of this garden.

 The Wedgewood tea garden by Jo Thompson showcases purple and orange planting with a dramatic sculpture.

You couldn't fail to notice the bright colours in the Supershoes Laced with Hope garden by Laura Anstiss.  It shows the progression for a child diagnosed with cancer, going through the treatment with hope and coming through.

 I do like the sculptures in this garden.

 The planting in the Viking Cruises Wellness Garden by Paul Hervey Brookes looks  really inviting.

 The Silent Pool Gin garden also appealed to me (probably to do with the word 'gin' in the title!) but also a quiet, enclosed place with more stone walls.

So, there are my favourites from the TV coverage I have seen.  I wonder if I will ever visit in person?  Seeing all the hoards of people on the TV coverage does put me off a bit as I think it would be a bit claustrophobic.  However, I am going to RHS Chatsworth in a couple of weeks time, so will let you know how I get on there.

My favourite Chelsea Gardens 2017

I always watch the BBC coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show, but have never actually visited the show.  I think that when I see the crowds, it does put me off.  The TV coverage always gives a much more detailed view of the gardens too, although it doesn't give the whole atmosphere that being there would.  The RHS Chelsea Flower Show website is a great resource and  that is where all these photos have come from.  Thank you to them!
So, onward to a round up of my favourite gardens - a completely biased view, naturally. Above is the 500 years of Covent Garden by Lee Bestall, which got a silver medal.  I like the planting and the zingy blue/green of the metalwork reproduced in the planters.

 The Morgan Stanley Garden by Chris Beardshaw was given a silver gilt medal (I think it should have been a gold).  Again the planting is beautiful and the exuberance represents Mozart's music, whereas the shady area in the right of the picture represents Bach (I think).

 The Linklaters Garden for Maggies by Darren Hawkes also has some lovely vibrant planting (there is a theme here...) and won a gold.

 The Zoe Ball Listening Garden by James Alexander Sinclair offers a contrast to all the vibrant colours, with peace and shade.  The three water features all have different ripple patterns which give different sounds and apparently, if you put your foot on the gravel at the front of the garden, you can feel vibrations.

My favourite garden is the Anneka Rice Colour Cutting Garden by Sarah Raven.  Just look at those colours!  

 I would love to have a garden like this myself.

 It is filled with annuals and I particularly like the formal paths with the floofy (my word for exuberant and effervescent) planting.

More stunning planting with cooler colours in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Centenary Garden by David Domoney which got a silver medal.  I really like the railings, made to represent the 154 countries in which the War Graves Commission operate.  If you have ever visited one of their cemeteries, you'll know how beautifully they are arranged, planted and cared for.

 The Poetry Lovers' Garden was given a silver medal and was designed by Fiona Cadwallader.  Lovely dry stone walls encase the garden, with a shady seating area and rippling water feature - just the place to sit and read.

Finally, I had to include the World Horse Welfare Garden by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith . The horse sculpture made from donated horseshoes, including one from one of the Queen's horses, is amazing.  The left side of the garden shows an uninviting area for horses, with a falling apart stable and some poisonous to horses plants, such as ragwort and on the right, the horse is free, in a field. 

From my choices, I think I am a romantic gardener, in the cottage garden style and that is the way I garden at home.  Hard edges, angles and minimalist planting is just not appealing to me.  

The gardens at Chelsea always show a great attention to detail and demonstrate a  wonderful celebration of gardening.