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Gardeners World Live 2011, NEC, Birmingham

daylily

By daylily

20 comments


Set out a little later than we normally do to get to the show, got there around 10.30 am. (we are about 45 min drive from there) The weather forecast on the morning was pretty bad, rain and winds, so we thought we would get straight into the showgardens outdoors. Here are a few pictures of them.

Some nice planting combo’s:-

Then we went inside the Halls to the Good Food Show where you could sample foods and drinks and we bought some Jamaican sauces and hot chilli sauces. Then we went to Plant Avenue which is usually about 3 or 4 isles, but this year was only one isle either side, so about 8 stalls.

Then it was into the Floral Marquee where we did most of our plant shopping, this is a list of the plants we bought:-

Lagorus Ovatus, a bunny tails grass – think this is tender though
Carex Phylocephala ‘Sparkler’ – photo below
Festuca glauca ‘Azurit’
Agrostis Nebulosa – Cloud Grass – tender
Alstroemeria ‘Inca Azure’
Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’
Heucherella ‘Kimono’
Echinops ritro
Agapanthus ‘Early Blue’

This was the one on display in the Marquee,

Then to finish off, we went inside to the Book People stall and I chose Carol Klein’s Life in a Cottage Garden book and guess who was there signing her book, Carol herself, so I queued and had my book signed and had a photo taken with her, which was a lovely finish to the day.

And here’s my hubby with the trollies, which you do sort of need when you are buying lots of plants but can be a bit of a pain trying to negotiate through lots of people.

PS. The weather stayed fine in the end so was a bonus. Thank you for reading! :^)

More blog posts by daylily

Previous post: Visit to Ashwood Nurseries and John Massey's Private Garden

Next post: The Garden 2nd July 2011



Comments

 

HEY, you got Carol on GoY, how fantastic!! Loved the planting in the first couple of photos!
Wish I had been there too. Thx for the photos!

21 Jun, 2011

 

Thanks for your comments Lulu33, yes was very pleased to have met and spoke to Carol, there were some lovely plant combinations, just have to try and do it in my own garden now!! :^) But musn't grumble, are getting there!

21 Jun, 2011

 

Ohh sigh! I want that Carex Sparkler too! That's so unusual, can I ask what nursery is it from? I have Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' at home here, try to plant it somewhere that the low evening sun will shine through it's leaves, it's absolutely glows red, it's gorgeous! It always has lots of flowers too, and they last for ages! You can tell I love heucheras! You look as though you had a really lovely time, and by the way, you are the image of one of my sisters! Spooky!

21 Jun, 2011

 

Hi Libet, thanks for your comments, yes i was taken by that Carex Sparkler, im not 100% which nursery but i was given a card for Eversleynursery.co.uk which i think it was, and i have just looked and they do it. May not be fully hardy though! I just checked the care card but it didnt have the nursery name on it. I'll check out where i can plant the heuchera. We did have a great time thanks, and yes it is spooky i look like one of your sisters!!, we sent photos to my dad's sister in America and my aunty said that my mom was the image of her daughter in law, strange isnt it.lol. :^)

22 Jun, 2011

 

Great blog daylily. You got a nice haul of plants there. Carol always seems friendly on the TV.

22 Jun, 2011

 

lovely blog daylily and lucky you having your pic taken with carol, i really like her and bet she is as nice in life to, great day out and shopping to :o))

22 Jun, 2011

 

Hi Frybo and Sanbaz, it was lovely meeting Carol and yes she was really nice and friendly, it was quite funny because while we were waiting she was getting someone who was with her to ring someone else to see if they had her bag, she was concerned she thought she'd lost it and explaining what it was like and what was in it, then she looked under the counter where she was standing and put her hand to her mouth as she realised she had got her bag there, and she called herself an idiot, lol, but yes she was lovely! Hope you are well Sanbaz :^)

22 Jun, 2011

 

Oh this is lovely and you got such a lot of different photos! I had forgotten some of them. The school room was done by Hannah genders - she was a local girl and still writes an article on gardening every month in our local magazine.

That's a lovely photo and really nice to get Carol klein's autograph. Did you tell her the photo was for GoY?

Your carex looks very good, the photo underneath your 'nice planting combos' has that lovely chocolate coloured plant - we sled about that one cos we liked it so much.

22 Jun, 2011

 

Hi Sticki, thanks, yes i liked that chocolate plant i think it is called Albitzia Summer Chocolate, i really liked that Carex Sparkler too, caught my eye!! Did you notice in the next photo, the Cotinus looks like Grace, quite a nice specimen there.

22 Jun, 2011

 

yes, its lovely; i think it brings that bed alive ~ even though its not my choice of colours.
didnt realise that albitzia was called summer chocolate ~ i really must have that!!

22 Jun, 2011

 

The last combo picture is more my type of colours and some whites too, those penstemons and heucheras look good together. I bet that tree is expensive!!

22 Jun, 2011

 

Glad you had a good time, nice list of purchases there. How lovely to meet Carol and get your book signed, I'm sure you will treasure it.

23 Jun, 2011

 

i dont think i would even dare to ask the price!

23 Jun, 2011

 

i can just imagine her thinking she lost her bag, think we all have done that at some time daylily lol. im alot better thanx and keep popping on to see everyones lovely garden pics and blogs, dont think i will ever catch up again haha :o))

23 Jun, 2011

 

Glad you put GWL on Daylily as I never made it this year. Lovely pics, sad it was smaller than ever though. Did you take any in the floral marquees? That carex sparkler is cracking, but not for me if it's not hardy, lost too much this winter. The albitzia isn't hardy either I don't think, love it.....oh well...sigh....lots of pretty things are hardy:-))

23 Jun, 2011

 

Thanks Annella,:^)

Sticki, i saw one on the web was about £80!!

Sanbaz, its hard to keep up on here even when you are on everyday, is it not? lol, glad you are feeling better, as you say easy to imagine how she was panicking :^)

Bornagain, your welcome, glad you like it, i think yes it was a bit smaller this year, although the marquee was the same and the Good Food seemed the same, in the past they have had garden displays inside the halls and more plant stalls, also the TV programme normally 1 hour of show but this year they just kept popping back from Monty in the garden to the show, you probably watched it. I didnt take any photos in the marquee unfortunately, only that one of the Sparkler grass, really didnt take many this year, only about 40 altogether. I dont normally go for tender stuff but wasnt quite sure about the grasses until i got home and had a look, but dont think they were too expensive, Sparkler states sheltered spot, tender in frost. We shall see! :^)

23 Jun, 2011

 

Maybe we'll have a gentle winter this time:-)

24 Jun, 2011

 

Maybe, :^))

24 Jun, 2011

 

Lovely blog and nice to have your book signed by Carol :o)

7 Jul, 2011

 

Thanks Terratoonie :^))

7 Jul, 2011

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