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A short blog on Gardening Scotland 2013.

27 comments


Beechgrove got there before me and of course the SRGC photographers were busy all week as you will see if you check out the link given by Bulboholic.
The first few are for Scottish. Because of other committments she was not able to attend so she missed seeing her favourite nurseryman romp off with a Gold and a Premier Gold medal for his wonderful garden and peony stands. He and many other stand holders came up from Chelsea so their energy levels will be running low by the time this show finishes on Sunday evening.

No matter how hard you try to pick your moment to catch an image without people in it, strangers float in to view the minute you hit the button.
For Pelargonium lovers this next stand was an amazing explosion of colour. It would be very hard to pick a favourite here.


What I really wanted to see was the SRGC stand. Graham who had built the outline in his garage then with help moved the lot on to the site over Sunday had worked so hard and was hoping for a Gold medal to top last years Silver Gilt. It was important because the club which has a world wide membership is celebrating its 80th birthday this year. Last year the stand designers struggled to get enough plants but this year the members really dug deep and they sent in plants from all parts of the country. The choices had to be made and plants were rejected not because they were not good enough but just because there were too many. Hopes are high that the same committment will be shown in future. Every stand holder we spoke to was saying how hard it has been to produce enough plants in prime condition suitable to show and that makes the SRGC Gold even more precious because the club members come from all walks of life from professional gardeners down to Mrs Bloggs who just likes her garden to look good. They all take part in making this happen. Members with little experience like myself were allowed to help create this masterpiece. Okay we only filled the various areas with compost so that the people who were arranging all the plants could stabilise the pots but it was exciting to be in it. It never crossed my mind before but everything you see is in its pot as delivered to the show. We had to remove damaged leaves and flowers which would not survive until judging day. On my second day I was set to making up all those nifty labels which look very smart. It is time consuming and there was usually three people helping, sometimes four. Each name had to be double checked before the label was printed and assembled. The stand represented a mountain top with acid loving plants on one side and lime loving plants on the other. The ‘mountain’ fell down to a dry river bed. At the foot of the mountain the area was more woodland and meadow. The people who plant know which plant can go where to suit the conditions and it all worked wonderfully well.

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Comments

 

Many thanks for posting this, Scotsgran, it is lovely to see pics of the stands. I particularly liked the way they used the lowley Fairy Foxglove to fill in the crevices. It is just amazing how these stands are created and every exhibitor uses similar methods.

1 Jun, 2013

 

Thankyou I shall be going tomorrow to see it SG.

1 Jun, 2013

 

Lovely photos Scotsgran...thanks for letting us all see it.....and you can not only say 'I was there' but, also.....'I did that!'

1 Jun, 2013

 

thanks SG Looking forward to going tomorrow. should have been there today but OH was in hospital but we will be fit for tomorrow .:-))

1 Jun, 2013

 

Many thanks SG, this is the 2nd year we have not been part of the team and I do miss it - ah well next year maybe :-)

1 Jun, 2013

 

Just watched the coverage of the show on Beechgrove garden on iPlayer. A superb show overall and well covered by the Beechgrove team.

1 Jun, 2013

 

I was there Friday SG, brilliant show as usual. The weather made it on Friday! Thanks for sharing the "behind the scenes" view.

1 Jun, 2013

 

Thank you all for the lovely comments. All fingers crossed for you Moongrower. I'll try and find time to photograph your beloved arisaemas. Many of our Goy members appreciate the help you give us on here but they should also know you do a great job as National Secretary (a huge job) of the SRGC. I watched Beechgrove on iplayer today too Bb. They did do a very good job of covering the show but for those of you going tomorrow please bring your cameras and share your memories with us. I was on the Pallet Garden Competition on Friday from 12 -2pm so we might have seen you each other there without knowing. Scotkat and Helen I will be there again from 10am - mid day tomorrow Sunday and will be very happy to meet you and any other members who are coming along. We are outside just along from the Loch Fyne stand. If you are bringing a packed lunch there are lots of places to sit and eat.

1 Jun, 2013

 

Sheila - thanks for posting. I will be making sure I'm there next year.
I read on Binny's facebook page that they had won medals here and at Chelsea too!
You and the other members worked very hard to get the display ready. I didn't realise that the plants were all donated by members. What a super experience.
Rona (Binnys) was telling me just how difficult a year it was for them and I saw all theirs stocked up in the polytunnels. I amazes me how it seems to come together.
By the time you read this you will have been at the show tomorrow - I'm sure it was a great day.
I haven't seen Beechgrove yet, sky+ didn't work on Friday so have set record for tomorrow.

1 Jun, 2013

 

Looking forward to seeing this display Sunday BBC2 at
9.30 a.m Sheila. Thank you for taking the trouble to post these wonderful pictures for us all, when you had so much to do. I love that 'mountain'. A wonderful effort.

2 Jun, 2013

 

Thank you Diane. I'm off out to do some watering before the sun comes up and burns up all my seedlings.

2 Jun, 2013

 

Watched the presentation this morning. Absolutely wonderful. Much better than Chelsea.

2 Jun, 2013

 

What a fascinating blog, Sheila, and what a fantastic display from the SRGC. You must be so proud to have been part of it. How good to think of the plants being donated from all over the country - it makes the achievement all the more exciting.

3 Jun, 2013

 

The plants do get returned to their mummies and daddies unless they choose to donate them Melchisedec.

3 Jun, 2013

 

Oh good! It's still very impressive though, and must involve a lot of organization.

3 Jun, 2013

 

A huge amount of organisation, the team will start planning the next stand in a couple of months.

4 Jun, 2013

 

If you multiply that by the number of stands at a show, an overview of all the planning across the country would be quite startling.

4 Jun, 2013

 

Thanks for explaining Mg. Mel some of the plants are so rare you would not be able to buy them anywhere and some of them are several years old and the pride and joy of their owners. It is typical and very generous of the experienced members to want to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with anyone who wants to listen.The judges like plants to be mature and of the correct height and shape of their wild counterparts. The SRGC only do one stand at this show but nurseries like Binny Plants, Kevock and MacPlants who have their own stands all have owners who are very active members of the Edinburgh Group. Scottish was saying above that she had been in Binny and they had polytunnels full of plants. They are a nursery with 27 staff. Its not unusual to see the traders bring several van loads of plants because they do sell plants. The volunteers in the plant creches are kept busy looking after new purchases for people not wanting to lug their new plants around all day or leave them in cars in full sunshine. I did not see Vicky and Richard on the Plantagogo stand but they must be super organisers too, to come from Gold at Chelsea and produce a stand like they always do.

4 Jun, 2013

 

Here at Southport there are always vanloads of plants at the Flower Show. Some of the stands are huge, and the displays very impressive. Exhibitors start arriving long before the show day, and of course the show gardens have to be built in the days running up to the show. It is a large show and there are lots of other tradespeople apart from gardeners - clothing, leather goods and food. There's always a marquee with "local" food - cheese, sausages, bakery etc.

It seems almost every type of plant is represented by a specialist - sweet peas, hostas, cacti, roses (not so many of those, actually. I don't think late August is the best time for them), Alpines, fuchsias etc. The vegetable displays are pretty impressive too, but then we are on the edge of a big market gardening area.

4 Jun, 2013

 

We do get all those specialist plant growers as well as garden furniture, gazebos, designer gardens and an Arts and craft tent then lots of food stands offering demonstrations and a potato merchant who was trying to beat the last largest collection of seed potatoes. He had 80 extra varieties I think. We also had entertainment from singers, Highland dancers and Pipe Bands as well as country and western etc. Its all go. Too much to see properly in one day. I was very impressed by a Cumbrian company who make a wool and fern compost which is acid and therefore a good peat substitute but its also high in potash so a good alternative to commercial products. They were short listed for the new product of the year at Chelsea but lost out to a big commercial company. Cr what product they had but it did not sound as innovative as this one.

5 Jun, 2013

 

I have found five minutes to add some photos of the pallet garden competition, arisaemas for MG, Cacti for Hywel. Enjoy.

5 Jun, 2013

 

Thank you for the Arisaema pics much appreciated - looking forward to seeing John & Helen at the Discussion Weekend at Grantown in October.

6 Jun, 2013

 

I'm disappointed I can't go as we are doing something else that weekend. I could have done a second blog but thought I only had a few pics suitable for posting. I'm pleased you like them. Since I heard him speak at Dunblane I see the arisaemas in a different light. I loved his river of pleiones on this stand.

6 Jun, 2013

 

I hadn't realised that the SRGC stand was on the floor, I had thought it was raised on a plinth. Not sure which I would have prefered but thanks for the extra pics anyway.

6 Jun, 2013

 

Sorry you aren't able to come to the weekend - John caused us to fall in love with arisaemas many years ago now.

6 Jun, 2013

 

Bb it was raised except for the last bit with the meconopsis in it. There was several sections in the raised part. The top of the mountain having been raised higher than the surrounding pieces. It was very cleverly done. The extension on the floor was an extension on the space we had last year. If you can imagine last years stand with the extension on the south side. It was made to look as if the dry river bed came down over a waterfall to continue on its way. The water would have come from a spring near the top. Graham placed stone to hide the frame and then the plants were added and either stone or bark to hide the pots. The labourers, me included, put compost in to each section so that the pots could be placed in it. Depending on how big or small the pots were , the planting experts raised or lowered the compost under the pots. When it was all planted up and the containers used to bring the pots to the show were neatly tucked away under the raised part, a black cloth was draped around the sides. You can see the different heights in the last photo of the stand. Mg he certainly has some stunning plants.

6 Jun, 2013

 

Yes John has some amazing plants... I have always liked the weird and wonderful!

6 Jun, 2013

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