Flowers, Food and Fellow "GOYers"

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Yesterday (Sunday), Madperth (aka Marie) and I visited the Dundee Flower and Food Festival 2009. I’ve always missed this event in the past, so it was really interesting to see. The forecast weather of torrential rain did not materialise, Thank Goodness, and there wasn’t too much mud underfoot.

Novel idea for a raised veggy “bed”

I was pleased to find many planting schemes in my favourite combinations.

Carex, and Heuchera “Marmalade”

Phormium “Alison Blackman”

Ooooooerrrrrrrrrrr!

YEssssssssssss!

Even something to wash it all down with!

I did resist all temptation, however, or might have needed to buy one of these…..

We met up with GOY member Scotkat, who had fuchsia and begonia entries in the Show.

Me, Madperth and Scotkat

On the way to the fuchsia and begonia displays, we HAD to pass the main vegetable displays.

Spuds, Glorious Spuds!

I was studying the varieties in great depth, and heard Marie joke with the gentleman manning the stand that I was looking for a “chocolate” potato. He produced a very heavy ringbinder and we looked through it. Guess what? We found references to “Choco” and “Chocolate” potatoes. Thanks folks, will be researching this further! Also, I enjoyed the jokes about “chocolate chips”. :-)

The National Vegetable Society’s mouthwatering display was an edible interpretation of Dundee city’s own tartan:-

Okay, Marie, you shall go to the Ball……..

……just, don’t, please, turn me into a mouse or rat, especially having just looked at a witchcraft-themed garden, complete with herbal and medicinal plants, cauldron, and spellbooks.

Speaking of witches, here’s Rabbie Burns writing “Tam o’ Shanter” in his garden.

We also met Paul, who had signed up to GOY just to leave me a message telling me to visit the Woodland Tent, where he was promoting the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, as well as “Big Tree Country”, on which I have written 8 blogs to date. Paul gave me some great info, and I got a free DVD entitled “Big Tree Country”, which I’ll watch tomorrow. Many Thanks, Paul! If you read this, hope you’ll stay around on GOY and share your expertise with us.

Back on a “food” theme, I loved these displays of fuchsia flowers floating in bowls of water. Don’t they look just like trifles?

Just time for a couple more pics (will put some others into my picture gallery later).

Part of a cacti and succulents display

Rock garden/alpine garden

First Prize in the Children’s “Miniature Terraced Garden” section

A different “take” on a “Butterfly cake”

Having exhausted the Show, it was time to leave Dundee and drive northwards to the garden of GOY member Romneya, who had herbs to give to Marie.

Madperth and Romneya choosing herbs_

Romneya has absolutely wonderful gardens, and puts her plant skills to good use, to raise money for charity.

This is Madperth and Romneya in the “Drinking Hole” as Romneya calls this wonderful relaxation area below ground level, with seating and chiminea. It is surrounded at garden surface level with planting of Stipa and Diarama, which “bow” over the hollow to create a “ceiling”, and protection from the wind – brilliant idea!!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour here, Romneya – Thank You so Much (and for my Egyptian onion, too). :-)

As the first pic on this blog is of a “bed”, I shall end it with something similar..

A flower “bed” in one of Romneya’s garden areas

:-))

6 Sep, 2009
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Comments

Bobg

Thanks David a great accompanyment to Marie's Blog, its always good to see another side of the same place, and great shots too. So if the bag was £10 ... how much was the large bum?

6 Sep, 2009

David

About 40 pounds (in weight), Bob, or:-

from here. <......................
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> to here (in feet), I think!

6 Sep, 2009