Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

This week sees Britain's largest flower show at Hampton Court. It is ENORMOUS! You are hard pushed to go all the way around in just one day. A stout pair of walking boots and regular refreshments are called for. Matron stopped for afternoon tea at the Palace Tea Rooms.


I was thrilled to see so many talented artists and sculptors a the show. I dare not buy anything precious for my London garden, thefts in suburban gardens are frequent and brutal. I would have loved this little robing sitting on a fork! The Grow Your Own area at the show demonstrated how you can position colourful vegetables in your flower border!! grrr. Certainly very pretty and ingenious. But I am left wondering whether there is a class issue here? Perhaps having a beautiful mixed border in your garden is seen as the preserve of the middle and upper classes, and the productive allotment is seen as the preserve as the working class man! Am I raising a contentious issue here?



You can pop in a few cabbages, swiss chard, pak choi or purple climbing beans in your flower border. I wonder if this is what new gardeners aspire to when they make the decision to try and grow their own veggies at home? The GYO Marquee however was fantastic!

My old friends from The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight were appropriately rewarded with a RHS Gold Medal for their display.

A beautiful display and demonstration on how to string garlic. If you ever find yourself on the Isle of Wight, be sure to take a visit and try their unusual 'garlic ice cream'....

Experienced visitors to the Hampton Court show came prepared with these wheeled boxes to carry home their purchases! They were a bit of a nuisance among the crowds, I very nearly tripped over several times.

Anyway, Matron kept her purchases to a minimum. A wonderful selection of stalls and shops on display here. Tasteful and interesting.

This purchase was right up my street! I saw it and knew straight away I had to have it!

10 Comments:

At 7:59 PM, Blogger Martin and Amy said...

Wow! You do go to some lovely horticultural shows and events. They look brilliant! I love the pictures you take. I can also vouch for how annoying those trollies are, we prefer tubtrugs!

Have a great evening!

Martin :)

 
At 9:34 PM, Blogger Caro said...

The sign you've bought is absolutely perfect but I think I'd have also chosen one of those potting shed mugs - very nice! Looks like you had a wonderful day and I'll try and remember to taste the garlic ice cream when I'm on the Island this summer.

 
At 9:37 PM, Blogger Peggy said...

Hi matron, it looks fabulous! I began growing salad leaves etc in my flower bed, the bed got bigger and bigger but the flower space got smaller and smaller and then it was time to get an allotment!

 
At 10:40 PM, Blogger Chicken lover said...

Hi Matron
Was hoping to get down there but just returned from holiday in Santorini. Planning to get to Tatton in a couple of weeks.
Love the doggie sign.
Planting out some bedding into my veg beds at the weekend to fill the gaps and empty the greenhouse!
Happy gardening
Jane

 
At 4:48 AM, Blogger Rob said...

Tatton Park for me in a few weeks. I'm an absolute mug for these big shows!!!
Rob

 
At 7:58 AM, Blogger Rob said...

It shows that even if you don't have a veg plot you can still grow your own veg in amongst the flowers.

 
At 11:03 AM, Blogger Carrie said...

looks fab, loads of colour and garlic (yum) and you got to take you best friend and gardening buddy = perfect day out! xx

 
At 6:53 AM, Anonymous Damo said...

A lovely day out, these mixed borders make me laugh, those cabbages would be eaten alive if in my garden but I suppose ugly mesh netting wouldn't do at a show!

 
At 8:43 AM, Blogger suburban veg gardener said...

I went to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show for the first time this year. Absolutely loved it - apart from those darned wheely boxes!!! Usually pulled along by people not paying much attention to who they're mowing down in the process...grrrr. But we had a fab day anyway.

 
At 9:02 PM, Blogger Alison said...

I love the Labrador sign!! I'm off to Tatton on Friday and really looking forward to it. My friend and I did Chelsea this year too, maybe Hampton Court next year if we are lucky. I wonder if your refreshments were of the pimms variety??

 

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