Tell us what you think?
Post categories: Louise Danks
| 18:36 UK time, Monday, 7 July 2008
We'd like to know what you think of this year's .
Everyone has an opinion at the show, whether you're eavesdropping (yes we all do it) in the press marquee or bumping into old friends around the showground, there's only one topic of conversation, but there are numerous contenders for best in show.
We're always interested to hear what you at home think of the show, what your favourite exhibits are and what you'd like to see more of. If you have a favourite exhibit tell us why by leaving your comments on the blog.
Comment number 1.
At 7th Jul 2008, musicoff wrote:The show is spoilt for me by the background music, while people are talking. Why do you need music on a show where it is mostly spoken. Many old people find it difficult to hear the dialogue with music in the background.
This of course is not common to this show many ´óÏó´«Ã½ programmes are spoilt by unnecessary music.
Surely this must also add to the cost of the programme.
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Comment number 2.
At 7th Jul 2008, poshnongreenfingers wrote:Some of the gardens are amazing.... it would be great to see come coverage of the other events at the shows....
A friend of mine who is a budding designer has created a trade stand for the first time this year showing artificial grass called evergreen 'lazygrass' - the pictures look amazing and I am sure as this is the first time this type of product has been allowed at the show would generate interesting viewers opnions....thanks
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Comment number 3.
At 7th Jul 2008, trytogarden wrote:I have heard about the stand with the 'lazy lawn' I agree with poshnongreenfingers I think this trade stand looks amazing and viewers would be very interested to find out more about this new style of contemporary garden. We would love to see this.
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Comment number 4.
At 7th Jul 2008, nishikigoi wrote:Can we please see more water gardens, in particular any with Koi ( Nishikigoi ) ?
I believe there is at least one Garden exhibit at Hampton Court this year with Koi.
The ponds and waterfalls inspire both existing and aspiring hobbyists. People can then see just how much a pond, particularily with Koi, can transform their gardens into a beautiful tranquil sanctuary.
My first visit to Tatton inspired me!
I've not visited Chelsea or Hampton Court, but I have visited the RHS show at Tatton Park, which was astounding ! The quality and attention to detail at these RHS shows is second to none, anywhere in the world in my opinion.
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage by the Gardeners World team is always excellent, keep up the good work !
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Comment number 5.
At 8th Jul 2008, newjollyrobin wrote:Having heard the interview with the African farmer - Helen on Womans Hour could we see the garden - Back to the future - which has been trailed on your build up to the flower show. It would be really good to see some of the ideas such as the keyhole garden and plant tea. Can they be used in the UK - perhaps Joe could use them on his allotment?
It is always good to see affordable things as well as the inspiring and costly!
Also in the light of current world discussions about food shortages it sounds as if this charity is doing some really good work in Africa
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Comment number 6.
At 8th Jul 2008, determinedwendym wrote:I was quite disappointed that the Send a Cow "Back to the Future" garden was not reatured in Monday night's preview programme on ´óÏó´«Ã½2. I love the concept, and the messages about British gardens in the future. More publicity please !!!
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Comment number 7.
At 8th Jul 2008, princesskeyholekate wrote:I really enjoyed the show and hope that we get to see more of the show gardens, especially the ones dealing with climate change issues. Heard about an African Garden on Women's Hour yesterday - maybe that one could be featured. Somehting to do with a charity called Send A Cow! Good to see Rachel back again, I always wanted hair like that!
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Comment number 8.
At 8th Jul 2008, weaponsguru wrote:My daughters school have entered a competition at the show, something to do with scarecrows (it's really hard to get a 10 year old to explain what they have done / are doing at school!!). All I know is that theirs is 'The Tin Man'. Any info / pictures would be greatly appreciated. A TV clip of some of the school entries would be even better if the content of Thursday / Friday haven't been finalised :-)
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Comment number 9.
At 8th Jul 2008, moderngarden wrote:On my visit to the show today i came across a trade stand that stood out from all the rest it was Evergreen lazylawns, i was under the impression that this was a show garden and was then was informed that it was a trade stand. i was amazed by the standard of the stand (garden).
Why are there not more trade stands to this standard?
I would like to say what an amazing job Redcliffe designs and Evergreen have achieved.
MANY THANKS
MICHELLE COLLINS
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Comment number 10.
At 9th Jul 2008, RATENRAS wrote:Further to weaponsguru comment. My 3 year old daughter and her nursery (Peter Pan Pre-School) designed and built their own scarecrow. It was all the work of the children who are all under 5 years old. It would be lovely to see it, and the other entries, featured on the programme. They were very excited and proud when they delivered it on Monday. (They were actually filmed having a picnic with their scarecrow).
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Comment number 11.
At 9th Jul 2008, breverey wrote:Having heard the interview with the lady from Uganda on Monday's Woman's Hour I was delighted to hear that the charity that had helped her, Send a Cow, has won a bronze medal for its garden at the Hampton Court Show. It sounds really interesting with lots of inexpensive ideas we might be able to use in this country too (well, if it ever stops raining!) and I do hope we will get a chance to see it on one of the programmes coming from the show on Thursday and Friday.
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Comment number 12.
At 9th Jul 2008, hdehoon wrote:When I look at the pictures, it seems to me that many gardens are a bit over the top.
I would like to see more of the Forest2 garden. It looks very interesting.
I agree with other comments on this blog, that the music on the tv coverage is often intrusive and badly choosen.
The natural souds of the flower show would be so much nicer and informative.
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Comment number 13.
At 9th Jul 2008, prefuse wrote:I went to to the show yesterday, it's the fourth time I have been and the best yet. A great collection of gardens and many different styles. I like the fact that HCP show is a bit less frantic than Chelsea! (I have been to Chelsea six times and love it but perhaps prefer HCP). Also the fact that you can walk through some gardens and you can buy plants! I bought three great Chilli plants and an orchid.
Highlights were the children's scarecrows, the garden with a bath in and the garden with bedroom, although the furniture in that one let the side down as it looked a bit cheap and Ikea like? Odd as the garden was not cheap looking! Also we saw the guy that played 'nasty nick cotton' in east enders at the show with the guy that played Keith Miller - bizzare or what!
Lowlights was the terrible traffic (2.5 hours to do a 44 min journey from High Wycombe to the show and the same on the way back). We ate in the Kings court and it took ages to get a baked potato and it was orange inside like it had been cooked about a week ago. Also £23 for that times 3 and a bottle of water each. Took ages to get a seat and in the end we had to take loads of rubbish off the only table left and put it on the floor just to sit down and eat - not great!
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Comment number 14.
At 9th Jul 2008, prefuse wrote:Just to add a point about the television coverage, I am not sure why there is such a lack of it? We are saturated with Chelsea flower show scheduling all across the ´óÏó´«Ã½ but bar the half hour show on Monday not a whiff of prime time coverage for Hampton court 'till Thursday - why? (I expect it to be very wet and muddy by then, fortunately yesterday we had a lot of sun and only a few drops of rain)
The plus side being that you can get to all of the exhibition, at Chelsea we have not been able to get to some parts because of filming - very annoying.
As for the music I think it suits well, why would you want to hear the mutterings of other people at non audible levels as the camera pans around a garden? Having taken some video yesterday you just get background chatter and the wind! Not that inspiring.
Is this blog being sponsored by lazylawns by the way?!?
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Comment number 15.
At 9th Jul 2008, allynblog wrote:I enjoyed the show last Monday but I felt that too much time was spent interviewing some of the garden designers instead of concentrating on the gardens on display at the show.
Having read in the press about the garden of the future designed by John Marshall for the charity Send a Cow, I would like to see more of this featured in your next show on Thursday - what a brilliant concept with ideas that can be adopted by those with only small gardens.
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Comment number 16.
At 9th Jul 2008, auntyrees wrote:I helped with a class of 5 year olds on Monday. They were really excited to see their scarecrow take its place amongst all the others. What a shame therefore that there was no mention of the competition on the program Monday evening.
I think it is a great idea to let children into the show. They thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.
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Comment number 17.
At 9th Jul 2008, shambagirl wrote:Quite agree with all the comments re scarecrows although I have a vested interest, as we visited with "Elvis", the school scarecrow, on Monday. It was fantastic to get a sneak preview of the show, and all the children loved it. Hope to see some coverage later on this week!
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Comment number 18.
At 9th Jul 2008, almostperfectmoo wrote:Something really different caught my attention this year - an african garden created by the charity "Send a Cow". . Have heard of Send a Cow before but didn't realise they also provided training to supplement livestock gifts.
Really eye catching as well as being a great practicle way of helping others.
Good on you and keep up the excellent work!
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Comment number 19.
At 9th Jul 2008, lilling wrote:Just got back to Cheshire in the pouring rain and the grandchildren have covered the kitchen in mud from the garden during the day, I saw a trade site for "Evergreen Lazylawn" at the show, which appears to be the answer to my problem. Their display was excellent, the use of the trees really made the most of a small area, it appeared far larger then it really was, but the "grass" that lets the rain through and NO MUD would be the answer to grandchildren and muddy feet. I am sure your "retired" viewers would find this a great help with their grandchildren.
Francis (I hate moping up) Illing
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Comment number 20.
At 9th Jul 2008, halfrey wrote:More information about the Send a Cow garden and the real work carried out by the farmer on Womans Hour please. This will make more people aware of the true benefits of this simple method of helping others help themselves and the potential for UK gardeners to use the same natural methods of vegetable gardening
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Comment number 21.
At 10th Jul 2008, JG_RMG wrote:Would really like to see some of the trade stands on the tv coverage. Couldn't get to the show this year but have heard that the best trade stand in show this year had an amazing garden using easy lawn (artificial grass.)
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Comment number 22.
At 10th Jul 2008, SJHarding wrote:I went to the show on the 9th and it was manic. I know it was pouring with rain all day, but it was impossible to look around the marquees as there were too many people. Even trying to see the show gardens was hard because of the number of people. Then I found out that people could buy tickets to the show via the Daily Mail! What is the point of having members day if others are going to be allowed in?What could have been an enjoyable day was ruined by too many people.
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Comment number 23.
At 10th Jul 2008, amey2322 wrote:Just got home from the show today, have to say it was a very good day, if not slightly muddy! Some of the gardens on show were amazing and very inspiring. I would like to make a special mention to a trade stand I saw which was given a Merit Award, the design, by Redcliffe Gardens was superb. It is so good to see a young designer willing to take a chance with designs to come up with a beautiful creation, and to travel from Dorest to do this shows dedication to their craft.......well done on the award.
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Comment number 24.
At 10th Jul 2008, topdesigner wrote:I particularly liked a garden in the small garden section by Noel Duffy, it captured the essence of a modern garden to perfection. The use of materials and a gorgeous palette of green foliage plants worked really well. The use of the fire in the garden was really interesting and something I am sure I could do at home. Such a shame that the mud was so bad in this area of the show. It seems that some of these garden have been forgotten about!
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Comment number 25.
At 10th Jul 2008, libkim wrote:Where are the bonsai trees?
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Comment number 26.
At 10th Jul 2008, amey2322 wrote:Having watched the first program I hope that ALL the award winners, from Gold Show Gardens to Merit Awards on the Trade stands get the recognition they deserve. There was talk about inspirational ideas that people would like to see and put in their own gardens, some of these ideas can be more easily seen in a trade stand than on the Show Gardens, even though the show gardens are very good viewing.
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Comment number 27.
At 10th Jul 2008, auntiepat123 wrote:I agree with topdesigner, there were some great ideas in the small gardens section. I loved the style of the Natural Shade garden, but thought the urban look of the Formal Elements garden was more for me, perfect for my ground floor garden flat. ..... and what a nice bloke - he gave me loads of tips about keeping the slugs off my hostas!
Great stuff to buy too... the country life magazine tent was excellent but quite expensive.
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Comment number 28.
At 10th Jul 2008, enviableRosebud wrote:I must say that seeing many gardens before, being an enthusiastic gardener(and very regular visitor of these shows myself!!) I really liked "Formal Elements"..it's just the notion that it fits in perfectly with modern lifestyle and frankly, who wouldn't want to have such an extension to their living room. Especially with more and more people trying to do more with small gardens. In one word..Lovely!
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Comment number 29.
At 10th Jul 2008, Mousemover wrote:I agree entirely with SJHarding. My wife and I went to the show today(10th July) with prepurchased tickets. Yesterday's rain hadn't helped, but the worst thing was that so many people were allowed in that everything was so uncomfortable. We couldn't see the gardens or other exhibits properly, we couldn't get any lunch without standing in a queue for at least 30 minutes, and we couldn't find anywhere to sit for a break. After less than two hours we decided to escape. It took us half an hour to get out through the crowds, and we vowed never to go again. This evening we saw the broadcast on TV at 8 o'clock. If it had been like that we would have loved it, but that film was made in ideal circumstances and gives a totally false impression.
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Comment number 30.
At 10th Jul 2008, janlew wrote:The School Garden is brilliant and so deserved the top Award.
Last week I had two class visits from our local Primary School (30 children in each) to come and look round my garden and see and taste the veggies and fruit and generally have fun. They loved it and so did I. They were full of questions and so enthusiastic about everything they saw. If you garden near a school, why not invite them for a visit. Most of these little ones were amazed that carrots and potatoes come from under the ground!!
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Comment number 31.
At 10th Jul 2008, flossieface wrote:the sendacow garden was awsome! Please give them space next year it is so relevant to todays green issues.
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Comment number 32.
At 11th Jul 2008, flyingpelham123 wrote:Mousemover is spot on about the difference between the TV show and reality. We went the other day and the crowds were horrendous, but we wanted tips for our first little patch of scrub so persevered. And I've just watched some of the show on the iplayer.
Whilst the Tv show is shot in glorious HD, and revels in such delights as garlic growing, levels of perspective and poetry recitals (I ended up stopping the show after 20 mins); Wednesdays rains were showing what these gardens look like after the glorious English weather has taken its toll, and your trudging through mud trying to look at the gardens over your shoulder whilst not bumping into people!
Did manage to get a few tips and ideas though in some of the quieter corners, unlike the previous blogger whose friend is trying to sell fake lawns (wonder if they'd have worked on the paths!), we spoke to one of the men who built one of the small gardens. It was plants and decking! They even had a waterfall and a fire place!!
Now I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and the TV show has higher aspirations than our little rectangle in South London, but the bloke we spoke to seemed to understand that you have to live with this little bit of space for years so it has to be something that its easy to enjoy if you don't have much time for maintenance.
I wouldn't have gone to this type of show if I hadn't needed to and with those crowds I won't be going again.
As for your show, why not speak to the fellas who build these places, about how the more practical gardens would work throughout the year instead of the all designers and poetry montage!
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Comment number 33.
At 11th Jul 2008, sheilaeames wrote:Why not a feature on Floral Art?
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Comment number 34.
At 11th Jul 2008, sirgreenfingers wrote:It would be good to hear some comments and praise for the contractors who build the gardens at the show.
Many work tirelessly for weeks in advance, and without their skills, the vision of the designers would not become the reality for us all to enjoy.
It was interesting to hear the comments about the planting in the Conceptual Garden, Forest 2, on last nights' programme - "as good as any Show Garden planting.." The contractors on this garden, Paul Lavery Landscaping and C D Landscape Services, have built gardens at Hampton Court over the last 4 years, winning Gold Medals, the RHS Tudor Rose Award and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Peoples' Award.
Please let's have more recognition for everyone involved.
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