A GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER’S VISIT TO GARDENERS’ WORLD LIVE

      Garden designers showing their creative show gardens, TV presenters Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Frances Tophill, Adam Frost giving talks, and plenty of beautiful plants to admire and buy in the floral marquee.

      Press day gave me the chance to see it all still and quiet, and I found it quite beautiful to see the plants left for a breather, to see everything come together after so many hours and effort from hundreds of people. As I was exploring the floral marquee, Paul Stone was sitting in his hut on his show garden having some cider and invited me to try some. It was a great chance to join him in admiring the garden and the contemplative space around us.

      Later, the awards ceremony gave out titles to all the garden designers for their gardens and show borders. It was so amazing to have been stood next to Frances Tophill when they announced that she and her team had won platinum for the garden, which boosts sustainability. Reclaimed and locally sourced materials were used in the design, inspiring gardeners with many opportunities to implement in their own gardens.

      It happened to have been the hottest day of the year yesterday, so you can imagine the will power of the garden designers in trying to keep their flowers going. But they had nothing to worry about, as visitors were so impressed as they walked past. As I was photographing, one lady said to the designer “your garden is wicked!!”.

      I have to admit, being a softy, I felt so cheered at seeing people walking about with their pink wheeled baskets full of flowers, mostly pink peonies bobbing about as the trolley was pulled. And one couple were watching the BBC filming Monty Don doing Gardeners’ World and said “there you go, you said you wanted to see Monty Don and now you’re all made up”.

      There are 7 new plants to discover at this year’s Gardeners’ World Live Show in Birmingham, and there’s still time to check it out, it’s on tomorrow for the last day and is well worth the visit.

      Photos © Fiona Walsh Landscapes.

      Frances’ Garden

      “Bringing her passion for up-cycle gardening and sustainability to the Show, Frances Tophill presents her first ever Show Garden,  a sustainable, post-industrial garden for a modern world” {from the BBC).

      What a unique and imaginative design, something of interest and inspiration everywhere you look. An iron shed, Belfast sinks, a bug hotel, reclaimed windows, native hedges, medicinal plants. All designed to encourage the habitat of wildlife. She’ll be donating the garden to the Foleshill Community Centre too.

      Practically Plastic-Free Garden – Pip Probert

      “This garden is built using a range of materials that avoid plastics to demonstrate what can be achieved by reducing the use of plastics in our everyday, gardening life”.

      Garden Organic’s Small Space – Big Ideas Garden by Emma O’Neill and Chris Collins

      “The garden will show how a productive and biodiverse organic oasis is accessible to all growers, regardless of the size of their growing area”.

      Landscapes of Distinction ‘Nurture through Nature’ – Kim Parish

      “The garden is about work/life balance – working at home, wellness, self-care and blurring the lines between the inside and out for a seamless and natural transition between home and garden.”

      Grundy’s Farm – Paul Stone

      Please say hello if you think you might like some garden photography, including the drone where we can see gardens from a whole new perspective.

      SHARE