Thinking about our next show garden...

As the warm weather creeps up on us like a child waiting to go 'boo' to a grand parent, our thoughts turn more towards the summer and the challenge ahead of getting our show garden ready for Sandringham. I don't know what it is but just as I feel the warmth of Spring, it somehow kick starts memories of summer projects passed and in particular to that magical week in July 2008 when our little Fen Ben courtyard garden sprinkled a bit of nostalgia over the visitors of Sandringham Flower Show. It was the first time I had ever been involved in a show garden and I loved every minute of it. The nerves, the adrenaline... the heatstroke - it all mingles together like an expensive perfume that seems to be born again when I smell those first warm breezes of Spring.We all put our hearts and souls into that garden - we fell in love with Fen Ben's story and it was lovely to see the looks on people's faces at the show that told us that they had fallen for him too. So amazed were we at the response from the garden that straight after the show we re-designed it adding even more to the theme and creating a rather complex planting scheme before racing to the post so as not to miss the RHS Chelsea Flower Show entry deadline. To our amazement the garden (now titled 'The Fenland Alchemist Garden' ) was accepted and our nine month journey began! By the time the garden got to Chelsea it had had eighteen months of love and attention lavished on it. Every spare minute of our time was taken up with thoughts of that garden - prop finding - plant finding - swinging from doubt to confidence and back again - a perpetual emotional yo-yo which culminated in a Gold medal sprinkled with the embarrassed, shocked and happy tears of over tired designers and builders...And now as I write this we have nearly come full circle. In less than four months we will be building a garden at Sandringham again - this time in the Royal Marqee! We can hardly believe it! Now the hard work really begins - we have the theme - we have the design - now is the time for sourcing materials and plants and for the Sandringham spell to work its magic again. :Fen Ben's Garden Sandringham 2008

The Fenland Alchemist Garden Chelsea 2009

"Others have ID ed it.
I chop them off at ground level with secutears then spray a drop or two of Praxys on the wound... if it doesnt killt he first time, it will the 2nd or 3rd"

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"If it has thorns it is likely to be a Robinia. I have a client who has a couple of trees 10 or so Metres away & this year they have been popping up all over the lawn. A nightmare tree for anybody who climbs!!!
I have a Gleditsia myself, (my…"

Comments

Nick Donaghey @ Garden Gurus April 12, 2010 at 8:12pm

Fantastic garden - you can see the attention to detail in every inch
The Perfumed Garden April 13, 2010 at 11:24pm

We really liked your garden at Chelsea last year and you thoroughly deserved your medal. The detail was fantastic.

We might try and get to Sandringham this year as we've never been. If we do we'll look you up and Shadow of course.

Simon @ The Perfumed Garden
Fenlandphil April 14, 2010 at 7:19am

I posted a comment on here earlier that seems to have disapeared.
This garden is absolutely spot on and I think it could well be that of a local now departed folk hero, Dennis of Grunty Fen, it coud be his eel trap and bike.
Well done.
Giles Landscapes April 14, 2010 at 12:11pm

Thanks folks! Arh yes Dennis of Grunty Fen - you're onto us Phil - he was indeed part of the inspiration behind the garden - the eel traps were kindly lent to us by another Fenland hero - Peter the Eel man and the bike is from Paula (our financial controller's) garage - left behind by a gardener who was a Fen tiger himself.
Be great to see you Simon if you get to Sandringham - its a lovely show!

Thanks again for your lovely comments - Jane xx
Fenlandphil April 15, 2010 at 8:00pm

No wonder I couldn't find my comment I had posted it on the video, well worth a look for anyone who hasn't seen it..