When gardeners show off
Show gardens either get a message across to the public, promote organisations or help young landscapers on their ladder to success, writes Martin Ford.
The show gardens at the Shrewsbury Flower Show either get a message across to the public as with the PDSA garden and the battery Hen Welfare Trust previously featured, promote organisations such as the Organic Gardeners or help a young garden designer/landscape gardener on their ladder to success.
This year, newcomers Warren Vette of Natural Landscape & design in conjunction with Nick Murphy of Harley Nursery created a garden they called Peace, Growth and Harmony, pictured, left, utilising materials often found in the garden, such as bricks and rocks.
There aim was to design a natural and affordable garden, with low maintenance and incorporating scent from herbs and myrtle. Natural pieces of wood create natural sculptures and focal points without the need for expensive ornaments.
Horticulture student Claire Brassington of Walford College, studying for her National Diploma in Horticulture does work experience at the nursery and helped with the colour scheme.
The new Hydrangea 'Limelight' featured in the garden is a wonderful lime-green cultivar, which really attracted my eye.
Adcote School returned to the show with a gold medal winning Centenary Garden, which celebrated the school's 100 years.
The garden was divided into four plots each representing a period in the school's history. The Edwardian period featured plants such as Phlox paniculata, Monarda, Achillea and roses enclosed within a lavender edge.
The wartime garden featured fruit and vegetables which the school grew at this dig-for-victory time and the seventies garden was planted with heathers and conifers, so popular at that time along with Fuchsias, which Percy Thrower brought to the forefront of the gardening world.
The contemporary garden reflects modern ideas of prairie planting with grasses interspersed with Achillea, Anthemis, Crocosmia, Rudbeckia, Sedum and Thalictrum. A sundial in the centre of the garden represented the passing of time and the background trees, the parkland
The Urban Jungle, created by amateur gardeners from Severnside Housing's Green Fingers Gardening Club won Best in Show for their garden, created for the professional couple to escape from the stresses and pressures of life to a peaceful haven.
Exotic leaf shapes and architectural plants were used to give impact and to show how deceptively hardy many of these plants such as palms. Phormiums, Riccinus, purple angelica and Fatsia are. A waterfall was used to create a feeling of calm and tranquillity.
The Organic Gardeners featured a landscape with flowers and vegetables growing in harmony. This was a group effort with all members growing something individually and then putting it together at the show.
The garden was very colourful with flowers including Verbena bonariensis, Cosmos, Dahlias, Rudbeckia, sweet peas, nasturtiums and Agapanthus much admired by Princess Alexandra.
Vegetables were equally colourful with tomatoes, aubergines and peppers, salads, beet and carrots, courgettes, runner and French beans in pots
The show gardens at the Shrewsbury Flower Show have become a major attraction at the show and all exhibitors need congratulating on the hard work they all put in to make such incredible gardens, which were a pleasure to see and inspiration to all.
By Martin Ford
