Friday, February 13, 2009

Patriotic orchid





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The back to back gardens are a unique feature of the flower show at Tatton Park and they are arranged in groups of four all over the showground, what I like about this is that as I walk around the show I stumble across a square of gardens and keep seeing ones I haven't seen before, also you can get a really good look at them because they're nicely spread out. Out of 27 back to back gardens at the show, five were awarded the coveted gold medal, best in show went to Reaseheath Alumni with '5 a day with hidden play' a garden dedicated to growing and eating plenty of fruit and veg. bees_300x150.jpg 'A garden for bees' (Gold) designed by Ness Botanic Gardens highlights the importance of our buzzy little friends. It's beautiful too and more than dispells the myth that wildlife gardening has to be wild and woolly. 'Butterfly Journey' (Silver-gilt) is another wildlife friendly garden at the show. butterfly_300x150.jpgIt's packed with the sort of plants we could all try to grow more of, to attract native butterfly species into our gardens. I noticed a fair amount of black in the back to back gardens, 'The back to basics garden' uses black to dramatic effect as a backdrop and in the planting with two stunning Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' and a generous sprinkling of Cosmos astrosanguineus, another garden which features this plant heavily is 'Urban retreat' (Silver) which also uses black as a backdrop but mixes acid greens through the dark flowers and foliage, a great combo. suburban_oasis_300x150.jpg 'Reflection' (Silver) uses colour but it's much more gentle here. The decking and fencing is stained a soft grey and is set off by touches of galvanised metal used as edging and in the form of poles used throughout the garden as a suggestion of a boundary. These double up as plant supports too, this is an idea I might well take away with me... scented_wall_300x150.jpg A garden that addresses a very common problem is 'The scented walled garden' (Silver) and it speaks volumes that I had a good long look at the garden, admired it, made notes, took a photograph and still had not realised that it had been designed with wheelchair users in mind, it proves the point that a garden when well designed can fit a specific brief and be gorgeous too.
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Thursday, February 12, 2009

I touch the roses





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Robert Nyman
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Daisy

After taking this flower, i wonder what is look like, and yes, i can see it's ear look like rabbit ear. So cute, and somehow, it's funny how the flower shaped and look like the other living creature.


atheana

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Flower with Jade Ring, On The Middle ...


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Daisy


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Crocus - the first flowers of spring 2008

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I'm not sure if it's to keep 'us' in...or 'them' out but on Tuesday, the BBC local radio team were surrounded by a seven foot high fence. However, I'm relieved to report that we were left with a narrow escape route. alison_and_bob.jpgWe started broadcasting on Wednesday with reporters and presenters from BBC Radio Stoke, Coventry and Warwickshire and Manchester. Luckily they managed to find us. You can see the aerials on the top of the 'OB' van, you can't really miss them, they're 20 foot tall - radio_vans.jpgyou just can't work out how to get in to them. We also did '2-ways' for BBC Radio Wiltshire, Oxford, Lancashire, Hereford and Worcester, Sheffield, Tees, Gloucestershire and Jersey. What's an 'OB' or a '2-way'? Like many organisations the BBC is full of jargon and acronyms...I'll share the secrets with you another time.

Lotus pond on the way to floating village Siem Reap. Beautiful large lotus ponds in the neighborhood of Tonle Sap. Clean lush green water vegetation surrounding the beauty of Cambodia lotus.
In album Lotus flower photo - Lotus blossom images - Lotus pond photos
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Monet painting object iris






Orange lillies
Manzanita flower

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Show gardens at flower shows are always very subjective, the judges are looking for one thing, the gardening press another, and very often the public are just looking for something they can recreate in their own garden. All too often they don't agree on which should be the winner. beardshaw_300x150.jpg At Tatton Chris Beardshaw's garden, 'Cheshire's Year of Gardens 08', pleased all three and it's easy to see why it was awarded the Best in Show title. Recreating a classic english country house garden with bold herbaceous borders on both sides was a sure fire winner. I loved the predominantly pastel planting and highlights of gold added by the Catalpa at the end. I'm told there are subtle elements from at least 12 Cheshire gardens incorporated into the design, including the famous double borders at Arley Hall. If you're visiting the show and you know your Cheshire gardens see if you can spot them. east_west_300x150.jpg According to my colleague Louise I have 'Boy tastes'when it comes to gardens and some of the other designs i liked typified this. The 'East Meets West' garden (Gold) was created by combining the traditional elements of a relaxing Japanese Zen garden with a contemporary seating area and blocky water feature. adlington_300x150.jpg Angular water features were in evidence in several other gardens i liked, including the 'Adlington Relax and Reflect Garden'(Silver-Gilt), with white walls, red containers and interesting grassy planing scheme and 'Always There' (Silver-Gilt) a garden created to promote the work of the Samaritans. This was just my cup of tea, with green the predominant colour and plants chosen to complement perfectly the stonework and rusted steel used within the design. samaritan_300x150.jpg The judges awarded just two gold medals and four silver gilt at Tatton this year and I'd completely agree with their decision. A number of gardens featured heavy stonework waterfalls including 'Go with the Flow' (Silver), My Little Piece of the Lakes (Bronze) and Natural Distinction (Silver-gilt) and I think all of them could have done with a bit more planting to soften the hard landscaping. brett_300x150.jpg Elsewhere 'Real Life by Brett' (Silver-gilt) brought the traditional northern back garden into the 21st century and was definitely drawing interest from the crowds. 'Hot Dry Days' (Bronze) took a more Mediterranean approach and showed how we can adapt our gardens to the changing climate. Who knows, if the weather continues to be as hot and sunny here as it has been this week maybe bananas will soon catch on in Manchester?
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Roses on cupcakes




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atheana



A poppy is about to bloom.

Large pink lotus and large white lotus are common in Cambodia. In the following photos I'll show you a full life-cycle from lotus bud to lotus seed of this large and most beautiful lotus flower.
Other lotus flowers have a slightly different anatomy and thus also a different life-cycle.
In album Lotus flower photo - Lotus blossom images - Lotus pond photos

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yellow


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Best in show was awarded to Matthew Soper of Hampshire Carnivorous Plants and he was delighted. carnivorous_300x150.jpg"This is a very special year, not only because of this award at Tatton Park but it means we have won ten consecutive golds at Chelsea, ten at Hampton Court, ten at BBC Gardeners' World Live and now ten at Tatton Park and best in show. I coul dn't be more pleased, it's fantastic!" Well done to Matthew. I couldn't mention the floral marquee again without letting you know how Medwyn Williams got on. Well, his gold medal record is as unblemished as his prize winning vegetables; another gold for Medwyn and an unbroken record. And to top it off the sun is shining! I'm really not used to this at a flower show, I might have to go and have a lie down. In the sun. With an ice cream perhaps...
We got a silver-gilt medal which we are very pleased with, we're really pleased because it's our first Tatton. The judges did say that they'd like us to do a larger stand and that our plants would really suit a larger exhibit. One of the reasons why we create a display of this size is because it fills one lorry! We never know how the plants will go down when we come to a new show and especially one in a different climatic area, but so far so good. Next week we're going to the Taunton flower show where we're exhibiting our own plants and planting a garden, then Rob and I are off for three days to an undisclosed, secret location to reflect on the last few months and plan for the year ahead.
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Compass rose insurence





The poppy bloomed, but it was so heavy it broke the stem ... I had to prop it up to take photos :(

Robert Nyman
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White lotus photo with lotus pond background - Northern Cambodia - Siem Reap.
In album Lotus flower photo - Lotus blossom images - Lotus pond photos

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Roraima mountain


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Bright yellow flower

Bright yellow flower



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Naustitum flower.

Naustitum flower.
This Flower, Unique, Because Have The Heart Shape, And Fortunately I Have A Moment To Capture It :)



Dove... flying around. This tiny flower, with mostly with white colour, plus a little spot of yellow. The formation of dove.



Crocus - the first flowers of spring 2008


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Yellow, flower with bug around...



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Lotus blossom in white with lotus pad as background.
In album Lotus flower photo - Lotus blossom images - Lotus pond photos

Crocus - the first flowers of spring 2008

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Floral bedding is always something that divides gardeners; they either love it or hate it. There seems to be no half measure. butterflies.jpgWhile I wouldn't do it in my own garden I have to admit I think it looks great at Tatton and the 'Conwy Butterflies' created by Conwy County Borough Council display made of marigolds and sempervivum is a worthy winner of the RHS/ Ball Colegrave National Flower Bed Competition. cyclist_bed.jpgThe displays are always of a very high standard and there are many that stand out for me including the helicopter in the Cheltenham in Bloom display (Silver) and the cyclists on the Bury Borough Council display. There is even a 'Yellow Submarine' (Silver) courtesy of Vale Royal Borough Council, perfectly placed for suitable accompaniment from the bandstand. tank.jpgMany of the displays have interesting stories behind them and a large tank created out of plants was one that stuck out for me. It's been created by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in honour of Fred Kite, a resident of their borough. It commemorates the two military medals he was awarded while serving with the Royal Tank Regiment in North Africa. A fitting tribute, and certainly an explosion of colour. I've been trying to persuade my colleague Louise to love the flower beds without much success although she did admit that she liked the penguins in the 'Chill Out' display. The RHS are launching Britain's Best Flower Bed Competition for the nation's best flowerbed to rival those at Tatton. The competition is open to any team or individuals working on public bedding displays around the country. If you think you have what it takes, make sure you take a picture of your flowerbed before August 31 and find out how you can enter at the RHS Britain in Bloom site. The winner will have the chance to compete in the National Flower Bed Competition at Tatton 2009.
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