Sunshine and Showers ...

The Malvern Hills in the background -
and all the fun of the fair on the Showground

Whenever I think of Malvern in my mind’s eye, I see that whaleback line of hills, and marvel at the fact that no matter when I am there on the Showground - Spring, Summer, Autumn and even Winter, the weather does not matter one jot to my enjoyment of what is on offer.

Floral delights, as always

And thinking ahead again to this year’s Autumn Show; what a joyous occasion it will be. Do you know that feeling of pleasurable euphoria? A day out in the country after a busy summer, tasks accomplished, harvest ongoing - late September in all its glory.

A true celebration of Autumn harvest

Latest show ground news is starting to trickle into my inbox - it’s really exciting when this happens, and has me ferreting for stories surrounding a series of bullet points. First up this week is related to ‘The Good Life’ aspect of the Show, which is all about sowing, growing and cooking with fresh, wholesome food harvested from the garden. 'A Brave New World of Beauty' is the theme of a brand new feature garden in the Good Life Pavilion.

The filigree beauty of hoar frost
on hogweed (c.rquinton)

The design celebrates a new shift towards allowing perennials to stand over winter - enjoying them in the frosty garden rather than tidying them away.  Plant beauty rather than bare soil. Three of the four seasons will be depicted - Autumn, Winter and Spring.

The subtlety of Autumn

Autumn features warm colours (particularly red), with bright Autumn foliage forming a backdrop.  The Winter section will make use of frosted glass and silver foliage, white bark and white plants to evoke the feel of the Winter season.  The Spring section will feature a sumptuous array of Spring coloured flowers with a meadow feel, created using long grasses and asters (the latter normally associated with Autumn) - but that’s in the nature of show gardens: theatricality rather than reality. Do look at the website for the three ‘mood boards’ already featured.

A packed and appreciative audience

As to Celebrity Speakers at the Show, so far confirmed are Joe Swift (both days), Monty Don (Sunday) and Jim Buttress (Saturday); always popular, it’s an excellent opportunity to catch up on the latest professional guidance. Again - keep visiting the website for news; and don’t forget to purchase your tickets in advance. More news will follow from me in due course … it may be trite to say so, but “watch this space!”

Back to the Basics: Show opening times on both days are 9.00am to 6.00pm and there’s a free shuttle bus from Great Malvern rail station. There's also no charge for standard car parking.  Book your Show tickets online, or phone the ticket hotline (01684 584924). And bookmark this Blog if you haven’t done so already as I’ll be posting regularly right up to the Show.

(All images, apart from the frosted hogweed, were taken at the 2013 Autumn Show, are copyright Stuart Purfield and reproduced with his permission.)