Gardeners of the future win awards

So much interest in the School Gardens section

One of my earliest memories at school in north London in the early 1940s was learning to distinguish between an ash and horse-chestnut bud and then painstakingly to draw a twig of each to show the difference.

"Look, listen and absorb"

Later, in the late 60s when I became a teacher, I encouraged my young pupils to look around them, at wild flowers,  annual and perennial plants and trees, and the landscape in which they grew. I wanted to see them – and their parents – curious about the world in which they are growing up, and passionate about books – and, of course, gardens.

And books have been the theme for the children’s and students’ gardens this year. The results are ingenious and many show an understanding of bio-diversity, focussing on “issues that affect everyone, and how we can make the world a better place to live.”

Checking on the planting, with one of the children's project books

Books upon which the School Gardens were based ranged from Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, The Green Ship, The Chicken Gave it to Me, The Hodgeheg, Where;s Wally, The Railway Children, to The Wizard of Oz and The Iron Man, The Selfish Giant and Romeo & Juliet. 

Usborne Books gave a
book to each
award-winner

The gardens have been judged for certificates of commendation by a panel from the RHS and Three Counties Agricultural Society. In addition, Frank Hill from CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) joined the other judges to make cash awards to top gardens.

'100 Plants that almost
changed the world

Lots of awards were given for serious and whacky categories – from best grower to wackiest wellingtons. Awards were presented by Gardener and Author, Chris Beardshaw, who also donated a copy of his latest book to every school for their library. The gardens were sponsored by Bam Construct Ltd, whilst Blue Diamond sponsored the plants, trees and shrubs used .

Interpreting a theme is not easy

Whatever book title was selected by participating schools and colleges, they clearly perceived that gardens should be more than ornamental; all included ‘edibles’ in their designs. Maybe campaigns running over recent years to encourage healthy eating have been sufficiently successful that at last plenty of fruit and vegetables has impinged on their gardening.

Sweetcorn growing in the Wizard of Ox garden

And the marvellous news is that Horticulture is to become a part of the National Curriculum from September 2014, a step welcomed by the RHS. Sarah Cathcart, RHS Head of Education and Learning says, “We have been campaigning for this for nearly 10 years so we are thrilled that the Government has recognised the need for children to be taught gardening at school. We now need to help teachers and school staff get the support they need to teach horticulture to children.”

Busy, busy, busy

More reading will be involved for pupils and students participating next year, for the 2014 theme is to be ‘Great Moments in History’. The choice is enormous – with over 8,500 years since the recognised emergence of civilisation, there are plenty of events to choose from. Make sure you come back next year to enjoy the results.

Shopping Spree post will appear later this evening, or first thing tomorrow.

Spring Gardening Show Scrapbook - day one (Thursday)

What a setting - the Malvern Hills are a backdrop 
to this Show Garden

Scrapbooking a day late - by the time we had downloaded and sorted all the images we had taken, struggled with the wind and the rain and generally decided how I would create today's post, the light had gone. Today is calmer, and now bright and sunny.

Such a surprise !

I find it impossible to visit all areas of the Showground in one day - had I been solely visiting for my personal delight, I would have done as I advised in an earlier post and concentrated on a specific area. Fortunately, I am here for all four days so can pace my areas of enjoyment. (Today was actually my 'shopping fix'! But more of that tomorrow.)

Collage of some of today's photo-shoot

Show Gardens: seeing them actually finished, as opposed to watching how the various plots emerge from a piece of bare turf, was a revelation. I am not going to cover them all, but have picked our my favourites - your choice might be entirely different. I am personally not concerned about medals but look at any garden as a source of inspiration. Inspiration for more than our own acre, but for my sketchbooks and hand-made journals.

The BBC were filming in the rain yesterday

I have to admit to three favourites, each quite different in style and planting and each lovely to me for various reasons. It's surprising what will trigger a response when viewing any garden - here at Malvern, or at Shows large and small around the country. And as a visitor it often has nothing to do with evaluation, or size, or the amount of work that must have gone into the design, creation and build, but something that sparks the imagination, evokes a memory.

Nostalgia

Mark Eveleigh's 'Boathouse No.9' (page 24) has such a gentle simplicity about it, as Mark's gardens always have. A garden with atmosphere that grows out if its surroundings; as near to nature as a patch of ground can possibly be, with hedgerow shrubs, nettles and wild flowers; a clinker-built wooden dinghy gradually decaying. A haven for wildlife, and for me reminiscent of the walks I took as a young child with my grandmother in the early 1940s. Mark's boathouse has been created from an old gardener's shed that has stood overlooking the River Severn for the last 65 years. Props complete the feeling of a bygone age.

Back in Cornwall (via Malvern)

And then my teenage years and visits to Cornwall, continued in early married life, when my new husband and I visited so many gardens and drove around the countryside in an old Austin Seven. Such different scenery, so lush, and plants I had never then heard of. Paul Taylor of Alchemy Gardens sourced materials from Cornwall for his 'Room with a View' (page 27) which was inspired by the gardens at Trebah nestling within a valley near Falmouth. Both the 'real' Trebah and this recreation have a subtropical feel - indeed the contractors were so determined to feature the correct plants, they visited the gardens to check authenticity. The colours of the stone imported by the ton used are subtly beautiful, just as is the stone found on the Lizard. It's doubly poignant for me to feel I am back in Cornwall, as I am currently re-reading 'All the Day Long' by Howard Spring, set in a landscape so near to Trebah.

And so to France (also via Malvern)

And so to southern France and camping trips in olive groves, picnics down little side roads - a memory that instantly came to mind when I saw the build-up - and now the finished garden - of 'Reposer Vos Roues' (Rest your Wheels) which Villaggio Verde has created: a rustic cafe which has played host to professional cyclists for more that 100 years. Now an important  refreshment stop along the route of the Tour de France for riders and their teams. There's an interesting story to the age-old olive trees used to create this garden: they are re-cycled. Greek farmers are offered a subsidy to grub them up and replant with young, more productive stock - ordinarily they would be burned, but their reprieve means they have a further life, bringing joy to lovers of the Meditarranean, and to show garden visitors.

A glorious Spring arrangement

I have been back to all the 2013 Show Gardens many times since we arrived on Wednesday, but had not realised that in fact these three, coming together as they do this year, encapsulated three ages in my life - and I am almost back to my theatrical scenario, and Shakespeare's "seven ages of man". Tomorrow, my 'Shopping Fix around the Showground' (WiFi permitting).

Starting young ...

School children ready for a day at the Spring Gardening Show

Have you ever considered as you walk around the Showground, absorbing the beauty of the gardens and so many plant nursery delights, from whence stems all this inspiration? We all have to begin somewhere, and so very often, what we are introduced to in childhood becomes first an interest, and for some the passion of a lifetime. For me there were many triggers which began over 70 years ago walking with my grandmother in the Surrey woods. What I unknowingly absorbed then and later now fuels much that goes on in my eclectic garden and orchard, my writing, my travels, my creative journals; in fact these childhood beginnings have taken over my whole life.

Enthusiastic, bright-eyed children explain to me their participation at the 2012 Show

Why this preamble? I want to introduce you to the educational side of  Malvern and to the Society's commitment to working with children through all ages and stages of education - over the entire year. Marvellous work is undertaken on the Showground and in schools under the auspices of Education Officer, Sue Hodgson-Jones. 

The children just love talking to visitors about their garden

A culmination for many youngsters is their fantastic work at the Spring Gardening Show – gardens designed by school and college groups and created under much the same conditions as those you will see by adult and professional designers. The children’s enthusiasm is boundless; talk to them about what they create – they are knowledgeable and dedicated, as are their teachers and tutors; what they do goes far beyond curriculum specifications.

These pupils, with their classmates, based their whole exhibit 
on a storybook

This year the theme is truly inspiring – and even more educational than usual. Sixteen gardens are to be created by pupils from nursery age right through to college students. Their chosen theme will be based on 'Storytelling': book titles, or aspects thereof. The uninitiated may not realise the significance of this; a book has to be thoroughly understood before it can be interpreted in a creative, living format.

The style of school gardens often takes you by surprise - ingenious use of recycling in this one

No children? There was so much detail in this garden 
that we could only photograph it during their lunch break 
- and this is only a part of it

The ‘School Garden Project Challenge’ is a regular event at the Spring Gardening Show and all participating establishments are as keen as ever this year to be involved. Their remit this year is to “Design, plan and build you a 24sqm Show Garden.” 

Many schools also displayed additional work from school and even set up shop!

The project is extremely rewarding and offers pupils and students the chance to learn a wide range of skills (planning, gardening, communication and team work). It also encompasses many National Curriculum subjects; and many schools display some of their classwork at the Show.

In safe hands: BAM Construct supply help and support
(see green display board in the background)

Support is offered throughout the whole process, and particularly from Show Sponsors BAM Construct who are available throughout the show garden build-up, which for schools begins on 18th April, just three weeks before the opening day of the Show.

Always popular is the 'Discovery Zone' with plenty of hands-on activities

Apart from the youngsters’ show gardens, there is educational fun for all the family within the adjacent ‘Discovery Zone’ marquee. Take a look here at some of the activities on offer.

Notebook at the ready - and a fund of knowledge to impart to visitors

I was pleased to have the opportunity at a previous Show to talk
to Chris Beardshaw about his views on the importance of
educational participation at these shows.

The Education Section is situated between Rows 5 and 7, next to the main Show Gardens. With the Spring Gardens Coffee Court alongside, there’s no excuse for neglecting the work of pupils and students! So please find time to visit this important and pleasurable aspect of the Show; your support will encourage the children and help them to discover just how passionate we ALL are about gardens and gardening. Or we would not be at Malvern, would we?

For more details on Three Counties Educational Activities, please visit the website.

WHY NOT ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE PAGES, TOO?  (Just click on the links):
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Malvern Autumn Show

AND PLEASE KEEP VISITING Ann's Malvern Jotter: I’ll be blogging again every week during the Show build-up, and daily 'live' during the actual Show. I also recommend regular clicks onto the Spring Gardening Show website for regular updates and more breaking news.

On Show - On Stage ....

The Malvern Hills provide the perfect backdrop
to the Malvern Spring Gardening Show

Theatre is very much in evidence at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show. Look around you, and you will see how carefully and lovingly everything is staged. Nothing haphazard, nothing left to chance. From the backdrop of the stunning hills, to the immaculate presentation of nursery displays in the Floral Marquee to the innovative and inspiring Show Gardens. Even to the way tools and gardening equipment and sundries are displayed, everything is all so very carefully stage-managed. Breathtaking. 

If it weren't for all the visitors, you would think you were in an alpine rock garden

Regular visitors will know that expert advice is always available from stall holders, whether it is how to grow a specific plant to perfection, or how to nurture edible crops. For general advice, RHS staff on the Royal Horticultural Society stand are a mine of information on both mundane and esoteric topics; pick their brains; their help is invaluable, as I have discovered personally more than once. The enjoyment factor is much in evidence with knowledgeable experts to inform and entertain. Scheduled talks and question and answer sessions will feature throughout the fours days within TWO theatres – both with alluring ‘sets’ to beguile you - created by established garden designers. As I write, the designs are still under wraps but are sure to be as amazing as ever. 

Mark Walker (left) alongside his 'Somerset Pride' show garden, 
for which he received a 'Best Edible Garden' award in 2011 
- presented to him by Mike Warner, TCAS Chairman of the Board
and Elizabeth Banks, RHS President

A facelift is being given this year to the ‘Allotment Theatre’ in the Gardeners’ Shopping Pavilion  (on Row 2), with a theme of ‘Dig for Prosperity’ and a garden to match, designed by Mark Walker of Walker's Garden Retreats. Mark is no stranger to Malvern - his ‘Dig for Victory’ garden at the 2012 Autumn Show was a show-stopper, as was his 'Somerset Pride' (above) in 2011, for which he was awarded 'Best Edible Garden' and an RHS Silver-Gilt medal. Both gardens were overwhelmingly nostalgic, with such attention to detail, that I just wanted to stand and stare and drink it all in. 'Somerset Pride' depicted a rural farmyard setting with the use of authentic rustic materials - a trade-mark of Mark's garden designs. As a sneak preview for his 2013 theatre design, Mark says, “Grange Cottage is closely based on my mum’s childhood home in Oddingley, near Droitwich, where they grew veg, had chickens and worked the local land. We believe every garden has a story to tell, and its purpose for the allotment theatre is for talks on all things veggie, chickens and horticulture in general.”

Mark Diacono last Autumn, 
discussing culinary herbs 
with Kim Hurst of
The Cottage Herbery

Hosting all the entertainment in the ‘Allotment Theatre’ will be Reg Moule, gardening guru for BBC Hereford & Worcester. Reg comes from a family that has been involved in horticulture for several generations, and before this they were all farmers, back to the 1740s. So he knows his stuff. As does Mark Diacono who will be joining him at specified times every day. Mark D. says, “I am lucky enough to spend most of my time eating, growing, writing and talking about food. At my smallholding, Otter Farm in Devon, I grow unusual and forgotten food along with the best of the more familiar.” 

James Alexander-Sinclair (left, nearest camera) hosts
a question-and-answer session in 2012 in the 
'Plants & People Theatre'

As for the spectacular and tented ‘Plants & People Theatre', this is where you can listen to, and meet, more celebrities, each with a widespread knowledge on a number of subjects. The theatre seats fill fast, so check your show guide when you arrive for exact times, and grab a coveted front-row spot for some fantastic live entertainment. Your compères during the four days will be the elegant and amusing James Alexander-Sinclair, an established garden and landscape designer, writer, television presenter and speaker.

Katie Johnson in the 
P&P theatre

And when James is not on stage, sit back and enjoy the friendly interviews conducted by Katie Johnson, a farmer turned broadcaster and writer, and also a presenter at food, drink, and gardening events. 

Carol Klein, 
vivacious and ebullient

Specific and more general topics have yet to be announced, but you won’t want to miss either Chris Beardshaw on Thursday and Friday or Carol Klein on Friday and Saturday. Both are highly entertaining and of course, expert. Carol works as a television presenter and newspaper columnist and will be familiar to TV viewers of Gardeners’ World and Life in a Cottage Garden (her own).

Chris Beardshaw talking to a group of schoolchildren

Chris Beardshaw is also well-known to TV viewers, with a pedigree that includes BBC Two’s Hidden Gardens and The Flying Gardener, amongst many others. (Remember him leaping in and out of a helicopter?) He is also a regular voice on the weekly Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time panel and will be joining the team at Scotland’s Beechgrove this Spring,  putting his unique horticultural mark on the garden. But Chris is also passionate about passing on his love of horticulture to youngsters, and at the Show on Thursday he will be involved in the theatre with a children’s presentation.

“All the World’s a Stage,” wrote Shakespeare in 'As You Like It' in 1599, “and all the men and women merely players”. Mere players? Everyone involved with the Malvern Spring Gardening Show is dedicated to staging an event ‘par excellence’. 

Don’t miss it. 

Why not book your tickets now?

AND PLEASE ‘KEEP VISITING’: I’ll be blogging again in two weeks time, but meanwhile, I recommend regular clicks onto the Spring Gardening Show website for regular updates and more breaking news.

WHY NOT ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE PAGES, TOO?  (Just click on the links)


Malvern Spring Gardening Show
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Malvern Autumn Show

A Show with Feeling

Quintessentially English is the wild foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), which this year symbolises the Malvern Spring Gardening Show – and the Malvern Hills themselves. Come the actual Show (from 9th to 12th May) they will be flowering on the steep slopes, and down sequestered lanes of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Displayed on Show posters and leaflets, their presence speaks of late-Spring, and Summer-to-come; and on the Showground, too, their pink spires will remind us of lazy days cycling in rural places, as I did as a child.

Foxgloves in a
Malvern  showgarden

Their flowers beguiled me (and still do) – as a little girl, I would collect the fallen tubular blossoms, each speckled in their throat, and place them upside down on my fingertips. A handful of the countryside, and many childhood memories; and, without realising it, a life-long love of plants. So often, what you learn as a child stays with you forever.

The new Three Counties Agricultural Society chief uses pedal power

Pedalling allows one to absorb so much more of one’s surroundings, and by now, the new Three Counties Agricultural Society chief, Ken Nottage, is proving that pedal power is just the ticket, when it comes to circumnavigating his new working domain. Ken, who officially took the helm at the Society’s Three Counties Showground  on December 1st, is not fazed by the 90 acre perimeter site at the foot of the Malvern Hills, and is literally getting on his bike – astride a fully restored 1957 Royal Enfield. He said: “I was reading a copy of  ‘Three Into One’ – John Lewis’s excellent chronicle of the Society - and was amused to read that years ago, a former company secretary carried out his ground inspections astride a pony! I was inspired to follow suit, but with no equine prowess to my name, opted for an arguably safer, and definitely less temperamental, mode of transport. This is a beautiful place to work, but it’s also a large area to cover on foot, so a bike is a great way of getting from A to B quickly, without polluting the fresh air.”

It's easy to find your way around

How I wish I could give all first-timers to the Spring Gardening Show a quick guided tour by bike, a leisurely and gentle introduction to all that you will find once you arrive; but instead will outline what I term the four main ‘quadrants’, each with a distinct characteristic. The Showground is divided by hard-surfaced roadways – Rows and Avenues, and all sections are clearly signposted with large-scale maps at most intersections. Avenues run north to south, parallel with the Malvern Hills (good for orienting yourself), and Rows run from east to west. Stand in your imagination (map in hand) at the junction of Avenue 5 and Row 5 (Elgar Avenue) facing the hills:

Bikes are 'in' this year!

The quandrant to your right is ‘home’ to the RHS/TCAS Members’ Pavilion, The Severn Hall and the new Three Counties Centre, the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition), the Bandstand, Show Office, Artisan Food Market, excellent trade stands, and lots of catering venues.

Ahead of you will be the magnificent ‘Malvern Floral Marquee’ and to your left, Plant Pavilions galore (many are specialist nurseries); undercover, the Avon Hall (floral art`), the Gardeners’ Shopping Pavilion and Allotment Theatre, the Wye Hall – home to plant societies, food and wine stalls, and the Three Counties Guild of Craftsmen’. Plus the Eco Art & Garden area and innumerable trade stands related to horticulture.

The Plants & People Theatre always draws a large audience

Swivel on the spot with the Hills at your back and walk slowly away from then down Row 5. To your immediate right is the ‘Country Living magazine Pavilion’ and lots more useful trade stands.

One of many excellent School Gardens:  the children are so knowledgeable, and keen to talk to visitors

Whilst to your left (with your back to the Hills) are the eclectic School Gardens, the Learning Garden and Discovery Zone and Spring Gardens Coffee Court and then – across Row 7 the Show Gardens (including the Themed Garden category inspired by the Tour de France), RHS Life, an Art Market and the Plants and People Theatre. So much to absorb, so many activities, and in my next posts (during March), I will be describing some of these in more detail as news emerges. Click on all the links to keep up-to-date with all that is happening.