Gardening Scotland Pallet and Planter Competition 2012

wow scotsgran these are just fabulous, i have put them on my favourites, what work, what inspiration thank you for putting them all on.

i want to make one of these now

must have taken you ages to take all those photos but thank you.

Editing was a nightmare and I know I have missed some of the awards given but going around and conversing with visitors was a bit distracting. If anyone can id mistakes I will happily amend the blog. I took all the pics on Saturday and went back on Sunday with my list of names to write down the awards and take some better pics where the originals were rubbish. As a member of Suntrap Gardening Club I was offered the opportunity to help out on the pallet and planter tent. Our group is a member organisation in The Scottish Gardeners Forum who are responsible for the competition. Its Aim of Challenge is - To encourage and foster amateur gardening groups e.g. schools, horticultural societies and clubs to participate and showcase their work in national and local shows. The SGF provides help and advice to such groups and its member groups. I'm glad you enjoyed looking at it Sticki.

Wow they are amazing. Have to say its really nice to see the schools getting the children involved doing things like this.

How fantastic, they are all brilliant and what a way to get children, interested in gardening.

I think its brilliant, thanks so much scotsgran, im certain it will stimulate and enthuse children [even grown up ones] everywhere.
the size of the garden makes it so much more accessible and easier to work ~ i was a teacher and although we had an area we could work on with the children you had to take all 30 at a time and its very hard to keep them all busy age 5 and 6 safely!!!
a small garden outside the classroom would have been so much better, they loved the plants and watching them grow.

wouldnt these be good for visiting grandchildren!!!!!!!!!!

Indeed yes Sticki. Did you clock the use of the fish boxes in nos. 3 and 39. That is definitely a grandparent/grandchild possibility. I'm glad you are all enjoying it so much. I can see we will have plenty of replacements for the likes of Dairmid Gavin et al.
I have a copy of the 2013 Competion details if anyone wans to find out where to start on a project like this. The SGF provide the pallet outers so that all look the same in the beginning. Having been given a larger area to display the pallets the organisers gave more space between each pallet so that more people could get a closer look at them. Using the camouflage leaves along each side of each avenue also gave a better atmosphere in which to view the displays.
No.23 "The Sun has got his hat on" had several visitors humming along.

Oh my word! What a lovely collection of displays Scotsgran, I've never seen so much gardening work done by children, truly heartwarming to see.

They obviously get a lot of support from teachers and other adults because some of these displays have travelled a fair way to get here and be placed in their alloted space. I was amazed to see that some schools and groups had more than one exhibit on show. Adult horticultural societies are also involved and one even put its schedule for their show in to a plastic holder as part of the display. Its an open show which means people from outwith the immediate area can exhibit. It was a brilliant bit of advertising.

well done on all the photos Scotsgran.
I was there on saturday and took lots of photos of the pallets but yours are so much better so i am going to delete mine and keep yours as a favourite blog
Thanks :-))

Loved everyone of them, how do you pick the best ones as there all so good.

Thanks Helen. I'm sure yours were fine. My son was here every week for a few weeks when OH and I had 'flu and he said I was taking an awful lot of rubbishy photos and gave me his camera. It is much better at taking pics than my cheaper one but he did not give me a manual for it. I'm struggling to remember all the things it can do and whether I need the flash on or off. I have at least mastered recharging it. I wish I'd known you were going to be there as I would have loved to have met you. I only recently met Scottish. We are a seedling goyer club in this area.
Clarice there is criteria set out to guide exhibitors. E.g. The exhibit must not exceed 1m in width and depth(back to front) by 15cm high. Plant material can overhang the collar provided it does not project any more than 15cms. It should be viewable from a distinguishable front and a back drop not exceeding 1.5m is permitted etc. It would be interesting to hear members views on their own favourites. The judges are experienced show judges who all come from a background in the field.

Most of them were good but I didn't agree with the judges on all of them lol

Nor me Hywel but I suppose they knew what the exhibitors had been asked to produce and because they do judging all the time they can spot things of which you and I might be unaware. Its great to see the children coming back in future years and doing better. It must be difficult to assess the input of adults too. The great thing is the children are excited by what they are doing. One school produced a pallet with a working fountain. We had to click on the remote control every 20 minutes to set it off.

Pitty we lose the imaginationand enthusiasm of a child after we grow up ... but sometimes I don't think I have grown up !

I have just loved this,Scotsgran..in fact,I would prefer seeing these,than going to one of the big gardening shows,honestly....such imagination and enthusiasm shines through..and it's going on my faves too..thank you for sharing :o)

I saw these on Friday and was really taken with all the imaginative interpretations, from schools particularly. Great to see youngsters getting involved with this. I certainly enjoyed seeing them all and would have been hard pushed to pick winners!

Hywel I think you have grown up without losing that spark of imagination that we all see shining through in your blogs whether they are in your garden or out and about. The bonus is that your experiences are passed on for us to enjoy. Thank you Bloomer. The show is Scotlands answer to Chelsea and that it is also rated is proved by the traders who think it is worth their time to rush up here to stage another stand so soon after Chelsea. I am doing another blog about some of the exhibits I saw in the Central Hall on my way to and from the car park. Vicky, a goy member and her OH Richard from Plantagogo had a stand here and the heucheras were mouthwateringly good. I spoke to Richard for a few minutes but the stand was very busy so I did not linger. Oji the children can make you stop and think. If this is how the next generation are going to be it makes me more hopeful for the world.

Oh I agree with Bloomer, I would of much prefered to walk around these gardens than the ones at Chelsea.
They are brilliant. And like Sticki, I want to do one now, Lol.

Wow, what a lot of talent shown there, so many ideas. Thank you for taking so much trouble to show these little gems - really enjoyed it :)

Thank you both. For people with small yards rather than gardens these would be brilliant. This is just a small taster of what goes on. If you go in to the main sales area there seems to be miles of stalls selling everything from a hat to a sit on mower. I never go near those bits. Too tiring walking around them. I do enjoy the Central Hall and pallet areas and that can take hours but there are plenty of refreshment seated cafe areas to cater for all tastes plus all the food and wine tasting on offer.

Aren't they fantastic, Sg! They remind me of the "miniature gardens" we used to make in trays for the local flower show competition...in Sauchie! lol!
...only much, much better...and more practical :)))

I think these are lovely - so imaginative, and accessible for small groups to create. It is great to see lots of children involved. How excited they must have been to see their awards!

A trip down memory lane then Kf. I hope you were successful with your exhibits. I think you learned to love the garden in those early years and it is coming through in your garden. You are the living proof of catching children early and allowing them to experiment with the textures etc around them. Yes Mel. there were lots of very excited children in on Friday to see what they had been awarded. They brought parents and grandparents back on Saturday and Sunday to see too. As gardens have shrunk in the need to provide more homes on each available acre so the demand for allotments has risen with people wanting to grow their own. Three large new developments of allotments have opened in the last two years in our area.

When I was young, the Church Flower Show was a big thing, Sg. The whole village was involved...People who didn't grow things took part in the "sale of work". My mother and my Gran knitted like demons! And my gran made tablet and coconut ice. My grandad grew vegetables and my mum did sweet-peas. Our miniature gardens always used mirrors for ponds and loads of moss for grass! Ah...those were the days...

The WRI aka 'The Rural' Annual Shows are still a big thing here Kf. My own daughter graduated through the Brownies and the Village Flower and Veg. Show to entering the Rural show with great success. They now include childrens classes and the miniature gardens are always a big class. My grand daughter is a keen exhibitor.

Oh, that's good to hear! It's such a nice thing to be a part of...
I know that the village shows are no longer the same in Sauchie...but it's no longer a village...my mum doesn't even know some of her neighbours now.
Still, the nursery school is still busy keeping up! And well done them!

The Sauchie Nursery caterpillar was a big attraction at the show. Well done them for getting a Gold Medal and First Prize in the Schools Section.

Yay! Hooray! Good for them!:))

I don't often see Sauchie in print, ever!
except in the Alloa Advertiser, when I'm home...and that's hardly ever good news...

Brilliant!!!! you certainy were busy and have made a wonderful blog thanks :)))

This is the website for Clackmannanshire Kf. If you Google it and the click on E in the A-Z it will allow you to see what is happening in Sauchie each month. On 25th August they are having a Gala Day with a dance in the evening. That sounds like a good community to me. http://www.clacksweb.org.uk/learning/schools/sauchienurseryschool/
Niverdeen I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Brilliant, will spread the word, my daughter starts school in August and the school has a great garden and young orchard, am sure the kids and gardening commity would love to be involved, nursery would too I'm sure!!! Thanks for taking the time to share with us x

Hi Magnadoodle thank you for looking and for being so enthusiastic. I do hope the school responds well. Do you live within easy travelling distance of Edinburgh. Breaking the exhibit down in to manageable transportable pieces is the key I think. I hope your daughter is looking forward to going to school and has a great time when she gets there.

We are just along the road in Glasgow x is the show still at Ingliston? I've always fancied going but hubby refuses to come with me....... Am emailing our "head gardener" tonight to get things in motion :) watch this space!

You would be welcomed with open arms at the pallet comp. The circle of exhibitors is widening and they have reached Cumbernauld towards the west. It is possible to enter planters too. If you need more info on who to contact etc. I can pm it to you. The closing date will be some time in May 2013. Dates are not confirmed yet. Yes the show is still at Ingliston. They were supposed to move across the road last year but I believe the Airport is considering its options on building a new runway through the site.

Great stuff, I will be in touch, kids will love this! Fantastic opportunity to let thier imaginations run riot. Some of the above entries are inspired!