Gardening Scotland, Pallet and Planter Competition 2014

Congratulations. It sounds a great way to grow veg, worth trying at home too.

Congrats to you and the team Scotsgran. I am not going to be attending this year - from the coverage I saw on Beechgrove the other night, it all looked great. Some lovely gardens. I hope you are enjoying it :)

Thank you Steragram. The idea of growing like this is very interesting. It would be easy to pop the sweetcorn and beans in to a herbaceous border where their roots can be kept in the dark and shaded by the foliage. Ideally they should be planted in a square with 2' between the plants. Because we were going to be very much on the edge of the time to safely plant out up here in Scotland and because I thought I had the ideal size container for them I was given the job of planting up at home. When I checked the rules I found the container was too big. I could not get anything suitable which would have been light and easy to move. GOYER to THE RESCUE. When we visited Bjs in Bristol last year he gave me the container you see here, finished and ready to be planted with Alpines. I only recently planted it up with the alpines so I decided to be brave and decant them so I could use this pot. I will replant the alpines later this week. The pots of flowers are planted in their pots which means they are already settled and they are not disturbed and makes dismantling very much easier. Thank you Scottish, sorry we won't see you there. I have just watched Beechgrove on i player. It gives some shots of really imaginative 1m x 1m pallets. Groupon had an offer of 55% off if you bought two tickets allowing 2 people in for the bargain price of £12. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the show today. I am definitely on a budget though. lol.

Congratulations ! Doesn't it make you feel proud :)

It does Hywel. Also exhausted. When a member emailed to say we had won a Silver Gilt I could not believe it till I had seen it for myself. When I discovered the Bronze as well I was over the moon. No wonder I'm tired lol it is a long way up. The Club Secretary and her family came in this am when I was on duty and is already talking about next year. What have we unleashed. We have had enquiries from several schools asking how to enter and I met the Chairman of a very large south coast show who was very interested in using a similar program there. It is a great idea.

Well done, Scotsgran. It looks lovely, and must have taken a lot of work and organisation.

Budget......what's that :)

Thank you Mel. Now that it is over you tend to forget all those warning bells which were shouting 'You are mad to do this'. It is definitely fun now we have been rewarded with those awards. Now we have to learn how to improve. Did I mention the 'B' word Scottish, most unlike me lol. I did not buy anything but I did buy plants off my wish list to use on the exhibit. I will need to find places for them in the garden.

Does the container size vary every year Scotsgran? I've still got a couple in the shed looking to go to a good home. I'm doubtful of doing anything with them soon. If you want to keep this one for next year - you are more than welcome to the others I have.
Yes, you did mention the B word you naughty girl!

Hi Scottish, The sizes are always 1.03m x 1.03 m, internal size, for the collar provided by the Organisers for the Pallet with an an overall height limit of 2m. The Planter must not be more than 70cms x 50cms with a maximum height of 1.5m. It can be any shape. Exhibitors are given Complimentary tickets so that they can visit to see the show. Children under 15 are free but obviously need to be supervised. Any organised group can enter not just schools. North Berwick in Bloom always do well. Many of the community groups like our gardening club and allotment groups enter. I think there was something like 49 Pallets and around 30 Planters this year. Any interested group can visit the Scottish Gardeners Forum website and ask for more details. There are also photos of the Competition exhibits. I'll say yes please to your offer. Are we still on for going to the Mecs. day I think it is next weekend. I must check.

The pallet gardens are very popular aren't they. It's good that so many do take part. The more the merrier!
Thanks for taking them off my hands - I had an idea you would want them.
Yes, still up for it. Thanks for reminding me - I had completely forgotten about it. I've just checked the Scottish Gardens Website and they don't have the later dates listed. I wonder if they are still open. I'll phone in the morning when I get up.

I had a look and it is not listed anywhere that I could find. If it is this weekend I'm not now going to be able to make it.

Sheila, I tried to call 4 times today and each time no answer. I didn't bother leaving a message.
Perhaps there's a reason they aren't open. Have fun what ever you've planned :)

I edited some more of the photos I took at GS, hope you enjoy them too.

They are fabulous! Such clever ideas - I really enjoyed looking at them. Thank you, Scotsgran.

It is strange but many Scottish Gardeners prefer to go down to Chelsea rather than support the home grown version which attracts many growers from down south including many of the Chelsea high award nurseries. It is such a pity when so many traders make such an effort on behalf of their Scottish customers. Maybe we need to invite the Royals????

Wonderful designs ...
Well done to everyone at Gardening Scotland.

Thank you Mel, I do wonder how they dream up fresh ideas every year. The children are very inventive if you allow them to run with their ideas then channel them into something wonderful. Thank you TT. This is only a very small part of GS. The Floral Hall is where you find companies like Plantagogo, our goy member Vicky and her husband Richard, with their fantastic heucheras. Also specialist clubs like SRGC and many of the Chelsea winners bring their designs here. There is a huge outdoor area filled with proper show gardens as seen at Chelsea. Young designers are sponsored to plant up gardens, colleges and local authorities also display some stunning gardens. There is another large outdoor area of plant nurseries selling plants. There is also the Beechgrove Pavilion where entertainment is provided throughout the day. The Beechgrove team and experts in all aspects of plants from the 'Caley' are on hand to answer queries from the public. We were frequently asked to id plants for visitors and were able to direct them to somebody who could help them. Visitors often asked about gardening clubs where they could learn more about gardening. The Scottish Gardeners Forum is an association for Gardening Clubs. They provide clubs with help in starting up. The main benefit to clubs which run Flower Shows is that they are covered by the Association Insurance Scheme which means a huge saving for them. Lists of Speakers are also provided.