A Rather Muddy Day Out.

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Today I went with my friend to the Amateur Gardening Magazine Show at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset. We were very lucky with the weather as it only rained on the way there! There were a lot of people with the same idea, as the Friday and Saturday had been so wet – we were told that hardly anybody had braved the dire conditions on those days. We had a great time and saw some wonderful displays from the many Nurseries there. Medals are awarded for the best displays and of course Dibley’s won a gold for their Streptocarpus display.

This is one of the Nursery stands – plants so beautifully displayed.

Each Nursery had a stand with a display and a stall with plants to buy. This stand interested me as it was all Cottage Garden plants.

We saw Show Gardens too and I really liked this Prairie Planted one – also a gold medal winner.

We walked VERY slowly through the plant stalls on the main Avenue, finding some gems to buy – and some horrors to avoid! Who is going to buy a luridly dyed pot of Heather when you can buy a beautiful natural one?

I had a little list of plants that I wanted to find and one, of course, was a pink Lavandula stoechas to replace the one in my garden that is getting old and woody. I was partially successful on this quest – I did find a pot of pink Lavender, but it isn’t the same variety. I bought it even so, as it is, at least, a pink Lavender! I can’t argue with that!

Did I stick to my list? no, of course not! I did get most of what was on there: Sweet pea seeds – I bought more seeds though because they were a bargain at £1.00 per packet! I didn’t find a white Francoa, but I did find a Nursery that stocks them. I found both the hardy Geraniums I wanted – another G. ‘Rozanne’ and a G.‘Jolly Bee’. There’s some controversy as to whether these two are the same Geranium with different names, so I was told. I really don’t mind if they are – I can plant them in different areas of the garden! Same or different, they are just as beautiful!
Oh, and I fell for a Eupatorium ligustrinum, a Verbena ‘La France’ and a Nandina domestica.

Everywhere was a sea of mud – but we had a great time and arrived back loaded with plants and with muddy shoes and clothes. We’ve already decided that we’re going again next year.

I saw one of the columnists of the Amateur Gardening Magazine, and thanked her for telling their readers about GOY – she was very interested and wrote it down for a future article – so readers, watch that space….after all, if I hadn’t seen GOY’s mention in the magazine last year, I wouldn’t be writing this blog!

• 7 Sep, 2008
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