Flower Day

Sam took me to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show.  He is perennially amused by my addiction to Gardeners' World and the growing number of plants which I smuggle into the house and onto the patio.

The small gardens made greatest sense to me.  "The 5 A Day Garden", gave me heaps of ideas:

I've got broccoli seeds to plant just as soon as I can ... thank you Burgon & Ball for the inspiration.  Somehow these compact gardens were easier to appreciate than the awesome show pieces.

The RHS "Grow Your Own", made us smile and think:

While the Rose Wonderland was spectacular:

Some of the show gardens were easier to appreciate than others.  The WWF's offering was my favourite:

Mainly we just wandered around and looked at some flowers.

 

The garden which stole my heart was Heather Appleton's Kippling Garden.  Inspired by the poem "My boy Jack", the plants and landscape were made to look like a seashore garden.  Everthing so beautiful, deliberately simple and yet very sad.

"Have you news of my boy Jack?"

Not this tide.

"When d'you think that he'll come back?"

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Has any one else had word of him?"

Not this tide.

For what is sunk will hardly swim,

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?"

None this tide,

Nor any tide, 

Except he did not shame his kind

Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,

This tide,

And every tide;

Because he was the son you bore,

And gave to that wind blowing and that tide.

Rudyard Kippling