Malvern Memories: On the Road Again

This time, Anna shows us the delights of Hampton Court, somewhere not far from Malvern which is older than the place of the same name in London. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Helen and going round this garden with her in August last year :)


Leaving the occupants of the greenhouse to entertain themselves for a couple of days, we have just been to the Malvern Spring Gardening Show. We broke our journey down south with a stop at Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire . I could not wait to return to the gardens there after making my first visit there last summer. It was an ideal chance to call in again and I was not disappointed. Stepping into the walled garden we both commented on the rise in temperature - oh what would I give for a walled garden ! If we ever win the lottery jackpot a walled garden would be top of my list, followed by clean sheets every day of the year. Although it is still early in the season there was still plenty of colour. We met one of the gardeners who was cutting flowers for the house as the owners were visiting for the weekend. She had plenty to choose from including alliums, tulips, valerian, lilacs, euphorbias, both real and false 'Solomon's Seal' and tellima odorata - she highly recommended the latter for its scent.

Another week or so would have seen the wisteria arch at its peak ~

Instead I drooled over the one or two flower heads that had fully opened ~

There was not much planted yet in the vegetable garden but preparations for the new season were well underway. I admired these sweet pea supports where sweet pea 'Matucana' had been planted ~

Lusted after the greenhouses ~

before finishing our stroll with a visit to the restaurant ~

where it was warm enough to sit outside to eat - enjoying the views down to the river and the clouds of orange blossom ~

All too soon it was time to return to the camper van to continue with our journey to Malvern and the show. To be continued in my next post .......

Contents and photographs courtesy of Greentapestry.

Malvern Memories: The Other Malvern Spring Show

Staying with the theme of exploring outside of the Showground, Happy Mouffetard takes us back to the splendours of the Malvern Hills which can be seen in springtime...

What a weekend. I'll write lots on the Malvern spring garden show tomorrow when I'm back home, including which garden designer was upstaged by an egg-laying chicken [don't worry it'll get featured later on - Ed]. However, just in case anyone is thinking of going to the Malvern Show tomorrow [or even this year] and wants to round off a great day out with something even more spectacular, I'd recommend a trip to Cowleigh Woods in West Malvern.

And here's why...







And then we had a quick trip to Welland Village Hall, where there are these beautiful green-winged orchids.



Stunning!

Contents and photographs courtesy (and copyright) of The Inelegant Gardener.

My Malvern: Patient Gardener

In the first of our forays outside the Three Counties Showground, Helen tells us a little bit about The Malverns...



Everyone knows that Malvern is by the Malvern Hills but how many visitors to the Spring Show actually take time to do more than admire them from the showground?

The Malverns are a gentle range stretching from North Malvern to Eastnor where they are surmounted by the Obelisk. The Malvern Hills are designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) primarily because of their geology. It is also part of the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark, one of 7 in the UK and 50 worldwide. You can find out more information on the area's geology, archaeology, industrial and cultural heritage and ecology via this link

The beauty of the Malvern Hills, to me, is their accessibility. I’m definitely not an enthusiastic walker and certainly not a hill climber but you don’t need to be when considering tackling the Malvern Hills. The Malvern to Ledbury road runs all the side of the hills, crossing over the top at British Camp where one of the biggest car parks is located. On the other side of the hills you can access various car parks from points along Jubilee Drive. You can access a map of the Hills via this link.


The walk to the top of British Camp is very popular with visitors. British Camp is a complex of earthworks built during the Iron Age. However, my favourite walk is from the Earnsilaw Quarry car park which is located on off The Wyche (road between Malvern and Colwall). I like this walk due to the range of trees and woodland in the lower parks, there is also a beautiful quarry which is now full of water and quite eerie at times. You can see more information via this post on my blog.

So if you are visiting the Malvern Spring Show and particularly if you are staying overnight why not build in some time to explore these beautiful hills.

Malvern Memories: Didn't I have a lovely day, the day I went to Malvern...

Once again, Arabella Sock proves that blogger coverage of events such as Malvern can be far more varied (and funnier) than anything you see on the telly...

Thank you for all you birthday wishes Sockwatchers it was indeed on Wednesday! The Sock organised herself a jolly little jaunt to Malvern staying at a nice country hotel on Wednesday and Thursday night and sipping champagne on her ownsome. Thursday was first time at Malvern and the Sock had the bestest time ever!!!

So the Sockerazzi was out in the hope of snapping celebs and she bagged a big one! Yes.. a proper famous person..

Other than that it was just the usual suspects I'm afraid. Hundreds of photos of Toby, Alys, Joe, James A-S and of course La Belle Beardshaw. Chris was there with his minder but the Sock still managed to get close enough to steal one of his hairs as she brushed past and now plans to clone lots of little Beardshaws from it. The Sock does hope they come true to the original although perhaps a bit taller.Loads more exciting stuff to share with you, plants, people, impala impersonations... the Sockerazzi got it all on camera!

And lo, a promise of lots more to come! Contents and photographs courtesy of The Sea of Immeasurable Gravy.

Malvern Memories: All the Fun of a Country Fair

This is a real blogging discovery! When Victoria wrote about coming to Malvern a couple of weeks ago, little did she know her post would be read by someone who'd visited the first ever show 25 years ago. As a result of this marvellous coincidence, Edith Hope has kindly agreed to write a guest post for Meet @ Malvern about her memories of that time...

Aunt Winifred lived on Jubilee Drive in Upper Colwall, near Malvern. She later died an untimely death in Italy, but that is another story. What matters here is that she gardened, and gardened with a passion, and that it was through her that I came to know so many of the small nurseries and open gardens in and around that lovely Elgar countryside.

In the spring of 1985 I was with her, as was usual, for my annual visit. What was different was that that year saw the first Malvern Garden Show held on the site of the Three Counties Showground, a flat expanse of land lying in the shadow of the Malvern hills.

We went on the Friday which, I think, was then the first day. Certainly Aunt Winifred would not have countenanced the weekend crowds. Car parking was, I am fairly sure, free, cars being parked in random fashion in adjacent fields. I wish that I could recall what we paid for our entrance tickets [no pre-booking, no on-line then], but time eludes me now.

In that first year there was little to be seen outside, the majority of the stall holders housed within the gaunt cattle sheds with their huge sliding doors open to whatever the weather. Inside, ranged all around the outer walls, was a plantsperson's paradise. Local, and not so local nurseries were well represented, each one highly individual in both its display and stock. For, it should be remembered here, that in those days this was a provincial show, unheard of nationally and not yet affiliated to The Royal Horticultural Society.

But what treasures. Here was Rushfields of Ledbury*, an immaculate stand, beautifully presented, and displaying and selling [for unlike Chelsea, this was, and is, a selling show] all manner of rare and unusual perennials. And for me this was the start of a long and happy association with that nursery right up until the retirement of JH, its redoubtable owner, a few years ago. Then there was KD of Lingen Nursery**, an alpine specialist, whose tiny gems were as alluring as sweets in a sweet shop to a young child. From Derbyshire came Bluebell Nursery with a dazzling array of uncommon trees, shrubs and climbers. Are they still in business today, I wonder?

Show gardens were non-existent. In a more permanent building, a short walk away over rough terrain, we came upon the Floral Hall, although I think the title is mine, where the local Women's Institutes had put on an exhibition of flower arrangements, fruit, vegetables and jam. All very homely. I do recall in this building some refreshments but possibly little more than a cup of tea or instant coffee taken with a bun. We did, though, as most years subsequently, purchase a cheesecake, in the 1980s very fashionable, from the Dairy House of Herefordshire.

And so it was. The local town show. Unhurried, uncrowded, uncommercial. But that was all in another lifetime, now a quarter of a century ago.

Editor's notes:

* = Rushfields may still be trading. It's listed in a number of business directories for Ledbury, but doesn't have web presence of its own. Graham Rice lists it as a purveyor of choice perennials, particularly Hellebores derived from stock bred by Helen Ballard. It so happens that the north border of the accommodation where myself, Victoria, Yolanda, Gail and Frances are staying is where Helen Ballard developed her renowned H. orientalis strains.

** = Lingen Nursery in Herefordshire has ceased trading and the property is now up for sale. It's a rather attractive red brick house with a good portion of land. It looks like the nursery buildings - polytunnels, cold frames and raised beds - are still intact, so perhaps it's the ideal property for a wannabe nursery owner?

Malvern Memories: Heucheraholics!

Today's Malvern Memory is our first from the reknowned Ms Arabella Sock of The Sea of Immeasurable Gravy. She takes us away from the the show gardens we've been enjoying over the past couple of weeks and propels us firmly towards the exciting nurseryman's stands in order to indulge in one of her favourite plant genera, the Heuchera...

Look what the Sock got!!!!

It is a pen from the eponymous 'Heucheraholics' (previously Solva Plants) and it says on it 'Heucheraholics for the hopelessly addicted!' Bet you are all really jealous now!

The Sock couldn't resist visiting the gorgeous 'Heucheraholics' stand at Malvern but had instructed herself not to buy any more heucheras for her already burgeoning collection.

Obviously she bought another one, the irresistible 'Sugar Frosting' because let's face it you can't have too many. The Sock mentioned to the nice lady on the stand that she had to buy one to blog about. "Oh, what blog is that" asked the lady. The Sock realising her identity might be discovered quickly blurted "I can't tell you it's a bit scurrilous". "Not the Gravy one?" Too late - the Sock's cover was blown.

It turned out that the lovely 'Heucheraholics' people were Sea of Immeasurable Gravy fans, finding the bloggywog after the Sock mentioned their stand at the RHS Inner Temple flower show last year. How funny is that! You must all buy lots of lovely plants from them. They will be at Chelsea next week and giving away fridge magnets - go and demand one and tell them the Sock sent you.

And to finish my eulogy to heucheras here is a 'pome' the Sock wrote a few years ago on getting home from a fruitless heuchera search, proving that the addiction has been going some time.

The Heucheras

(with apologies to William Wordsworth's 'The Daffodils')

I wandered lonely as a cloud

In search of heuchera 'Pewter Veil'

Or 'Can Can','Geisha' - names that wowed

Please let my favourites be for sale

A 'Strawberry Candy, 'Vanilla Spice

'Or 'Purple Petticoats' sounds quite nice

I dream of heucheras in line

Of 'Silver Shadows' 'Starry Night'

A 'Frosted Violet' would be fine

A 'Peach Flambé' would be all right

There's nothing from my list of faves

Just one sad pot of 'Amber Waves'!

And oft when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood

I think of heucheras and sigh

Those lovely plants with names of food

And then my heart with pleasure fills

(I want the one with Chocolate frills!)

We don't get nearly enough bad poetry on the gardening blogosphere these days and the Sock blames J-AS for proclaiming his dislike of it. But what does he know? Hmmm.. that is possibly like asking what the Romans did for us.........

Content and photographs courtesy of The Sea of Immeasurable Gravy.

Malvern Memories: Whoo Hoo!!

Lola's front...

Lola's back...

Lola's medal!!
Too tired to type. Will post more later.

xx

NB This is the last in a series of 6 posts taking a show garden from design drawing to judgement day in 2009. Click here for Day 1. Content and pictures are courtesy and copyright of Beholder's Eye.