So off to London we drove this morning, an annual ritual for us and is the only time that we actually drive in to heart of this city where the RHS Horticultural Halls are located and where the show is always held.
Early birds gets to queue! We didn't, we stayed on the other side of the street where the sun was shining directly. It was a gloriously sunny day!
Traffic going in to London can be hit or miss, one year the journey is quick, the next year it could be slow and patience testing. Fortunately this year it is was a quick and easy one, and for the first time we were actually there before the gates were opened. It wasn't a long wait though!
And the crowds flocked towards the plants!
It has been a gloriously sunny day and it was great to see the horticultural halls bright and flooded with natural light. On most occasions when the show is held its gray outside, couple with the poor artificial lighting inside it can make taking photos tricky. But this time around light was very generous which made taking photos easier. And great for everyone's mood too!Whenever we attend shows it takes us awhile to get our bearings and relax, getting a head rush thinking, where do we begin and which one do we see first? Almost instinctively though we headed to the left straight to stand of Crug Farm. It was a well executed stand as usual, with some very new and nice plants included on the display to make plantsman's heart beat faster...
I spy with my little eye...some new plants!
Sinopanax formosana
Piper heydei
Aspidistra attenuata
Schefflera alpinia (large leaf form) - the leaves are indeed large and slightly glossy, comparing it at least to the S. alpinias we already have in the garden. This beauty went home with us!
A well deserved gold medal!
Love the leaves of this one - Daphniphyllum teysmanii
Tetradium fraxinifolium
Daphniphyllum cf. himalense
Polygonatum cf. tonkinense
Moving on from the Crug Farm stand, we went on to admire the other displays as well as check out the plants they have for sale...
Tulip magic!
A nice selection of alpines...
Streptocarpus, Begonias, and many more...
Great use of large and thick bamboo culms!
Reminded us of Singapore!
These succulents are surely enjoying the bright sun!
A trunked specimen of Agave geminiflora, wow!
I nearly bought this one, a black holly! Ilex meserveae 'Blue Angel'
A bright combo of Crocus and Iris!
A lovely combination!
Galanthus galore!
The show is actually held across two halls adjacent to each other, so after browsing this hall for several hours, we went to check out the other hall for more plant (and gardening) goodies...
This hall is where most of the 'design' bit can be found, as well as a selection of other items that are related to gardening including garden decor and accessories.
One of our favorite stands in this hall - Chi-Africa ltd Recycled Metal Sculptures. Some of the birds went home with us!
We liked this one too, a hand woven copper sphere, we may have a go at making our own.
And there were a few more plant stall to be found here, like this one with a colourful display.
And in this hall we found the stand of Trewidden Nursery!
Pristine and perfect looking plants that are well arranged as always!
Jeff keeping an eye on the customers...
Fab selection of plants as always!
And we were there the moment they were handed out a well deserved gold medal for their outstanding display!
Jeff proudly showing off their gold medal (which isn't obvious on the photo as it was too bright!)
But this beauty is still the queen of their stand - Aloe polyphylla (and a very blue one too!)
Rounding up our purchases on this hall, we decided to have a break and have spot of lunch before we carry on. We met up with fellow blogger Clive of Rambling Towards an Exotic Garden Paradise and he suggested to us a wonderful English cafe that has retained its traditional charm that is so rare to find now in such a trendy area. The lunch was superb and very filling which is just what we needed!
Stop making faces now boys!
Satisfied and re-fuelled, we went back to the main hall to have a quick look around again and to round up our purchases for the day....
Tillandsias and other bromeliads
Bulbs in bloom galore! You'll never get this in the tropics!
A selection of alpines in troughs
Karma Camellia, hehe!
A round table of snowdrops!
Iris...
Iris...
and more Iris! We do love them!
It was a fantastic day as usual and we went home happy and content with our purchases. A fab show it was and we went home inspired and with some new plants for the garden. Looking forward to the growing season ahead with much enthusiasm and what else is in store this year with the shows about to come!Mark :-)
