I did mention on my previous post that last weekend was a free weekend but this plant fair last Sunday was etched on our diary anyway. It is a big fair but the best bit about it for us is that it is within our area and only half an hour drive away. Quite convenient!
So we agreed that if it's nice and sunny we'll stay put and not go but if it's rainy again then we'll pop round for a quick visit. Well, it turned out to be a sunny day anyway and we still went! It is a pleasant fair (we went last year) and thought it would be nice to start the day by visiting and checking out whatever goodies the nurseries have bought with them.
Queue! Ten minutes early...
but twenty minutes to get in!
So off we went, nice and early at the very start of the fair. And of course everyone was thinking the same as there were long queues forming already, and to think we were ten minutes early! I suppose all regular plant fair attendees have the same mental wavelength with regards to arriving early (especially if you're after rarer plants).
Nice!
For a one day fair it is rather large and the nearly all of the nurseries we saw this year were in the exact same spot as they were last year, de ja vu! But at least it made navigation quicker and we went straight to the stands of the nurseries we are likely to buy plants from like Edulis Nursery and Roseland House Nursery (which specialises on Clematis and other climbers).
Kniphofia rufa
Veratrum album - First time I've ever seen some being sold whilst in flower!
I quite like those wooden flowers! Maybe next time
After that special climber? Then this nursery is for you - Roseland House
Love the foliage of this one - Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Chile Black'
Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' - looks like tissue culture has been very successful!
But saying that we didn't buy any climbers this time and came home with just four select plants. Plant buying for us wanes as the season progresses but possibly peaks again if there are good sales around in the autumn (and then almost none in the winter).We stayed at the fair for an hour and a half before heading home, back by noon and spent the rest of the day gardening. The highlight of our visit though was this large wooden spider, we had to have this beast the moment we saw it.
This beauty (or should I say beast) came home with us
Now, I wonder if there will be any more fairs we'll go to before the end of the summer?? Maybe...Mark :-)
