RHS Tatton Park Show

Yesterday we went to the northern RHS show at Tatton Park, Cheshire. We arrived at 10 a.m. and left around 5.30 p.m. The prize leeks in the Finchale College garden (Durham) are the biggest I've ever seen. But this is the last photo you'll see in colour. Bob thought it would be a good discipline to shoot black and white in RAW files. So I did. A horticultural show in B&W! We'll be using fixed focus 50 mm lens next. Still, the RAW files are in fact saved in colour and definition is fantastic.
During the day various smooth bands played an acceptable repertoire of "old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones" (that Sempreni catch-phrase of the 1950s was once an Araucaria cross word answer in the Guardian). Araucaria, very appropriate; aka Monkey Puzzle tree - named by Banks himself I think.





These caddies were everywhere and made a lot of noise wheeling over the gangways.


Were there more people than plants?
The gardens weren't like this really. It's just that in B&W green, green and green is rather dull.

The Oxfam garden was like this: a home and veg garden in a Rwandan village.
Bob and Liz came separately and we travelled with Lynne.
The National Vegetable Society had a lovely display of red tomatoes.
I think the theme of the NVS was 'how they did it in the 19th century'.
Some people wore suits and made straight for the Fortnam & Mason hospitality pavilion.

As you know if you've done art history, three trees stands for the crucifixion. Do birches count? Do they grow in Palestine? If you watch the UTube video at that link you will see that they do in East Palestine Pa and suffer from frost cracking.








One really should buy the catalogue in advance, study it carefully, plan your route and stick to it. Alternatively, do like we did and just wander round, puzzled and sarcastic. Most of the garden designs needed very long explanations and have them in the catalogue. Should it be like that?



The alpine nursey below won a big gong. Our favourite local nursery Slack Top Nursery only got a bronze. They were gutted as the same set-up won them gold at Harrogate earlier this year. So there you go besides the designed gardens needing long written explanations, we also need explanations of the judging.