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The RHS Tatton Park Flower Show 2005
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What caught our eye at Tatton Park
The 7th RHS Show at Tatton attracted a number of new designers and Jill Brindle's 'The Venture Garden' certainly created interest (pictured right). Jill has designed a contemporary, stylish and delightful garden which is both calm and relaxing and very suitable for those of us whose lifestyles need a perfect place to relax without the burden of heavy maintenance.
The garden is based around a simple raised pool with a trickle of water focusing the attention within the space. Particularly eyecatching is the polished steel mirror behind the pool which reflects the water. The rendered walls are painted white to reflect water, sky and foliage and together with the planting creates just the perfect atmosphere. It is a place you want to stay, linger and enjoy.
We loved the way Jill used plants such as Sempervivum montanum and Echeveria secunda 'Glauca' set to the front of the garden in pebbles. She also used Yucca and Agave to give that tropical touch.
Jill admits that she didn't find preparing the garden as daunting as she thought it would be. She studied at Myerscough after deciding to make a career change and judging from the success of her garden at Tatton certainly made the right choice.
How many times have you wished you could turn your garden 'inside out'? Alex Daley and Alice Devaney did just that with their show garden "Inside Out", awarded a Gold and the Most Creative Show Garden (pictured left). The theme showed how you can enjoy the visual delights of your garden from summer colour to a sparkling winter wonderland, while still protected from the elements in an outdoor space perfectly suited to 21st century living.
Twiga Life-Spaces, based in Macclesfield, supplied the eye catching and innovative garden building. Twiga have challenged traditional ideas about garden buildings, using glass and light to make outdoor living a desirable aspect of modern life. The result is an impressive garden room - certainly a welcome alternative to the traditional conservatory.
Marcus Aldridge conceived the idea for his Outdoor Living Space while building a tree house for his son. The aim is to bring a new perspective to an established and rapidly growing market for outdoor structures. Twiga has also built its ‘spaces’ on roof gardens and terraces and provided a Big Space in the Big Brother house which is being used as the living room on Big Brother 6.
Alice and Alex softened the bold lines of the garden with a clever choice of plants - several varieties of Echinacea, Rudbeckia 'Green Wizard' and Achillea 'Terracotta' - a sea of green, white and orange surrounding the seating area and a wonderful mass planting of silver birch trees. A garden to inspire many ideas.
"An elegant escape" also caught our eye (pictured below left). This back-to-back garden designed by Lucy Hunter aims to provide a challenging and contemporary approach to the tiny, urban back garden or yard by pushing back preconceived ideas.
Two styles are united here - the careful clipped box balls, the wild freshness of unclipped lavenders and the colour and scents of a more exotic theme reminding us of far off places. So the chequered formality at the front leads to the focal point at the back, a modern Perspex waterfall bringing us into the space which reminds us of Caribbean seas. Wonderful and well deserving of the Silver Flora award won by Lucy.
Fryer's Roses launched 'Haydock Park', the first rose to be named for a Race Course (pictured right). This easy growing tough and vigorous ruby-red floribunda has an amazing disease resistence. At any one time Fryer's has over four acres of new varieties under trial where all new introductions undergo a stringent five-year monitoring period.
The benefits of their 'no-spray' test programme can be seen in beautiful roses such as Haydock Park. Fryer's also introduced 'Genesis' - a lovely orange patio variety - specially bred for The Genesis Appeal by Fryer's Roses to help raise funds for the building of a Breast Cancer Prevention Centre in Manchester.