RHS Journals
The Garden
July 2008
RHS news
A new approach to Hyde Hall
The long-awaited programme of work at RHS Garden Hyde Hall , Essex, which includes a new access road, entrance building and car park, begins in July.
The garden remains open while work continues, and the Society hopes that the new facilities will be ready to receive visitors by spring 2009.
The design of the new entrance building is inspired by the local agricultural vernacular style; Essex-based architect Laurie Wood has been commissioned to create a light, airy, spacious building comprising a plant centre, exhibition space, café, gift shop, and courtyard.
Ian Cole, Head of Site at Hyde Hall, said staff are excited about the new build. ‘It will enable the strategic growth of Hyde Hall as a garden of excellence and as a major visitor attraction in the East of England. Over the next 10 years we hope visitor numbers will reach 200,000.’
The work is part of a larger master plan for Hyde Hall, which acknowledges the importance of the garden’s surrounding landscape and will make the most of the whole estate, some parts of which are currently not accessible to the public.
All new developments will take cues from the garden’s surroundings to ensure its distinctiveness is maintained.
Improvements will be made to existing planting schemes and paths. Other new features will include a lake, a vineyard, and a ‘Grow Your Own’ allotment.
The new Hyde Hall master plan will feature in the September issue of The Garden.
A triangle of rhubarb
Yorkshire’s famed ‘rhubarb triangle’, bounded by Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, has been re-created – in miniature – at RHS Garden Harlow Carr .
English rhubarb production has centred on West Yorkshire since the late 19th century, and to celebrate this heritage a new rhubarb bed has been created next to the Kitchen Garden.
Harlow Carr holds a National Plant Collection of culinary Rheum x hybridum and the triangular bed contains more than 40 different cultivars including ‘Grandad’s Favorite’ and Yorkshire-bred ‘Paragon’.
Chelsea Flower Show on DVD
All the highlights of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show are now available to watch on a commemorative DVD.
Presented by Carol Klein, it shows the 41 designed gardens and more than 80 exhibitors in the Great Pavilion, plus hints, tips and advice from horticultural experts.
The DVD is available in PAL or NTSC format, runs 52 minutes, and costs £20.
For those wanting to revisit last year’s show, copies of the 2007 DVD are still available and being offered at a special rate of £10 until 1 August 2008.
To order, telephone RHS Mail Order: 0845 260 4505 or order online
London shows overhauled
New-look RHS London Flower Shows begin in 2009 as part of an overhaul to create bigger, more diverse events.
This follows analysis by the Society into how the London shows can be improved to provide new and interesting content both to existing and to new audiences. They will still be held at the Horticultural Halls, Westminster, and will have greater emphasis on relevant issues facing gardeners today.
Bob Sweet, Head of Shows Development, said, ‘The new London Shows will be more focused on the modern gardener, while retaining the quality and depth of interest in plants. They will be more interactive, more informative and more inspirational.’
Show dates for 2009: Garden Design Show: 17–18 February; London Orchid Show: 21–22 March; April Gardening Show: 31 March–1 April; Autumn Harvest Show: 13–14 October.
RHS flower shows
Winds of change at Hampton
The Climate Change Zone, incorporating four designed gardens with climate change as one of their themes, is a key feature of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show .
The nation’s favourite topic of conversation – the weather – is the subject of the Climate Change Dome, organised by staff from RHS Garden Wisley and the Met Office.
Inside the dome, experts will help visitors understand the weather and explain how climate change may affect gardening. They will offer advice and suggest practical techniques, such as how to cope with drought and flooding, and there’s an opportunity to have a go at presenting a weather forecast in the on-site TV studio.
Trad meets modern
The old and the new come together in Hampton Court’s Daily Mail Pavilion, where a traditional thatched cottage and an up-to-the-minute barn conversion are depicted within an English vineyard.
A fruit, vegetable and cutting garden planted by Winchester Growers, Hampshire, surrounds the cosy cottage, home to the (hypothetical) estate manager, which leads on to a conservatory filled with a display of Mediterranean plants. Outside the cottage are two herbaceous borders created by Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, Hampshire.
Cedar Nursery, Surrey, provides the horticultural interest in the gardens around the display’s barn conversion.
Floral highlights at Tatton Park
Fryer’s Nurseries of Knutsford is launching 11 new roses at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park this month.
These include a pink floribunda called Rosa Lucky! (‘Frylucy’), which is the Rose of the Year 2009, R. Moody Blue (‘Fryniche’) and one named R. Cranford (‘Frylustre’) after the TV series set in a Cheshire town based on Knutsford.
A new exhibitor in the Floral Marquee this year is Alan Leyland of Churchtown Carnivores, Merseyside. He is showing his collection of carnivorous plants arranged with complementary foliage.
In the National Plant Societies Marquee, The Cheshire Beekeepers’ Association is displaying a range of bee-friendly plants, and a glass-sided observation hive so visitors can see the bees at work.
The exhibit by the Northern Committee of the National Dahlia Society is called Old Man’s Plot and depicts a typical dahlia grower’s allotment-style garden.
New RHS event in the heart of London
In September the RHS is staging a special Floral Celebration, featuring a selected range of nurseries and other exhibitors, in the quiet gardens of the Inner Temple.
Its historic circular church – built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century (and which featured in the film The Da Vinci Code ) – will be adorned with flowers for the occasion. The church is also the setting for an exhibit put together by archivists from the RHS Lindley Library and the Inner Temple to reflect the past, present and future of both institutions.
A newly-restored portrait of Sir Trevor Lawrence, the RHS President who first established links with the Inner Temple, is one of the many historical items on show.
The Society returns to its roots with this event, for it held its annual flower shows in the Temple Gardens from 1888–1911, before moving to the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea in 1913.
Click here for more information on the RHS Floral Celebration at the Inner Temple, 11-13 September
RHS Flower shows in 2008
Click here for full details on all the Shows or to book tickets
To order tickets by telephone, call 0870 842 2223.
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show: 8–13 July (8–9 July, Privilege Days)
Charity Gala Preview: 7 July. To book please call 0845 370 0128
RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park: 23–27 July (23 July, RHS Preview Day)
You can follow the progress of three designers from their weekly blogs
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