Saturday, May 30, 2009

Getting calle lillies to bloom






I've got a guilty secret one of the things I really look forward to at Chelsea is visiting the floristry tent. When I confess this to my gardening friends they look mystified. 'Floristry?' they sneer 'Oh I never look in there'

Why is this? It seems that the world of horticulture is as rife with snobbery as the 'foodie' culture that has evolved over the last few years. For some reason floristry has been rather looked down on and ridiculed by 'real' gardeners. Admittedly it's an ephemeral art but I think that gardeners, especially garden designers, can learn a lot from the way florists use their materials.

chelsea_floral_arrangement.jpgI particularly admire their appreciation of form and scale. They create drama and interest, harmony and elegance by really utilising the shapes and textures of flowers, leaves and stems. I like the 'less is more' attitude in a lot of floral art - the arrangements allow you to fully appreciate the beauty of individual blooms or markings on a leaf. Twisted stems, sculptured bark and sinuous grasses are carefully sourced and selected to enhance the design but nothing is included that isn't absolutely necessary.

When it comes to colour combinations the floristry tent is a great place for inspiration. I know that florists are not constrained in the same way that gardeners are, by climate, soil etc but if they looked at their planting plans with the same unprejudiced artist's eye that florists do they might create something original and special.

This year the RHS is awarding several new floristry awards. The RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year was awarded to Neil Whittaker and Young Chelsea Florist of the year which will be announced on Thursday. Hopefully this will help to raise the profile of this underrated art form. So if you want to find me you know where I'll be. My secret's out.

Gilly Brennan - Horticultural Researcher


Info from:

Toxic plants for cats dogs





beetography
fungus-DSC_1623.jpg

fungus-DSC_1623.jpg


Looking Out Toward the Woods

atheana

atheana's photo


beetography
dahlia3-DSC_9354.jpg

dahlia3-DSC_9354.jpg



I decided to title this flower photo with "fruit flower", because this each little flower, making a form like some fruit, a nd nice colour too.




Strong fathers love sweet love and sweet roses. Father Day wallpaper and ecard with pink roses. The stronger a father as man, the sweeter the love he needs and enjoys.
In album Fathers Day

Normally the BBC televises the Chelsea sell-off to the sound of 'Flight of the Bumblebee.' Seeing the crowds circling the stands in the Great Pavilion an hour before the bell was rung, I wondered whether the theme tune to 'Jaws' might not be more fitting. This was my first Chelsea sell-off. In some cases things seemed quite civilised: Jekka's herb farm looked relaxed, her herbs had cloakroom tickets neatly stapled to them which were attached to them each time someone reserved a plant. At the other end of the spectrum a crowd of customers waiting at the Winchester Growers/ National Collection of Dahlias stand were loitering in a predatory manner. A somewhat flustered Jon Wheatley called out to the crowd that the dahlias were not to be trampled on and that they could only be sold from the front first. Luckily Britain is a nation of well-behaved people who like to queue so the scrum did not result in casualties.

Modern show gardens may be the order of the day but we are still a traditional bunch when it comes to our back gardens - the most mobbed stands were roses and clematis followed by lavender and orchids. As the pavilion became more crowded, more and more plant material went on the move. Sometimes the plant material came first before you knew who was behind it - a huge Ficus benjamina rammed into a couple of enormous double-flowered clematis. At other times the tall spires of plant material could be observed proceeding from afar like Roman standard bearers. One woman I saw chose to drape her long Clematis 'Vienetta' elegantly over her shoulders, giving her an air of Botticelli's 'Primavera.'

But it wasn't all gaiety. There's an emotional side to ending the show for many of the designers. Adam Frost who designed the QVC garden couldn't stand to see his garden broken up and left an hour before the bell was rung. "I can't bear to see it taken apart and the sell off just upsets me", he says. Conceptual designer Tony Smith was taking a last look at his Quilted Velvet garden. "Things in the pavilion often wilt after a few days, but our gardens get better as the days go by," he says. "It's difficult for me to see it torn up". All gardens are ephemeral, none more so than these. The pictures and recordings may live on, but the feel of walking around in them lives on only in our collective memories.

So, was I tempted at the sell off? I queued up the Grenada stand and was delighted by the bags of spices on offer for £1. Turmeric, nutmeg (still in its shell), cinnamon. The smell of Chelsea will be in my thoughts for some time to come.


Info from:

White rose doncaster






If love waits for a father - then all work is but a foreplay.

If anything else but most sincere and sweetest love waits for a hard working man and father, then he may prefer to keep on working until late night as work may be more pleasant than a nogging wife or crying children.

To work for a loving family however is but a pleasure all life long. Th esmiling eyes of happy children and the sweet sparkling eyes of his lover-wife makes all work feel like a foreplay to strenghten the love between 2 lovers and their family.
In album Fathers Day

beetography
cosmo-DSC_9756.jpg

cosmo-DSC_9756.jpg


Gerti\'s garten

Gerti\'s garten





Guard Dog and A Dozing Mom

Yellow flower with background out of focus

Yellow flower with background out of focus



Flower With White Color, Around...



Asim Shah posted a photo:

bee


pollen-flowers posted a photo

natalie1.jpg
roses and herb bouquet to match the setting - natalie1.jpg




Yellow, flower with bug around...



0521091424.jpg
Flowers - 0521091424.jpg


atheana

atheana's photo



Another yellow flower

Another yellow flower



White colour flower... And It's Full Moon...




Beautiful red roses of love as desktop background to remind and encourage you to join worlds with love rather than to hunt down or kill your enemies with force.
It takes infinite more power and more inner strength to face your enemies with love and to offer but peace and love to all than it takes to drop a bomb or blow an "enemy country" into pieces.
The truly strong father will keep the future of his children in mind. With every enemy you kill, you gain another few dozen new enemies facing your own children. With every "enemy" you kill, you turn all that "enemies" friends and family members into your new enemies. Thus war always destroys your children's future and happiness.
True love requires inner clarity, strength and deepest spirituality as well as understanding of God and God's creation based on direct experiences of God in deepest prayer or deepest meditation.
In album Fathers Day
Info from:

Friday, May 29, 2009

Poem last rose of summer





Yellow  flowers

Yellow flowers


Asim Shah posted a photo:

yellow



atheana
DCF 1.0

DCF 1.0


Another yellow flower

Another yellow flower


Back Deck

Winter Berries
It's really busy but I'm trying to make time to have a look at the other gardens and see what the other designers are up to. Today is my last chance to have a walk around before all show closes.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.


atheana

atheana's photo


This Flower, Unique, Because Have The Heart Shape, And Fortunately I Have A Moment To Capture It :)



Everyone's got something to say about Chelsea. Dipping into the floral blogosphere this week gives a good perspective on how this year's show will be remembered...

James Alexander-Sinclair has some behind the-behind-the-scenes observations of his tour with HRH on Monday

Photographer Howard Sooley picks his favourites for The Guardian.

Martyn Cox has launched a special Chelsea celebrity bingo competition

Meanwhile a relaxed, show-garden-free Cleve West has been looking in from the sidelines.

Camilla Phelps


Front Porch

Normally the BBC televises the Chelsea sell-off to the sound of 'Flight of the Bumblebee.' Seeing the crowds circling the stands in the Great Pavilion an hour before the bell was rung, I wondered whether the theme tune to 'Jaws' might not be more fitting. This was my first Chelsea sell-off. In some cases things seemed quite civilised: Jekka's herb farm looked relaxed, her herbs had cloakroom tickets neatly stapled to them which were attached to them each time someone reserved a plant. At the other end of the spectrum a crowd of customers waiting at the Winchester Growers/ National Collection of Dahlias stand were loitering in a predatory manner. A somewhat flustered Jon Wheatley called out to the crowd that the dahlias were not to be trampled on and that they could only be sold from the front first. Luckily Britain is a nation of well-behaved people who like to queue so the scrum did not result in casualties.

Modern show gardens may be the order of the day but we are still a traditional bunch when it comes to our back gardens - the most mobbed stands were roses and clematis followed by lavender and orchids. As the pavilion became more crowded, more and more plant material went on the move. Sometimes the plant material came first before you knew who was behind it - a huge Ficus benjamina rammed into a couple of enormous double-flowered clematis. At other times the tall spires of plant material could be observed proceeding from afar like Roman standard bearers. One woman I saw chose to drape her long Clematis 'Vienetta' elegantly over her shoulders, giving her an air of Botticelli's 'Primavera.'

But it wasn't all gaiety. There's an emotional side to ending the show for many of the designers. Adam Frost who designed the QVC garden couldn't stand to see his garden broken up and left an hour before the bell was rung. "I can't bear to see it taken apart and the sell off just upsets me", he says. Conceptual designer Tony Smith was taking a last look at his Quilted Velvet garden. "Things in the pavilion often wilt after a few days, but our gardens get better as the days go by," he says. "It's difficult for me to see it torn up". All gardens are ephemeral, none more so than these. The pictures and recordings may live on, but the feel of walking around in them lives on only in our collective memories.

So, was I tempted at the sell off? I queued up the Grenada stand and was delighted by the bags of spices on offer for £1. Turmeric, nutmeg (still in its shell), cinnamon. The smell of Chelsea will be in my thoughts for some time to come.


Info from: