Hampton Court – the preparations continue

At some point I do start to wonder whether I might have been a little crazy when I decided to grow my own plants for my first ever Hampton Court show garden.

I have almost finished potting up 750 small pots of Catananche cearulea (a mediterannean cornflower like plant) into 250 5 litre pots so that they match in size the 5 litre pots of the ornamental grass Stipa tenuissima that they will be planted with.

The next stage, having levelled the ground, is to complete the 25′ polytunnel I am erecting to house the Catanache. I am growing the Catanche in the wonderful setting of Pythouse Kitchen Garden, hoping they will benefit from its fresh air and southerly aspect.

As soon as Ive finished with the enormous tome that is the polytunnel instruction manual, which makes flat pack Ikea products look a breeze, my next concern is the two frangipani plants being shipped from Florida which need to be housed and given heat and 12 hours of artificial light a day. One of the these will be kept nearby in a disused house; the other is being kindly looked after by Plumeria2U, a UK nursery specialising in frangipani.

It’s lot of work for a week long show, considering its only March still. But in many other ways I can already feel the deadline looming. But I also can’t wait to see the garden come to life at last. I think it’s going to be stunning. I hope you are able to come and see it – in the conceptual gardens section.