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Hampton Court inspires garden ideas

Written by Doug Oster on .

 blog formal gardenThis formal bed at Hampton Court in London is framed with an ancient wisteria vine. Mass plantings of different plants are beautiful when done right. Look at the color palette used here. Photos by Doug Oster

The palace at Hampton Court is probably best known as the home of King Henry the VIII and his many wives.

It's expansive and the gardens are spectacular.

There were so many inspirational ideas from the plantings, I don't know where to start.

Check out the photos below to see interesting combinations and uses for the garden.

 

blog tulips and forgetThe most striking bed might have been these lily flowering tulips blooming with forget me nots. This gardener took a chance that both would be in bloom at the same time. It was amazing in person.

blog arbor of golden rainEver see a 200 yard long arbor of golden rain tree? These two women our on the tour too and were trying to get out of the way of the Doug the photographer. We both had a laugh about it as they walked by.

blog black tulips'Queen of the Night' tulips blooming with woodland phlox. This tulip is a favorite in England. I've seen it everywhere from Westminster Abbey to the Chelsea Flower Show.

blog amazing bedWhat palace would be complete without a long bed of perennials, all in bloom together.

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Terrible Towel makes appearance in London

Written by Doug Oster on .

blog terrible towel

Yesterday my group headed for the Chelsea Flower Show, but before we went in, the Yinzers posed for a shot with their Terrible Towel!

It's the Steeler's Nation across the pond.

I was spellbound by Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing.' Check out the picture below, I hope I can find seeds for this plant.

Today we're visiting the gardens of Hampton Court.

blog hemlock purple tightThe airy white flowers of Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' against it's purple stems made my heart flutter.

 

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First visit to 100th Chelsea Flower Show is overwhelming ... din a good way

Written by Doug Oster on .

blog prince harryThe B&Q Sentebale Forget-Me-Not Garden was designed by Prince Harry and others. The garden is a tribute to his mother Princess Diana and is intended to educate visitors the 'Forgotten Kingdom' of Lesotho in southern Africa. Photos by Doug Oster

I'd always dreamed of seeing the Chelsea Flower Show. It's the Super Bowl of garden shows. I had no idea what to expect and was blown away by the scope and size of the centennial show.

There are 15 show gardens which take three hectic weeks to construct. Acres of vendors selling everything you could possibly imagine to make a gardener happy.

blog sculptureThere were many amazing sculptures on display at the show.

Tiny artisan gardens dot the edge of the perimeter of the show. There are more gardens around the Great Pavilion and even though my group was there on members day, the crowds were crushing. Often times they would be five deep standing in front of a garden. They are polite though. After a couple minutes a person would leave the front, providing room for another until you would finally be standing in front of a beautifully designed garden.

I fell in love with Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' or cowparsley. It's airy white flowers are set off by purple stems. It was used in most of the gardens in the show. I hope I can find seeds.

Even though all the outdoor gardens were spectacular, the exhibits in the Great Pavilion took my breath away.

Imagine any plant you ever thought about growing displayed in its prime. Each vendor has a specialty, whether it's bulbs or lavender with an exhibit massed with their plant of choice.

Gardeners can take a look and buy the seeds, plants, bulbs or tubers on the spot.

It's probably the most incredible thing I've every seen.

I'll be posting more about my experiences there in the next few days. One thing I'll never forget was a display of six foot tall delphiniums towering over the biggest begonia blooms I'd ever witnessed.

 

blog delphiniums and begoniasThis mass of giant delphiniums towering of huge begonia blooms was one of the first things I saw after entering the Great Pavilion.

blog east village gardenThe East Village Garden was one of the spectacular Show Gardens.

blog chelsea wheelbarrowsDon't let anyone tell you the English don't have a sense of humor.

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Wisteria and the mysterious plants of London

Written by Doug Oster on .

blog london 0520 wisteria1This old wisteria plant crawls across a building in the London borough of Kensington. Photos by Doug Oster

Last week the Post-Gazette had a story on wisterias and I had a photo of a 65 foot tall plant from Ohio Township.

As impressive as that was, wisteria blooming along the streets in busiest parts of London is amazing.

blog london 0520 wisteria2Wisteria is everywhere in London. This plant was growing up a building on a side street downtown near Harrod's.

It's used on the fronts of buildings and most are painted white, setting off the purple blooms beautifully. I walked for miles through London and saw ancient vines twining around trees, gutters and porch columns.

One of the cool things about visiting a country obsessed with gardening like England is seeing new plants. Usually most gardeners can get close identifying a variety, but I found three which stumped me.

The first two were photographed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the John Madejski Garden.

I was was drawn to the purple blooms of a plant which looks kind of like a mum, but with purple stems and it's four feet tall. The bees loved the flowers. Have you seen it before.

The other is an upright, spike like bloom nearly six feet tall with small, pretty blue flowers. It resembles a verbascum.

The last flower I found on the walk back to the hotel. Maybe a camelia?

Take a look at the photos below and see if they look familiar and let me know what you think they are in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.

I'm finally on London time after a good night's sleep and can't wait to visit the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show tomorrow. The group I've brought have special access on members day. I'll post lots of photos tomorrow.

blog overall mystery plantDo you know what this plant is?

 

blog another mystery plant 0520I would love to know what this plant is. It's nearly six feet tall and filled with blossoms.

blog white blooms 0520These beautiful white blooms covered a plant along the sidewalk as I headed back to the hotel in London. I've never seen it before.

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Greetings from the gardens of London

Written by Doug Oster on .

blog rose tower
 
I've always dreamed of seeing the Chelsea Flower Show and yesterday flew out of Pittsburgh on my way to London. I'm hosting a guided tour of the gardens of London with the help of John Cunningham from Collette Travel. There are 24 of us visiting the gardens.
 
There's been no sleep for a day or two as we landed at 6 a.m. this morning (local time). London is five hours ahead of Pittsburgh. 
There was nothing scheduled for today, but I had to get out and see the city. Tomorrow we'll start to look in earnest at all the gardens. Tuesday is a visit to the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show, and we have special access, too. 
 
Five people joined me to poke around and see the sites. The rest explored on their own or might have even slept a little. In my opinion, it's always best to try and stay up the first day when changing time zones. It's exhausting, but tomorrow our bodies will begin to revert to London time.
 
After riding the subway (Tube) the wrong way a couple times, we finally found our way to the Tower of London.
 
It's evident at every turn the passion the English have for their gardens. Every home and each public space flourishes with beautiful blooms.
 
We arose from the subway station and were greeted by a beautiful bank of roses along a hillside across from the Tower of London.
 
Behind them were double, purple columbine, a huge, blooming jasmine bush, viburnums and more.
 
The remains of an ancient moat is covered with tiny daisies and dandelions, making for a stunning combination. It was fascinating to see the ground hugging wildflowers displayed in such a prominent space. I wonder if any public space in the U.S. would have the courage to do the same.
 
The moat has been dry since the 1800s but was filled during a flood in the 1930s. During WWII a victory garden was cultivated in the space.
As I was finishing my tour and finally headed back to the hotel, I spotted a wonderful view of sycamore (London Plain) trees with the Tower Bridge in the background.
 
I can't wait to see the city first thing tomorrow morning.
 
Photos by Doug Oster. Above photo: These beautiful roses lined a hillside just across from the Tower of London.
 
blog double columbine tower
This pretty double columbine greeted us right outside the subway station.
 
blog typical english lawn
I wonder if any public space would have the courage to let these pretty plants thrive together.
 
blog tower V garden
A view of the victory garden in the former moat at the Tower of London.
 
blog sycamore
A London Plain tree with the Tower Bridge in the background.
 
blog tower flowers
This tiny bouquet of flowers was left on the windowsill in the Tower of London.
 
 

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