These are blog posts that Jean Vernon has made.
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The weather forecast predicted wind and rain but I really wasn't expecting to be in the midst of a snowstorm in the middle of July.
A light but persistent snow shower was gently falling to the ground as I wafted past The Magic Garden this morning. It was captivating, uncannily realistic, and in today's topsy-turvy weather pattern, not really a total surprise.
Even in its unfinished state this garden oozes energy and ambience. Surprising since on first inspection it is just a collection of simple plants, some white marble sand and a collection of white-stemmed birches.
But as you enter through the willow wardrobe you can't help but notice the light and magic portrayed by this space. It's an enchanting winter garden and a snow machine completes the picture, a light drift of seaweed based ‘snow' creates a genuine feel of a winter snowstorm and with the temperature barely into double figures, it's an authentic effect. Venture through the stumpery, an interlocking wall of tree roots and you'll re-emerge in the summer garden, though if the wind is blowing the wrong way it will be snowing in there too. 
But it's all a bit of fun and just what the garden designer wanted to create. Francesca Cleary breathes and lives gardens and is totally in her element at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. "It's such a nice place to be in. It's the buzz of creating something that you wouldn't create for a client- it's wonderful," she says. "Over last winter we really got into the C S Lewis novels and I thought, wouldn't it be fun to create a winter garden, a woodland and to wander through that and magically arrive in summer." This could be the only place at this years Hampton Court Palace Flower Show where you can transverse the seasons willingly, but make sure you go from winter into summer and not the reverse or you may find the spell sticks and winter arrives forever.
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It's official, it doesn't matter who you are or how much you know about gardening, there's bound to be something to inspire you at this year's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
As head of Horticultural Advice at the RHS you'd think there wasn't much that would impress Guy Barter. But you'd be wrong.
"I've seen everything at the show," he quips, "and I'm absolutely knocked out by the Growing Tastes Marquee. It's fantastic. The garlic in there is the most extraordinary I've ever seen. I thought I'd had a good year for garlic but their's are about four times the size of mine. And those Marshall's strawberries have resolved me to dig up my own strawberry bed and start again."
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New plants are the life blood of the floral marquees and the RHS flower shows. For real plant enthusiasts it is the anticipation of what is new that keeps them fired up with interest. What I love too are the characters who come rain or high water continue to battle with the elements to display fabulous arrays of specialist plants and as often as possible, new, rare and delightful specimens too.
You can't miss the stand of Fernatix as these charismatic gentlemen simple ooze persona and frondliness. 
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We are constantly bombarded with advice, instructions and what can sometimes feel like emotional blackmail about saving the planet and helping the environment. As gardeners we are already doing a lot by growing flowers for insects, providing wildlife habitats and recycling waste material into garden compost. But we can all do more
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Most keen gardeners can remember something inspiring from their childhood days in the garden. Our playstations were old coal bunkers, secret gardens among the shrubbery and temporary dens of runner beans. It's often those memories that encourage us into the wonderful hobby of gardening
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One of the main reasons gardeners and garden lovers visit flower shows is to glean ideas for their own gardens. Most show gardens, large or small, have elements that can be translated easily into domestic plots.
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Have you seen this tree?
Anyone who has ever been burgled or mugged can sympathise![]()
with John Trott of Mendip Bonsai. Last month while he was exhibiting at the NEC, thieves broke into his nursery and stole seventeen of his precious trees.
These are not just plants, or even precious plants, for John they are part of his psyche, part of a lifetime's work and totally irreplaceable.
No doubt the thieves regarded them as a valuable commodity and chances are they were stolen to order, but they were never for sale. It's sad to think that they may end up in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to care for them properly, and even sadder if they end up at a car boot sale where they will realise just a fraction of their worth
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I don't know how she does it but Jekka McVicar's stand within the floral marquee simply glows. You can literally spot it a mile off. This year the herb queen has done it again and created the most amazing display of mostly purple plants and to complement the effect she has a matching purple Trug Tub
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You've been blogged
Now I know I am responsible for lots of things, and not all of them necessarily good, but I have never considered myself to have the power to control the weather, at least not for such long periods of time. But according to Joe Swift, the reason it is raining at this years' Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is because of me. "The weather's rubbish and it's all your fault," was his parting quip as I left him about to film his next slot for the BBC. And that was after he declared that although there were some great gardens at this years show, " overall I don't think it's as good as last year."
Joe was sporting a rather large black umbrella, the sort that pokes you in the eye annoyingly when you are trying to get somewhere fast. I suspect that the reason it is raining is because of the big black rain clouds hovering over Hampton Court today, and despite the weather the exhibitors have created some absolutely fantastic gardens, floral displays and exhibits that they should be proud of. Even if I could control the weather I wouldn't because it is the uncertainty of the weather and the continued variety that makes every garden season different. I love the unpredictable nature of the weather and all that it brings, it brings out the best in people and is an important reminder to enjoy every moment when the weather is good and do something else when it isn't.
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Show gardens are fantastic. Each one is a snap shot inside the head of its creator or designer and every single one has a different message and a different style
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