My Garden

The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show presents the perfect combination of temptation and availability! At Chelsea some wondrous plants, brand new introductions as well as old friends, are on display - but you can't buy them and take them home; you have to place your order and wait for them to be delivered... Read more..

Having taken far too long to get here - traffic congestion on the M25 (now there's a surprise) - I finally arrived at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (hereafter just called 'the show' as it's too long a name to keep referring to it!). I love this show - even more so than Chelsea... Read more..

As the exhibitors put the final touches to their floral displays in preparation for this afternoon's judging - in the welcome shelter of the marquees as the rain pelts down outside - I spotted some treats on the exhibit being staged by Rosy Hardy of Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants . Rosy always... Read more..

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... Read more..

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... Read more..

Day two, and I arrived at 8am to start gathering some more information and news stories. The gardens in the Daily Mail Pavilion looked nearly finished and well worth a picture or two. You can see them in the Photo Gallery. In the floral marquees things, as expected, weren't so well developed. It... Read more..

Sorry I haven't posted earlier today than now - it has been one (two?) of those days. Yesterday, due to unforeseen circumstances (mainly the weather), the Online team got a bit behind in our live coverage of the show. This meant staying on the showground longer than planned then working away in our... Read more..

Every year since 1982, rose experts have chosen a Rose of the Year . ‘Mountbatten' was the first, and the 2009 winner was launched at yesterday's press preview of the show - ‘Lucky', bred by Gareth Fryer . A gorgeous Floribunda (cluster-flowered) rose with an old-fashioned air, ‘Lucky'... Read more..

One of the exciting spectacles at this year's show is the first ever Thai Floating Market to appear in the UK. It's a colourful sight with floating market boats, Thai girls dressed in traditional dress and a whole host of Thai cooking ingredients and souvenirs. The food's pretty good too... Read more..

Well, that's it for another year. I've finished mopping up the bits & pieces needed for the online show coverage and I think it's time to go home. I just hope the car's cruise control can steer me home! Michelle & Dean are beavering away in the office working on the rest of the... Read more..