Inspiration

I was up with the sparrows this morning because I wanted to beat the heat and get to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show whilst the sun was low enough to get some decent pictures of the show gardens.  I arrived at 7.15am which was early enough, but I didn’t have very long before the sun was in full swing.

It’s no wonder the English are famous for talking about the weather, a week or so ago we were all still wearing jumpers and moaning about the lack of summer!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures.  Over the next couple of days I’ll share my pictures of the gardens that inspired me the most…

The images in this post were taken of the Low Cost, High Impact Garden, A Room with a View which was designed by Mike Harvey and built by Arun Landscapes.  I loved the area at the top of the steps with the most amazing wooden seats.

The budget for the garden was £15,000 which is a sizeable sum of money, but is easily used up in a garden build.  The design represents a garden following a kitchen extension where the excavated topsoil has been used to bring a change of level to the garden, rather than being removed from site.  They also used reclaimed materials.

The seating area was gorgeous – with a rusty steel curtain that provided a barrier whilst allowing a view of the landscape beyond.

This was a garden you could relate to – I certainly wouldn’t have minded sitting there with a glass of something cold!

(Images: Lisa Cox)

The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show opens next week.  For once the run up has been dry, but I have no doubt that the heat won’t be so welcome over the weekend because it will be a challenge to keep the plants looking fresh for Monday when the judges will be making their rounds. Read more

I came across Alfresco Fires in a recent edition of the Garden Design Journal and thought they’d be great for enabling outdoor living on those chillier days.  We cook on our BBQ all the time, even in winter, so I’d love something a little bit more permanent. Read more

We spent a fabulous weekend in Rome a few weeks ago, my 40th birthday present last year.  I’ve always wanted to go, since I studied for a degree in Classical Studies, so that made it all the more special. Read more

It was my birthday a few weeks ago so we went to the Cotswolds for the weekend, spent the night in a lovely country hotel and then decided to meander around Blenheim Palace gardens on the Sunday.  I’ve been to Blenheim many times, but this is the first time I’ve ever had chance to look at the gardens. Read more

A couple of weeks ago I spent the day in Kent with a friend on mine photographing wild flowers.  We attended a workshop run by local professional photographer Robert Canis who knew exactly where the best flowers were – we had a great time! Read more

I featured James  Doran-Webb’s work following last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show and it was great to chat to him again this year. Read more

Part four of my RHS Chelsea Flower 2013 coverage features some more of the main show gardens, starting with Jo Thompson’s garden for The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA). Read more

I took a lot of images of the M&G Garden, Windows Through Time, which was designed and built by Roger Platts. Read more

Welcome to part two of my taste of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013.  Today I am featuring three more of the main show gardens, each with something that I found inspiring. Read more