So, we’re down to our final week of planning and now I’m feeling very excited about the build starting next week.

Last weekend I went to see all the plants, now that they’re at my parents’ nursery, and they’re all looking fabulous.  A week or two of sunshine would be great of course so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that.

On Saturday I’m off to New Wood trees in Devon to select the tree for the garden.  They’ve been looking after three different species for me so that I can pick out the one that looks the best.  I’ve left it as late as possible so that we can be sure I pick the right one!

I have been feeling as though the long Easter weekend is in the way a bit with timing but, now it’s here and we’ve got everything planned, I’m really quite grateful for a bit of time out before the build starts.  I’ll be working for some of it, but we have a family day planned for Sunday and this will at least make me take some time out.

The only thing that remains to do is confirm where the materials from the garden will be going after the show.  We’re talking to a local charity who are keen to take the hard landscaping materials so we hope to finalise the details today.

I’ll do my best to blog during the build – if I don’t manage to string a sentence or two together, at least I can share some images of the garden as it emerges.

HAPPY EASTER!

Another week goes by and we’re another week closer to the commencement of the build.  I’m really getting excited now that we’re almost there with all the logistics and I’ve ticked quite a lot off my list. Read more

Today marks the “3 weeks to go” date until the build starts at Cardiff and it certainly feels as though the clock is ticking at double speed now! Read more

You may have noticed that I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks.  I haven’t been around much as we were in France for a few days (internet is always hopeless there!) and I’ve also been out and about sorting things out for my show garden with Victoria Park Mazda at Cardiff in April.  So hope you haven’t been having withdrawal symptoms…I’m sure you got by! Read more

I went to Southampton for a meeting about RHS Cardiff yesterday and one of the main things to decide were the hard landscaping materials.  It’s so important when you’re choosing your materials that you check they work well together, and are in keeping with whatever materials are already on site otherwise you could be looking out onto a garden that makes you cringe! Read more

I’m very excited to be able to share with you the plans for my show garden at RHS Cardiff this year. I’ve been alluding to it for some time so it’s great to finally be able to show you the design and tell you more about it. Read more

Borrowing the landscape is a garden design trick of old.  Even if you’re not lucky enough to have a great view, it doesn’t mean that you can’t borrow some of the features from the neighbouring landscape. Read more

I went to visit New Wood Trees on Wednesday, a fabulous nursery in Devon specialising in multi-stem trees.  I’ve sourced a few trees from them in the past, but it was great to finally make a trip there to see the extent of their stock and to meet the owner, Philip Nieuwoudt. Read more

We ventured out into the garden yesterday to do a bit of clearing up. The house had been empty for almost a year before we moved in and before that was rented out for a few years so the garden has really been left to its own devices. Read more

We’ve been in Wales for almost 2 weeks now and every morning we wake up to the Welsh Hills and it makes my heart sing. Read more