RHS Hampton Court Flower Show

On the 12th July we went to the Hampton Court Flower Show. This event reels in hundreds of thousands of people each year, and 2014 was no exception. There are many show gardens, rated by the judges for several categories, in addition to flower stalls. The following comprises some of my favourite plants and gardens from the event.

One of my favourite gardens in the flower show was the Jordan's Garden. This was designed by Selina Botham, who described it as having 'wild flowers on the outside but building in intensity of colour towards the centre'. The species of the outside include Wild Carrot Daucus carota, a distinctive umbellifer with bracts potruding from the bottom of this flower, as well as Yarrow Achillea millefolium, and Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus amongst Cornflower Glebionis segetum and others. The flowers in the center of the garden included Meadow Sage Salvia nemerosa, with its purple flower spike and Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album'.

The Jordan's garden

Corn Marigold Glebionis segetum

The photo above shows Corn Marigold in The Flintknapper's Garden designed by Luke Heydon. This was another wildflower garden, and was arguably the best of the show.

Below are some of my favourite flowers from the stalls.

Bugle Ajuga reptans

Variety of Eastern Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea 

Pride of Table Mountain Disa uniflora

Japanese shield fern Dryopteris erythrosora

Spinning Gum Eucalyptus perriniana

Spinning Gum Eucalyptus perriniana

To maintain these leaves which are centered on the stem, this variety of Eucalyptus must be pollarded to its base every year. This is because the leaves are characteristic of a juvenile Spinning Gum Eucalyptus perriniana, and the adult leaves are long, drooping and sickle shaped.

Fuschia Fuschia sp,

Bunny Tail Lagorus ovatus

Cowslip Primula veris

Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi

Turkish Sage Phlomis russeliana