So yesterday afternoon Ricky and I headed down to our Broadmead nursery to make our final tree selection. We make our first pick in October - its a good time to see the frame of deciduous trees and evergreens look great at that time. Of course you never quite know what spring will bring - sometimes some of the ones we choose just refuse to leaf up nicely - sometimes the winter takes its toll on the evergreens.
This year most of the deciduous trees are well in leaf - but that just makes the choice harder, Other subjects - ones I hadn't even thought of using just look ravishing, and they steal the places from those that thought they would be going to the show.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon and what better way to start the selection than a little kip in the sunshine....
We soon decided that the Norway maples were a distinct possibilityand a golden weeping cedar caught our eye....
The Magnolia grandiflora are not looking great after the winter. The two massive ones look really tired in comparison to the fresh green trees around them. Their boney frames do have wonderful maturity and perhaps if everything else wasn'yt looking so leafy and fresh we'd go with them. After a lot of indecision we agree to take one only and opt for two lovely, fluffy cut leaf beech instead.
The smaller Magnolia grandiflora look really weedy after all the big, beefy trees. They are just not going to make sufficient impact in front of the Monument with Jim's massive gold sculpture sitting at its feet. The limes look glorious in full leaf - I love the drooping branchlets and bright emerald green leaves of Tilia euchlora and we opt for 6 of those. They are really a little large for the space but I fancy the tunnel effect they will create - a bit like that wonderful lime avenue at Mount Stewart - but on a slightly smaller scale.
These big trees are heading for London on Saturday morning - we have to have them installed on the exhibit before the paving is laid. Chelsea 2011 will literally be built around them!
So thet've only got a couple of days left on their tree lines with drip irrigation - then its onto lorries - flatbeds covered in sheets to reduce damage - and off up the M3. They continue to be thirsty so daily watering in the Pavilion will be essential.
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