Time for trees - with videos!

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.

Plants for Chelsea - Preparation videos

Well here's a couple more videos from yesterdays nursery visit. Cornus, foxgloves and acers - all looking pretty tasty to me!

Creamy cornus - my favourites

Flippant foxgloves - this year's teasers

Acer 'Marlo'

Andy's nursery visit videos

Just been down to visit the show plants. Here are a few video clips to show you how those show plants are doing!

Where have all the flowers gone?

Foliage - the foundation of good planting

In the fridge.............

more on new plants and Chelsea stars on the way.

The build up to build up...............

Monday morning - we start on site on Friday. This week is all about lists - final preparations - chasing up materials, choosing trees and remembering all those things I've forgotten. Just spoken to Rick - he sounds happier. The cooler weather and weekend rain have freshened us all up. He says the foxgloves have even decided to perform - I'll go and have a look later. Every single rhododendron, azalea, viburnum and lilac is in the cold store. That's the first time ever! Joining them most of the roses. Those still in the glasshouse will just have to take their chances.

Nick Mann - Habitataid seems positive about the Meadow anywhere planters. They certainly looked very promising a couple of weeks ago so I'm hopeful they will perform in time for the show. Would be great to see visitors sitting amongst the poppies telling everyone what makes them Feel Good about Gardening.

Some of Sue's fitness accessories arrived this morning - will have to wait until later to see them. She's gone to Hamble to buy rope - no, things aren't that bad - just part of the story.

Heading off to pick Chelsea trees with Ricky this afternoon - more later!

It's a cool wind..............

Quite a weekend - Only just got through Easter - then then Royal Wedding and another Bank Holiday Monday. Must say the weddding was fab - we do do it well don't we? Good gardening weekend, Sunday at Bishops Waltham Plant Fair - Fab do - lots of treasures!

Windy today - and dry - need rain!! If this keeps up lawns will be brown, new plants will struggle. Found gardenng a bit tiring - but that's how it goes. Same with Chelsea, but about to dive in - here we go again!

Blowing hot and cold.........

We could have had Chelsea Flower Show a couple of weeks ago - the season is so precocious. This week I paid a visit to the cold store. After the heat of the Easter weekend the glasshouse where the show plants take shelter was looking seriously depleted as the flowering stock took refuge in the fridge. Thw warm weekend meant that Ricky spent mostt of it on the nursery - watering three 3 times a day and keeping careful watch over the Chelsea flock.

Rhododendrons in tight bud in the early hours of morning can be well in flower by midday. We can't get any more - so these must be held back for the show. The cold store is a large warehouse fridge - with hard, rather dreary lighting that helps the plants to keep their colour. Cherries in there since early February still think its winter, but will bloom within hours when brought out into the warm. Most plants like the azaleas and rhododendrons are put in when the flowers are opening. This seems to be the best stage for storage as Ricky has learnt over his many years doing the job.

The big challenge now is to find enough space for all the plants we need to hold back. Even a hundred roses are in the cold store - that's the first time I can remember doing that. Usually we are trying to coax them to produce buds in as much heat as possible.

The heat and reulting heavy growth means that some acers are losing colour. We need enough good foliage colour to hold the exhibit together. Also purple and yellow leaves soon lose colour in the Pavilion so it is important to start with as much colour as possible.

Ricky moves some of the Acers into a sheltered spot outside on Tuesday and we also decide to move out some of the herbaceous - things like Erysimums, thymes, santolinas and golden feverfew are also better out in the open at this stage - or so we think. Then of course on Wednesday night the temperatures drop big time - frost on the grass and on the car on Thursday morning is not a welcome sight - however we seemed to get away with it.

Royal Wedding day today and they promised rain. So far its dry, bright, cool and with that light drying wind that never did any garden any favours. What will the next two weeks bring? Who knows. For all those plants in cold storage it shouldn't make too much difference. Their challenge will come when they re-emerge into the outside world!

Flowers, fragrance and filming...........

The wisteria is in full flower on the front of Ampfield House - Hillier Head Office. The front door is open and that deliciously sweet fragrance drifts in on the warm spring air - that's what I call real feel good air conditioning. A great start to the week - had the team here from The Scotts Miracle Gro Company - Paul, John, David and Sarah. Gill organised the day and we started filming clips for www.lovethegarden.com where Chelsea visitors will reveal what makes them Feel Good About Gardening. I kicked off the filming introducing the theme for the show - - horrified to see the picture Pip took of me - doesn't look as if I feel good about anything - I was just concentrating - honestly Pip talked about how she liked to use the garden as a place to relax after work and the importance of plants like Exochorda 'Niagra' to those with small gardens. Since the magazine went out to members this week sales of 'Niagra' have soared. The frothy white flowers are irresistibly appealing when the world seems to be full of glorious spring blossom. Down on the nursery we were lucky to catch up with Ricky for a Plantsman's insight into Chelsea and how preparations are going. the plants look terrific but they are certainly thirsty. The only plants refusing to play the game this year are the foxgloves. These look like cabbages - ridiculously healthy with lots of foliage but few signs of flowers. I am a bit disappointed in these as its the first time I've really planned to use them in a specific location. Oh well - that's just part of the joy of gardening. The azaleas and rhododendrons are showing colour - it seems even before your very eyes. As the weather is set warm more and more will move into the coldstore as each day passes. I'm never very keen on plants spending too long in the fridge. Although they gain a little eternal youth while they are in there they age pretty quickly when they come out. It's a bit like the tale told in that novel I spoke about last time!.