Gardening Scotland... and the weather
I'll be honest with you, there's only one thing on my mind at the moment, and that's the weather. But I'm not going to go on about it. As a gardener it's hard not to obsess about it, but even I'm getting sick of my daily rants about how the Great Weather Gods are treating us. Summer will come when it's good and ready... and if that's mid 2014, then there's nowt we can do but keep the thermals on until then. There's a great saying, 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing' (yes, I'm fully aware that since promising not to speak about the weather I've talked about nothing else.. so I shall move swiftly on!).
Last weekend the Potting Shed team was lucky enough to be at Gardening Scotland in Ingliston, and what a fabulous weekend we had (weather not included here). It was wonderful getting to meet so many of our regular listeners, and a huge thank you to the wonderful woman who let me wear her cardigan for the duration of the show!
Beechgrove Potting Shed at Gardening Scotland 2011
The other highlight for me had to be the floral hall. It was jam-packed full of flowers, everything from spectacular blousy Peonies, to tiny little unassuming alpines. I couldn't help notice that this year, most of the displays seemed to have a real woodland theme to them. And it wasn't just the usual ferns and foxgloves on show.
Gardening Scotland - Floral Hall
There was a real trend toward the exotic-looking Arisaemas, said to be hardy to a staggering minus 40. Known as The Cobra Lily, they're happy in dappled shade and really liven up a dull spot in any garden. The Arisaemas apparently are gaining popularity among gardeners, and sate that appetite for a jungle-style tropical patch in less than tropical conditions. And as our weather becomes increasingly unpredictable (yes, I know I said I wasn't going to speak about it.. but it's proving harder than I thought!) it's maybe time for a re-think on what we plant, and how we can ensure our gardens survive these increasingly unpredictable conditions. Luckily, Maurice Wilkins, Head Gardener at Arduaine Gardens in Argyll was on hand to offer sound advice. That particular programme was aired Sunday 12th June on BBC Radio Scotland, and you can get the chance to hear Maurice's words of wisdom again as part of our free audio download section. I hope Helen our editor cuts out the part where he chastised me after I admitted I'd never been to Arduaine Gardens. It's my plan to go very shortly. I hear they're fabulous, and lets face it, I'm too scared not to now!
Needless to say I staggered back from show laden with plants, which I just about managed to cram into the car. Mr T was with me last weekend so there was no way of hiding just how many I'd bought. Years ago a friend's Mum used to go on massive shopping sprees; she'd buy oodles of clothes, shoes, handbags, and stuff them all into the back of the wardrobe, bringing them out slowly so her husband would never know just how much she'd bought. I'd always thought this was a ridiculous thing for any grown up woman to do: hide her purchases. But alas, as the 'handbag gene' passed me by, and the 'plant gene' took its place, I have indeed turned into that very woman. You see I buy more plants than I can possibly plant and rather than admit I've bought too much, I stuff them (pots and all) into over-crowded borders in the hope Mr T won't notice my sad but harmless compulsion. It's very hard to admit you're out of control!! But when it comes to my gardening obsession, I know I'm in good company with all of our listeners at The Shed.
Speak to you all soon...Until then Happy Gardening...
Theresa
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See more photographs from Gardening Scotland in the gallery.
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