Flowers A Go-Go !
Just over a week ago the lovely Ricardo (bazanges) was staying with us for a few days for the second half of the Easter holidays, and on the Tuesday we went to visit the RHS Greater London Plant Fair held at the Horticultural Halls not far from Victoria. We arrived barely half an hour after opening time, but still saw a couple of Miss Marple-style ladies already leaving with their bags filled with plants purchased - having, no doubt bagged the best specimens on sale ! We started our foray in a much more relaxed way and enjoyed hot chocolate and danish pastry before moving on to the flowers. I'd forgotten how determined the largely over-60's middle-England brigade are when it comes to obtaining the best-in-show, or rather the best-on-sale, but we soon got into the swing using elbows, bags and (apparently) blinkered vision.....and Ricardo uses his walking stick like one of the three musketeers !! LOL
Considering I was just going to look, I got away quite lightly having only bought four plants and one bulb ! A "black" viola, a penstemon, a lily called "Gay Bird" (who could resist the name and vivid colours promised on a photograph), a blue auricula - which now has a story attached, but more of that in due course!, and the bulb is a pineapple lily
In amongst the stalls were various judged competitions, and also set-pieces displaying the medals they had been awarded (if lucky) on the day.
I guess these daffodils didn't quite make it to the individuals !
Ricardo managed to avoid having his photo taken, clever of him, remiss of me.....and, no, he's not wearing Victorian garb, or Oriental loveliness........... though if he were it's more likely to have been the yellow !!
Considering I was just going to look, I got away quite lightly having only bought four plants and one bulb ! A "black" viola, a penstemon, a lily called "Gay Bird" (who could resist the name and vivid colours promised on a photograph), a blue auricula - which now has a story attached, but more of that in due course!, and the bulb is a pineapple lily
In amongst the stalls were various judged competitions, and also set-pieces displaying the medals they had been awarded (if lucky) on the day.
I guess these daffodils didn't quite make it to the individuals !
Ricardo managed to avoid having his photo taken, clever of him, remiss of me.....and, no, he's not wearing Victorian garb, or Oriental loveliness........... though if he were it's more likely to have been the yellow !!