It's always interesting to earwig on conversations at a flower show, you can't really help it when there are so many visitors, and everyone's got their own ideas as to what makes a great show garden or exhibit. One comment I hear time and time again is how inspiring the gardens are and how they're going to try to copy 'that' colour scheme or 'this' style of planting. The thing that I'm going to take away and copy from this years show is not plants but paths.
The back to back gardens are very good for hard landscaping ideas and I spotted a brick edged path in-filled with pebbles stuck into concrete, much like a mosaic. Or, there's a stone path with grass instead of mortar and something more contemporary, a metal grid suspended over a bog garden - almost like a bridge. However, the one that I'm going to copy at home is the path in 'The Garden for Bees'. It's a gravel path planted with an informal drift of thyme, which smells as good as it looks. The good news for me is that I've already got a gravel path, all I have to do is add the 'thyme' and once the flower show is over, I'll have the 'time' to do it. 
Yellow flowers
Floral bedding is always something that divides gardeners; they either love it or hate it. There seems to be no half measure.
While I wouldn't do it in my own garden I have to admit I think it looks great at Tatton and the 'Conwy Butterflies' created by Conwy County Borough Council display made of marigolds and sempervivum is a worthy winner of the RHS/ Ball Colegrave National Flower Bed Competition. 
The displays are always of a very high standard and there are many that stand out for me including the helicopter in the Cheltenham in Bloom display (Silver) and the cyclists on the Bury Borough Council display. There is even a 'Yellow Submarine' (Silver) courtesy of Vale Royal Borough Council, perfectly placed for suitable accompaniment from the bandstand. 
Many of the displays have interesting stories behind them and a large tank created out of plants was one that stuck out for me. It's been created by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in honour of Fred Kite, a resident of their borough. It commemorates the two military medals he was awarded while serving with the Royal Tank Regiment in North Africa. A fitting tribute, and certainly an explosion of colour. I've been trying to persuade my colleague Louise to love the flower beds without much success although she did admit that she liked the penguins in the 'Chill Out' display. The RHS are launching Britain's Best Flower Bed Competition for the nation's best flowerbed to rival those at Tatton. The competition is open to any team or individuals working on public bedding displays around the country. If you think you have what it takes, make sure you take a picture of your flowerbed before August 31 and find out how you can enter at the RHS Britain in Bloom site. The winner will have the chance to compete in the National Flower Bed Competition at Tatton 2009. Info from:
Private Club
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