Alton
As reward for a day being dragged around plants and parks, the family “fee” was for me to be dragged around roller coasters. The day after Trentham we travelled sideways a bit and parked up at Alton Towers. I get more enjoyment from watching roller coasters and seeing how they are built than from riding them and I personally don’t relish long queues for 15 secs of thrill. Alistair shot off whilst Jane and I meandered across the park. We found ourselves in the “derelict” house (that is slowly being renovated) it is huge and the chapel has a ceiling that was very unexpected. There is a formal lawn with clipped “bells” and it seems a quiet haven from the park, barely a few metres away. The integration of the ‘coasters into the landscape is very good, although moving about the park can be frustrating as signage and directions are “loose” The highlight, for me at least was the valley garden and in particular the old glass house. I don’t think that I have ever come across a more photogenic structure. The lantern glass is missing and falling out, the paint is peeling off frames, the interior stonework stained in rust and soil, the colours are muted and earthly and you could probably spend all day peering in at windows. Around this structure (and I hope that any restoration is subtle rather than a full reconditioning) is a series of terraces and lawned areas set into the valley side. The planting is only noteworthy for the clipped arches, almost Alice in wonderland-esque. What was impressive was the stone work. The steps, walls and transitions from vertical to horizontal. It is intricate and engineered. The masons did not resort to cumbersome blocks but carved their own pieces for the Lego set that was used to construct the beds. The stone work is understated and sublime and probably mostly overlooked. If you are there, take time and admire workmanship that we are very unlikely to see or afford again.

I have been pencilling a visit to Trentham for a few years, but being a few hours away for us it’s always fallen off the calendar in favour of days out with less petrol. I have tried to avoid creating any expectations, I hate superfluous reviews and being influenced by someone else’s agenda, so knowing that I was going and how to get there was about as much research as we did. The entrance is well disguised amongst the mini shopping village. Big, much bigger than I expected and the plants were impressive. I saw virtually my whole plant portfolio assembled before me and not just used singularly but how they should be planted, en masse. Stipa gigantea were back lit by the sun and created golden explosions in the Italian garden. It was a stunning effect. The garden, at least the planted areas, is divided into two main areas, the Italian, geometric beds and the “flower maze” of irregular beds. This area worked better for me. The planting was on a more human scale and the perennials more varied. There were great combinations and rhythms of colour (there were also very jarring arrangements of colour/ form, or are they intentional juxtapositions?) Definitely the right time to visit, I would like to return in winter and on an overcast day, the strong sunlight did not help my pictures.

Just south of Madrid is a small town, Aranjuez. Built around a royal palace and of course its gardens. It was astonishing to wander through and encounter less than 10 other tourists. The principle gardens are large but monotonous, comprising of long avenues punctuated with fountains, most of which were switched off. In their prime they would have been stunning, but the box hedging now looks tired and the overhead canopy is so dense that whilst it gives welcome shade the falling leaves and shadow are killing the effect below. (The effect as it was probably attended is better seen in Valencia, at Jardines de Real (Viveros) - lots of arty hedge clipping. The approach to the entrance of the palace is through a vast square. Some attempt at a contemporary border has been made at one end but sadly it has been neglected and looks beyond repair, however, opposite this is a gateway through into a large courtyard and if you like lavender it is worth the diversion. I have seen it when in flower as well as later in the summer, and when in flower it is stunning. Huge beds of chest high plants radiate from the square’s simple centre, a simple but striking use of repetition and rhythm.

Within Valencia itself there are numerous small gardens. The botanic gardens are worthy of a stop for an hour or so. 5 mins walk from the river bed gardens, and budget busting €1 entry. They are easy to miss as the entrance is through a lobby that actually houses the gardens researchers. Most botanic gardens in Spain are weary, parched, neglected, devoid of plants and inspiration. Stray cats stalk you and you quickly realise that you came at the wrong time to see anything alive. Like many the botanic garden in Valencia is divided into section (water plants/ grasses etc) but the difference here is that virtually everything was lush, beds were full, plants recognisable and the whole space a pleasure to be in. The boundary walls of bamboo were superb, the cactus and agave area was excellent and obviously a work of passion. A well spent €1 (tip, at the entrance lobby.. look up!)
www.jardibotanic.org

I love driving in Spain. Despite most “motorways” only having two lanes they are much more relaxed and courteous. But it’s not the roads that enchant me it’s the scenery. Whether intimate verges full of plants we can only dream of growing, fields of weeds like fennel, hills full of sun flowers or whole days of only driving through olive trees. (How do they harvest so many trees?) One year we drove for over 100kms and saw only olives, estimating a spacing of 10-15m apart.. that was a lot of trees!
We had never been to the East coast of Spain, so having spent a few days on the outskirts of Madrid, drove over to Valencia. The greenness of the area is striking. The olive gives way to the orange (and lemon) the soil is like copper and it’s hot. Family protests meant my time indulging in wandering through anything that looked green was limited (I’m not the kind of guy to abandon them to pursue a pleasure). But we saw a lot and they slept well after. Through the centre of Valencia runs a strip of greenery, the turia river bed gardens. It’s actually more than a river bed, as the soil level seems to have been raised considerably in order to build it, but it is approx 400m wide and 9km long. Comprising of a series of set pieces, open colonnades with fountains, tennis courts, open lawns, rows of palms and innumerable water features (all of which were working) it is a breath taking achievement and very well constructed. The plants looked great and well watered, there was no vandalism that we saw, and it was patrolled by mounted police and exuded a feeling of pleasure and security. I could have spent all day there. We probably only walked 1/3 of the length, from the old town to the science park. At the harbour end of Turia are several buildings that immediately place you on a different world. They are huge, dwarfing and immaculate. Surrounded by water and very novel planters, Cypress grow in donuts within the ponds, pennisetum grasses spill from planters, an elevated walkway has palms and shrubs, all in lawned and green landscaping. The whiteness of the structures hurts the eyes and the scale boggles. The Turia must rank as one of the world’s greatest parks.

You may have seen the work of Su Blackwell as it's been featured in a few newspapers recently. Its beautiful and I love the underlying rule that what comes off the page has to have been there to start with, no paper is added. What drew me to this piece was that I have just finished making a scale model of our submission for Chelsea 2010 and had to make two trees. I used straws, and they were pathetic. However I had seen my model as something to help me work with and resolve the design and it has evolved a bit during and since I made it. I like the idea of it being almost a piece of sculpture, but I won't be remaking mine and I will just look in awe at how good a paper tree can look.

The submission for Chelsea went off today. Comprising 5 sheets of drawings outlining what the design is about and 4 sets of forms. The RHS are very methodical and all design work has to have an accompanying brief, costing information, statement of ecological consideration and of course a general application form.

To try and demystify the process of show gardens and dissolve the impression that they seemingly appear every May on a field in Chelsea, I will describe the process of putting a show garden together.

Of the forms mentioned, the trickiest (for me at least) is the one that asks for the brief behind the submitted garden. What this means is that in the absence of a "real" client, you are required to pretend that the garden has been designed for someone/ some organisation and therefore write down what is in it and why. You might think that a blank canvas is a godsend however in practice what it does is give you an unlimited amount of rope to hang yourself, or at least your design with. The design submitted is judged not only on its aesthetic value but on what is described in the brief. These forms are dusted off next May, when the garden is judged and a critical team appraise the built garden against what you said you would do and what you thought it might look like. There is scope for modification between now and next year but not to much. Changing materials, minor plants is fine, so long as you keep the RHS team informed. Last year when I had to substitute a tree for a shrub, for budget reasons, it was considered to change to the horticultural merit of the garden and meant several emails and calls to reach a compromise. One form asks for the garden to be costed, difficult at this stage as most of the design of water features etc is still a little vague. So "ball-park" figures are given. The design has already had the input of contractors and labour and general building materials have been estimated. The contractor is provisionally booked for the Show. All this is before the RHS actually announce the designs that have been accepted. There is a lot of commitment and effort and in a few months, we might be told that it has all been in vain. For those of you that like to measure things, I have just past the 100hrs mark for time put into this design.

Listening to visitors to Chelsea and other shows, there is a perception that "this year plant schemes should be white and green" or that one plant is in fashion because its seen on several garden ,so more than two occurrences = a trend. Firstly there is no collusion between designers and so any plants that are seen are the individual decisions of those designers. As you now know, those decisions , for me at least and I know that several of the large gardens have also been designed, have already been made. I know what my plant list is (it will appear on the website when I am back from holiday). Coincidence and probability will ensure that some of my decisions are the same as somebody else's, but my decisions are not quite as straightforward as what is best for the garden. Plants for shows, and in particular for the Show Gardens at Chelsea are supplied by a rather small group of very professional and expert nurseries and growers. Having received plant list they will advise on what they can obtain and nurture for the show. If lots of gardens want aquiligeas, they may obtain a limited selection in great quantities and then play with batches of them , holding some back, leaving some outside, hothousing others to ensure enough are in bloom for the show. Despite a specific request we may all only get Ruby Port for instance, which is what seems to have happened this year. It wasn't a trend just market forces. As designers we also tend to bias our selections to plants that we think will be reliably in bloom for the show, which again limits palates. despite what others are doing, my palate for 2010 is moving towards mauves and whites with some deep blues. I wanted a "warm garden for a warming climate" however, having just been prevented from leaving the office due to torrential hail (in July!!) I am doubting if such a scheme is ever going to see the weather to realise its potential.