Monday, February 24, 2014

So What Did We Buy?

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of interest expressed on what we bought from the recent RHS London Plant and Design Show. We enjoy looking at photos and reading about the plant haul of other plant lovers and vice versa for they give an idea on what's new and what's out there. Especially at this period where it's the tail end of winter and plant buying season is starting to get in gear again.


The plant tag that brings joy to my heart, lol!!
Keeping our plant haul a suspense was unintentional and the reason it wasn't included on our previous post about the event was simply because we forgot. It was a quick post as the show was on for two days and it was best to put some pictures up whilst it was still ongoing which may entice more people to visit the next day.

Anyway, before we go on to our plant haul, a few more musings about the event...

As previously mentioned this plant fair has become sort of a tradition for us as a reason to bravely drive down towards the centre of London so we can load up the car with plant goodies. Taking public transportation would put serious limitation on what we can bring home hence the leeway afforded by having a car was felt necessary (a good excuse!). 


RHS Halls, London
The show was busy busy!
Car parking is limited to six hours before the fee increases to go on a twenty four hour rate so the moment we arrive time starts ticking. On the satnav it says that it only takes an hour to drive down to the venue from where we live but based on our experience this can be very erratic, taking into account the potential traffic within London. So we set off just under two hours before the opening. I remember there was one year (2012 I think) where the traffic was so bad that despite leaving well early we still arrived one hour late!

But no traffic this time, the journey was almost bang on 45 minutes! For the first time in apparently seventeen (?) years they have moved the days of the show to Friday and Saturday instead of the usual Tuesday and Wednesday. It was also school break that week which we suspect was the main reason why the traffic was relatively light. 


Crug Farm Plants
Crug Farm Plants
Dibleys Nurseries
Caths Garden Plants
Caths Garden Plants
Fibrex Nurseries
Fibrex Nurseries
The show on Friday seemed very busy with many more visitors compared to previous years. And apparently for most of the Saturday it was the same as well. Perhaps shifting the days was a good move, more conducive to having attracting visitors which is good for the participating nurseries and exhibitors. We don't have any figures if this was indeed the case but we just all have to wait and see if this Friday/Saturday thing will stick or it will revert back to how it was before.


Oreopanax xalapensis
Oreopanax xalapensis now available for sale from Crug Farm
Oreopanax xalapensis
Oreopanax xalapensis
Schefflera delavayi
and Schefflera delavayi
With the seeming increase in visitors there also seemed to be slightly less nurseries participating this year. The quality was still very much there though and there were plenty enough variety of plants to choose from to satisfy those who wished to plant shop. One of the halls (where the 'design' bit usually is) was noticeably looking underused with lots of space available especially in the centre. The conceptual greenhouse occupied prime space and at the back was interesting focus on potatoes. We may not grow potatoes but the potato pastries and other cakes did look very yummy!


Look at all that space....
Potato Mosaic (or patio)
Yummy!
We met up with our lovely fellow blogger Clive, did some browsing and shopping with him and nipped out for some lunch before he headed back to work (another tradition!). From there we went back to the show and finalised our plant shopping. Time was running out (we arrived early so the time we spent having hot cocoa at a nearby cafe pre show was accounted for the six hour slot) so it was a bit of a mad dash at the end as we needed to add to that the time needed to load up the car. We pretty much managed to buy what we wanted to buy but inevitably a few purchases were missed (there's always another time).


We forgot to pick this oddity up! Daviesia pectinata from Plantbase Nursery
Aloe striata and Aloe reitzii from Trewidden
Helleborus x orientalis 'Slate'
And this beauty - Helleborus x orientalis 'Slate'
So what did we buy? Most of our purchases were predictably from Crug Farm but it might also surprise you that most of the ones we bought were actually repeats, ones we have already or at least had before the fire took it's toll. There were new ones too of course which you will see later on.


Our Crug Farm plant haul
They bought several larger specimens to the show which were perfect sizes for replacing the gaps we have now in the garden. No Scheffleras and Oreopanax went home with us this time around, a break from tradition! 

Now a little note about taking pictures: if the weather is good and conducive to taking photos, and you have the chance to then do so, don't procrastinate like I did! You never know what's going to happen the next day weatherwise especially in the UK. Saturday was gloriously sunny and dry but left it till Sunday to take these photos....


Pachysandra axillaris 'Crug Cover'
Pachysandra axillaris 'Crug Cover'
Aspidistra aff. daibuensis 'Tidy Trim'
Aspidistra aff. daibuensis 'Tidy Trim'
A selection of smaller plants from other nurseries like...
Hedera helix 'Midas Touch' - will be perfect to brighten up a very shady spot in our garden
Hedera helix 'Cecilia' - both from Fibrex Nurseries
Euphorbia 'Roundway Titan'
I have very big expectations of this one - Euphorbia 'Roundway Titan'
Illicium aff. majus
Illicium aff. majus - the second one in our garden
Tetradium fraxinifolium
Tetradium fraxinifolium - a new one for us but is the third Tetradium in our garden
Daphniphyllum macropudum var. humile
It will be perfect for our middle patio, shrubby and growing only over a metre tall - Daphniphyllum macropudum var. humile
 Illicium aff. griffithii
Beautiful, glossy, and rather large foliage that looks so exotic and yet we've found this tough and hardy in our garden. It even flowered for us last spring. Alas it was not fire resistant so this is a replacement for a much beloved and missed plant - Illicium aff. griffithii
 Illicium simonsii
Another Illicium that has performed well in our garden through the past few years. So why not get another one? - Illicium simonsii - also notice the stick behind it??
That is the beautiful Aesculus wangii that is still dormant. To see it in leaf here's a photo we took from the garden of our friend Don who has a fabulous exotic garden Up North
We had a fantastic time in the show and we got home tired but also feeling satisfied. And wanting more! I found myself scouring the web for the next plant fair on the horizon (I found one in late March) that will be easy for us to get to. After that there will be more, lots more!

Mark :-)

29 comments :

  1. What a great and interesting haul! Whenever you buy plants, I end up Googling most of them, cause I've never heard of them. Always an education reading your blog.

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    1. Thanks Alison! Hopefully most of these plants will be available there soon.

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  2. Your garden will be back to its former glory in no time at the rate you're going. Replacing proven winners at first makes perfect sense, then on to the fun of experimentation.

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    1. We hope so Ricki :) yes put the stalwarts in first then experimental ones later on

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  3. *Happy Sigh* - thank you! I really love the look of that pachysandra, if it will take cold salty wind I am definitely getting one! The euphorbia looks rather wonderful too. If fact all those plants do, I certainly fell for Illicium simonsii, but apparently it needs acidic soil, which I can't give it. Ah well! I do enjoy the way that your blog always introduces me to plants I have never heard of and can't pronounce. Once I've sorted my greenhouse out I need to give some thought to the back border, I have a growing list of candidates, many of which I have found through you...

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    1. A pleasure Janet and really pleased to hear that :) hope you get to sort out your greenhouse soon and get planting shortly afterwards. The pachysandra on display last Friday was so good it won us over. And might still be worth giving the Illicium simonsii a try, it's possibly not that sensitive at all.

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  4. A wonderful selection and sometimes more of the same is a good choice. Shame you forgot the Daviesia pectinata although do you need any more stuff that needs winter protection.

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    1. True Don, must be sensible! And yes, more of the same is a good thing too. If one has done well then why not have more? :)

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  5. Quite a tidy haul. Can't wait to see them in your garden.

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  6. I like a lot all those plants! even if I didn't know many of them before, as Alison also says. I´m impressed with Daviesia pectinata, I love the form it has!

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    1. Daviesia pectinata might do very well in your location Lisa!

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  7. What a lovely show! Crug Farms has such an amazing selection, so many things that aren't available yet in the U.S.

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    1. It was a lovely show Evan :) Sue and Bleddyn of Crug Farm will be doing another round of talks again in the US later this year, you might be able to catch them :)

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  8. Nice haul and naturally I want them all! But I'm most in love with the Daphniphyllum macropudum var. humile, I so want to find one for my garden! Since I missed the NWFG show in Seattle earlier this month my first show of the season is coming up this weekend. Hopefully I'll be inspired to make a few purchases.

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    1. Hopefully that Daphniphyllum is already available there somewhere Loree, and that you get hold of one soon. Have a great time at the show and looking forward to seeing your pics and your haul :))

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  9. You actually got a lot more than I thought you might have gotten. Nice haul. Hope everything does well for you in your gardens.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. Thanks Cher! Taking the car has helped in increasing our haul :)

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  10. I really regret that I didn't visit one of the RHS London shows when we lived a lot closer. Your purchases will look superb in the exotic setting. I'll be following your progress with interest. Pushing the boundaries of hardiness is something I tend to do, one of the reasons for moving to the South West.

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    1. Thank you! Pushing the boundaries is such fun, and you can oush things even more by living in the South West. Have to say everyday the idea of moving down that way crosses our minds everyday!

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  11. It's a good thing you brought the car! Nice haul! That Euphorbia is particularly interesting - I've never seen that variety.

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    1. The Euphorbia has good feedback Kris, looking forward to seeing how it will perform in our garden.

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  12. Oh what a great haul. Did they all fit in the car or did one of you have to catch the train home? I've read of a couple of regular exhibitors pulling out because of the change of days so maybe there will be more exhibitors next year.

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    1. Thankfully they all fitted in nicely but one plant did travel home between my legs :) If the turnout was really as good as it looked then maybe next year those who pulled out will be enticed to come back whatever days it will be

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  13. I love your aspidistra, your hederas, and of course your illiciums! And the euphorbia is a real winner. You made some great selections. I always get a rush when I buy new plants. Is that an addiction?

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    1. Nah, not an addiction Debs, just a really nice thing to do :)

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  14. As Alison said, I haven't heard of many of these either. You came home with quite a haul, what fun! That Daviesia pectinata very much caught my eye. An oddity indeed, I like it!

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    1. That Daviesia seems a good candidate to do well in your garden Amy!

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  15. Ok, I had not looked it up, and now feel silly, being that it's native to my state! I didn't recognise it in the photo, but looking at images on Google, I realise I've seen it growing in natural bushland! Don't mind me :p

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