The RHS London Early Spring Flower Show
Wow now, I am just filled with Spring vibes & garden inspiration after visiting the RHS London early flower show last week!
I have never attended this show before and was so, so glad I managed to make it this year!
Lets start with the Snowdrop Party!
Walking through into the first hall I am greeted by magically floating, elegant Snowdrops. So many pretty varieties with their roots bundled up into brown paper, showing off their gorgeous green strappy foliage & those beautiful elegant white droplet-like flowers. All hanging from an Ivy-clad hoop hanging in the centre of the Horticultural Hall.
The room was filled with an amazing sound of appreciation & awe as these pretty floating bundles just delicately twirl & move in any light breeze travelling through the hall. Just magical.
Then, beyond the floating Snowdrops I came to an absolutely outstanding fine dining table that looked like something out of a fairytale, royal ice palace style! White linen, fine china & crystal-like glasses with shining silver cutlery neatly in line, perfectly put together... then informally, yet wonderfully dressed with pots of Snowdrops, branches & potfulls of tightly budded Magnolia & pretty catkin glad trees. Such a jaw-dropping site that really took my breathe away.... cue ideas for our Christmas dinner party 2018!
The classy chic of the tableware mixed with the elegant yet garden fresh & informal forms of the Snowdrops just worked magic on the room. Simple yet striking & a really unique way to show off & celebrate the beauty of Snowdrops.
I loved the rustic & artistic Snowdrop display created by & next to the Avon Bulbs stand. The colours & textures of the rustic twigs & barks really set-off the light Snowdrop blooms, showing off each variety at their very best. Brown & crunchy leaves dress the tops of the twiggy pots & surround the base of this woodland like display providing a realistic rustic charm.
Avon Bulbs had some absolute stunners available to buy on their stand! My favourites were:
Galanthus 'Bertram Anderson' has much larger droplet-like blooms, the petals are much wider & seem thicker than other varieties. I love that they really look like a snowy clump, quite pure white blooms that are simply stunning. Also the inner petals have a green marking that look just like a little love heart, super sweet!
Galanthus 'Veronica Cross' has much more open blooms that look like one of those retro propeller fan-lights from above. The petals seem quite neat with more space surrounding each one, the pure white of the petal is broken up by daps of vibrant lime green making each bloom 'pop'.
Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham' is an absolute beauty with a subtle pastel moss green tone running through each petal mixing with a creamier contrast. A woodland wonder, an understated beautiful Snowdrop that would add charm to any garden.
There were a few fabulous workshops being ran throughout the hall too, including build your own bouquet, taking & propagating your own cuttings, sow your own chilli seeds & make your own watercolour Snowdrop Valentine card.
Just to finish off in the first hall, I of course spotted a Hellebore beauty! I believe this is a Double Ellen Purple Hellebore, it is such a stunner my photo really does not do this gorgeous deep & dramatic bloom the justice it deserves!
I loved all the woodland inspired & themed planting displays in the first hall. The exhibitors had really created a striking mix of twiggy well branched plants to add height which then flowed down towards Hellebores in deep intense colours mixed with brighter lime & creamy varieties. Ferns are mixed in to create textural interest whilst adding a green base. Then inter planted & underplanted with gorgeous mixed varieties of Snowdrops.
Moving on into the second hall I admired the beauty of the winter garden exhibition that highlights, well, provides a wonderful teaser into the winter walk at the RHS Wisley gardens. Striking & fiery red Cornus alba drew my eye into the meandering walk that begins with bright white barked Betula, Silver Birch, up-lit with mystical colours.
A curved pathway runs through the middle of the two borders, a curved back bench is incorporated into the one border, a nice place to sit and take in all the winter beauty. So many different plants mixed together providing a wave of colours, textures & even fragrance to entice the senses! Sarcococa, Ophiopogon nigrescens, Carex & hearty clumps of creamy white Hellebores are just a few plants to name here.
Then I sweep through & out of this glorious display and into the plant market. A selection of wonderful UK growers & nurseries showing off their best varieties mixed with stands filled with garden tools, garden decor & gifts for gardeners... bliss!
I saw some beautiful varieties, I may have to write a separate blog post for all of them as I did go into a little bit of a plant-aholic photo frenzy! So here is a small snippet of my favourites;
Camellia japonica 'Italiana Vera'
A gorgeous delicate pink candy strip double bloom that would add charm & a little fun to the winter garden. Love how delicate each petal looks, yet a striking bloom is created in powder pink & artistically streaked with a deeper candy pink.
Hippeastrum 'Papillio'
An absolute stand out Amaryllis bloom for me, OK so not a vibrant colour but certainly a striking beauty with contrasting deep Burgundy stripes that sit against light lime green running through each petal.
Chimonanthus praecox
Oh the sweetly fragranced delicate blooms are just divine! Gorgeous flowers that 'hang' closely from the naked branches, normally in clusters of 2 or 3 creating an impactful scent from each stem. The flowers are lemon yellow, a happy colour for the winter garden. Each bloom looks quite delicate almost like lemon tinted tracing paper, but the power of the fragrance proves that these blooms provide a fabulous seasonal punch!
I found a wonderful organic vegetable seed stall too, The Herbary. I love the rustic potting shed vibe these understated packets give off. To me that shows that more energy has gone into the choice & excellent selection of varieties that they have to offer. I bought a Black Spanish Raddish which is a later sow & cropper... but I may try these under glass early on anyway. Cosmic Purple, a good old purple carrot & spaghetti squash, a trendy veg ideal for using instead of pasta...which I have been dying to try for the last 2 years!
I also treated myself to a new floral hair clip which I normally wear every time I film! Love flowers in my hair & these were certainly most beautiful- handmade by a lovely lady, I loved the floral canvas display that she had put together for the show.
Then I came across an idilic mix of vintage tea cups, old pots & wooden crates planted with Snowdrops & Primrose which just looked so pretty. What a fantastic idea & a wonderful look, I love all things vintage so as you can imagine I spent rather a long time pouring over this ladies stall!
Heading back down to the centre of the hall I came to the most impressive Pine & Cyclamen woodland display created by the team from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The sweet woody scent of hardy Cyclamen just floated delicately into the air surrounding this display, so many different varieties in their many shades of pink, interplanted with some pretty Snowdrops & dressed with chunky bark chip & pine chip with statement pieces of small boulders, logs & trunks. The selection of Pinus used amongst this planting added height & interesting structure along with, of course fantastic textures.
OK... So I didn't get tea & cake during my visit to the show... it was lunch time & the cafe was packed! I did however squeeze in a late afternoon tea at the Swan, Shakespeare's Globe which was beautiful. Themed on a Midsummer Nights Dream including love potions & edible butterfly decorations.. just heaven.
There was even a potting shed vibe & houseplant decor setup at the base of the steps of the Swan, just fabulous!
In a nutshell, that was my lovely visit to the RHS London Early Flower Show 2018, a wonderful show with oodles of inspiration & both halls filled with spring vibes & garden motivation to get you ready for the season ahead. I highly recommend this show!
Hope you enjoyed my guided tour through (ramblings) my visit to the RHS London early Flower Show!
Happy Gardening
Lottie x
I have never attended this show before and was so, so glad I managed to make it this year!
Lets start with the Snowdrop Party!
Walking through into the first hall I am greeted by magically floating, elegant Snowdrops. So many pretty varieties with their roots bundled up into brown paper, showing off their gorgeous green strappy foliage & those beautiful elegant white droplet-like flowers. All hanging from an Ivy-clad hoop hanging in the centre of the Horticultural Hall.
The room was filled with an amazing sound of appreciation & awe as these pretty floating bundles just delicately twirl & move in any light breeze travelling through the hall. Just magical.
Then, beyond the floating Snowdrops I came to an absolutely outstanding fine dining table that looked like something out of a fairytale, royal ice palace style! White linen, fine china & crystal-like glasses with shining silver cutlery neatly in line, perfectly put together... then informally, yet wonderfully dressed with pots of Snowdrops, branches & potfulls of tightly budded Magnolia & pretty catkin glad trees. Such a jaw-dropping site that really took my breathe away.... cue ideas for our Christmas dinner party 2018!
The classy chic of the tableware mixed with the elegant yet garden fresh & informal forms of the Snowdrops just worked magic on the room. Simple yet striking & a really unique way to show off & celebrate the beauty of Snowdrops.
I loved the rustic & artistic Snowdrop display created by & next to the Avon Bulbs stand. The colours & textures of the rustic twigs & barks really set-off the light Snowdrop blooms, showing off each variety at their very best. Brown & crunchy leaves dress the tops of the twiggy pots & surround the base of this woodland like display providing a realistic rustic charm.
Avon Bulbs had some absolute stunners available to buy on their stand! My favourites were:
Galanthus 'Bertram Anderson' has much larger droplet-like blooms, the petals are much wider & seem thicker than other varieties. I love that they really look like a snowy clump, quite pure white blooms that are simply stunning. Also the inner petals have a green marking that look just like a little love heart, super sweet!
Galanthus 'Veronica Cross' has much more open blooms that look like one of those retro propeller fan-lights from above. The petals seem quite neat with more space surrounding each one, the pure white of the petal is broken up by daps of vibrant lime green making each bloom 'pop'.
Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham' is an absolute beauty with a subtle pastel moss green tone running through each petal mixing with a creamier contrast. A woodland wonder, an understated beautiful Snowdrop that would add charm to any garden.
There were a few fabulous workshops being ran throughout the hall too, including build your own bouquet, taking & propagating your own cuttings, sow your own chilli seeds & make your own watercolour Snowdrop Valentine card.
Just to finish off in the first hall, I of course spotted a Hellebore beauty! I believe this is a Double Ellen Purple Hellebore, it is such a stunner my photo really does not do this gorgeous deep & dramatic bloom the justice it deserves!
Moving on into the second hall I admired the beauty of the winter garden exhibition that highlights, well, provides a wonderful teaser into the winter walk at the RHS Wisley gardens. Striking & fiery red Cornus alba drew my eye into the meandering walk that begins with bright white barked Betula, Silver Birch, up-lit with mystical colours.
A curved pathway runs through the middle of the two borders, a curved back bench is incorporated into the one border, a nice place to sit and take in all the winter beauty. So many different plants mixed together providing a wave of colours, textures & even fragrance to entice the senses! Sarcococa, Ophiopogon nigrescens, Carex & hearty clumps of creamy white Hellebores are just a few plants to name here.
Then I sweep through & out of this glorious display and into the plant market. A selection of wonderful UK growers & nurseries showing off their best varieties mixed with stands filled with garden tools, garden decor & gifts for gardeners... bliss!
I saw some beautiful varieties, I may have to write a separate blog post for all of them as I did go into a little bit of a plant-aholic photo frenzy! So here is a small snippet of my favourites;
Camellia japonica 'Italiana Vera'
A gorgeous delicate pink candy strip double bloom that would add charm & a little fun to the winter garden. Love how delicate each petal looks, yet a striking bloom is created in powder pink & artistically streaked with a deeper candy pink.
Hippeastrum 'Papillio'
An absolute stand out Amaryllis bloom for me, OK so not a vibrant colour but certainly a striking beauty with contrasting deep Burgundy stripes that sit against light lime green running through each petal.
Chimonanthus praecox
Oh the sweetly fragranced delicate blooms are just divine! Gorgeous flowers that 'hang' closely from the naked branches, normally in clusters of 2 or 3 creating an impactful scent from each stem. The flowers are lemon yellow, a happy colour for the winter garden. Each bloom looks quite delicate almost like lemon tinted tracing paper, but the power of the fragrance proves that these blooms provide a fabulous seasonal punch!
I found a wonderful organic vegetable seed stall too, The Herbary. I love the rustic potting shed vibe these understated packets give off. To me that shows that more energy has gone into the choice & excellent selection of varieties that they have to offer. I bought a Black Spanish Raddish which is a later sow & cropper... but I may try these under glass early on anyway. Cosmic Purple, a good old purple carrot & spaghetti squash, a trendy veg ideal for using instead of pasta...which I have been dying to try for the last 2 years!
I also treated myself to a new floral hair clip which I normally wear every time I film! Love flowers in my hair & these were certainly most beautiful- handmade by a lovely lady, I loved the floral canvas display that she had put together for the show.
Then I came across an idilic mix of vintage tea cups, old pots & wooden crates planted with Snowdrops & Primrose which just looked so pretty. What a fantastic idea & a wonderful look, I love all things vintage so as you can imagine I spent rather a long time pouring over this ladies stall!
Heading back down to the centre of the hall I came to the most impressive Pine & Cyclamen woodland display created by the team from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The sweet woody scent of hardy Cyclamen just floated delicately into the air surrounding this display, so many different varieties in their many shades of pink, interplanted with some pretty Snowdrops & dressed with chunky bark chip & pine chip with statement pieces of small boulders, logs & trunks. The selection of Pinus used amongst this planting added height & interesting structure along with, of course fantastic textures.
OK... So I didn't get tea & cake during my visit to the show... it was lunch time & the cafe was packed! I did however squeeze in a late afternoon tea at the Swan, Shakespeare's Globe which was beautiful. Themed on a Midsummer Nights Dream including love potions & edible butterfly decorations.. just heaven.
There was even a potting shed vibe & houseplant decor setup at the base of the steps of the Swan, just fabulous!
In a nutshell, that was my lovely visit to the RHS London Early Flower Show 2018, a wonderful show with oodles of inspiration & both halls filled with spring vibes & garden motivation to get you ready for the season ahead. I highly recommend this show!
Hope you enjoyed my guided tour through (ramblings) my visit to the RHS London early Flower Show!
Happy Gardening
Lottie x
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