SUFFOLK SHOW - WE HAVE WON IT AGAIN!

Hello - apologies for the delay in this blog - but the last fortnight has been absolutely crazy with the Suffolk Show.

Well - we have won it again! For the second year running, our large stand in the Flower Show Marquee was awarded a Large Gold Medal and The Perpetual Challenge Cup for the Best in Show. This is the second time we have won the Cup - we were over the moon last time - and we are absolutely delighted to win it again!!

I would like to say a huge Thank You to all of you who came and saw us over the two days of the show - and thank you so very much for all your kind comments. A big Thank You to the entire Crown Nursery team - without them none of this would have taken place. And also a big Thank You to Sue Hedger-Brown - for helping me to add that extra 'twist' to our design this year.

For those of you unable to make the show - I have posted a few photos of the stand to give you an idea.

In planning this one, there were always the obvious aims - to promote the plants we sell at the nursery, to publicise all that we do - and to make as big a 'wow-effect' as we could. Any stand that we feature has to have a large emphasis on trees - and we are of course fortunate to have some huge semi-mature versions that lend themselves beautifully to show-work. This year's focus was on the 45 year-old weeping Blue Cedars - Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula' that we have had at the nursery for many years.

However, being so incredibly wide and low - gave us difficulties getting them into the Flower Show Marquee - we did this by starting a week before the Show when nobody else was there - so we could take up the entire area with all our vehicles.

Then came the next problem of how to actually display them - Graeme came up with the clever idea of raising them up on pallets - and this is what we did - giving a cascade effect - and allowing underplanting beneath them. The central one was actually on seven pallets - and then the second tree on four pallets and so on - it certainly worked - and when the pallets were all hidden by a mixture of hessian netting and heavy planting - nobody could have guessed how it was done!!

Once these, and the Weeping Silver Birch, Upright Hornbeam and Copper Beech were in - the rest of the stand built very nicely. A heavy layer of shrubbery hid a multitude of sins - and then it was to the two main beds full of glorious colour from perennials. The path this year - was all within our theme of 'A modern twist on an old Design' - which meant that they were made from Spring Ring off-cuts - this is a material that we use to pot trees into. It actually worked very well.

But the main 'twist' this year was the use of the metal 'Pyramids' to punctuate the design - a rather brave idea of mine - I must admit I was unsure to start with - but it did work out in the end!!

They were 'softened' by the planting - which was a heady mix of perennials,herbs and shrubs. I used some of my favourite combinations for this - and it generally seemed to receive a good response. Alchemilla mollis with Chives - Fennel with Aquilegia studded through it - French Lavender with Purple Elder and Curry Plant - there now - I am not going to give everything away!!

Outside Graeme did his 'Edible Garden' stand - but again a twist this year was the use of straw bales - as the 'original Grow-bag'!! These generated much interest.

Along with the usual mix of vegetables fruit and herbs in the raised beds - hopefully it inspires everybody to 'get out there' and have a go yourself!

So - we have got everything back in it's place at the nursery - and we are just about recovered - it was an incredible fortnight - but so well worth it - to hear people's comments. We are only a small nursery - but for a couple of weeks - we felt like we were up there with the 'Chelsea Boys'!

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

RICHARD