Hello Dear Reader,
Another day and another day out! I was invited by Radio Cornwall to the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Boconnoc near Lostwithiel. I’m not one to turn down a free day out so off we went.
Boconnoc is a country estate close to us and it hosts a variety of out door activities throughout the year and this is the first time we’ve ever been. As I had an invite, I was able to bypass the queues and drive straight down to the house and walk into the show. We were able to get in by nine in the morning all in exchange for a bit of ‘meet and greet’ with the public. Thanks to everyone who came up for a chat and thanks to the Garden Society for allowing me to come as a guest of Radio Cornwall.
The flower show was a combination of competitions for amateur and professional horticulturalists and a garden trade show. There were a multitude of Cornish food suppliers, all of whom wanted to give free samples. Musicians were dotted around the show and there were plenty of seats to sit and enjoy the sun. As usual, the question I asked myself was why haven’t we been to this before?
Dearly Beloved and I spent an age drooling over some amazing plants which were on sale direct from local growers. They lavished us with time and attention and we were able to describe our hot, south facing, hilly and dry garden and let them know we wanted lots of colour, flowers and to know all we could about plants. Whenever we go to France, I’m amazed at Agapanthus growing in sandy soil right by the beach and wonder how they survive the wind, elements and stormy winters. We found some mature plants, grown in Yorkshire and brought to the show by growers who just specialise in hardy plants that will weather our winters and bloom again the next year. All the plants were far cheaper than I’ve ever seen anywhere before and we were happy with out plant choices and the advice we were given.
Not sounding very frugal? All of us who save money and are careful with our budgets have a reason to save money and reasons when to spend. They were frugal purchases as they were quality hardy plants that won’t die at the first frost and they were cheaper than plants I’ve seen anywhere. We take great pride in our gardens here in Cornwall and a well stocked garden adds to the value of a property.
The competition flower displays were not at their best. They were set up last night and a hard frost swept through the valley and many of the flowers froze as did the water in their vases. In spite of that, I had ample opportunity to swoon over some very needed colour. I’ve not one flower out in my hilly garden yet. My Camelias and Rhodedendrons are in in bud but they are late due to the really cold weather.
I’m wrapped up in all the photos but the day just kept getting warmer until we were walking around in shirt sleeves. We took a picnic and found some grass and ate our lunch in the sunshine.
We left at one and came home full of enthusiasm to get on and do some work in our own garden. I had to move some plants around as some borders have become crowded and we’ve hard pruned a lot of shrubs as they have become ‘leggy’ and we can do without them this year so they are healthier in the future. After much digging, shifting and weeding, I now have a flower border of Agapanthus and Peonies with taller shrubs (though much pruned) at the back, corners filled with Hydrangeas, a border of lupins with a back drop of towering bamboo and mature Camelias. You’ll have to wait until mid summer to see the benefit of our work today.
No Vegetables? I hear you cry. My garden is on a hilly slope and gets a lot of shade from neighbouring trees, doesn’t have anywhere flat or easy for veggies and I have to spend hours carrying water to plants so I’ve decided to focus on making the garden beautiful instead of edible. Not frugal, I hear you say. Don’t forget I want to sell my house one day, so an established and visually pleasing garden will make it more appealing to buyers. Also, I’ll admit, I need colour and beauty in my life as it feeds my soul.
We’re not going anywhere on holiday this year so days out to local events like this are a great alternative. We’ll be working in our garden for the next few days and hope to have it ready to bloom soon. I’m also going to make sure I go to more local events and I’ve convinced myself that they are worth the entrance fee. I’m shattered from two days of walking, looking, oooing and aaaahing at beautiful and lovely things. I have no nails left from gardening but I know the effects are going to be worth it.
Over to you. Who goes to the local events? What happens in your area? Any keen gardeners? I’d love to hear from gardeners around the world and find out what grows in your gardens. Anyone a member of a garden society (never heard of it until today). Who else wants to admit that flowers lift their soul?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxx
I always try to buy mostly perennials these days as it's just too pricy to grow annuals and see the money dry up with the end of the season. I have recently been tryingto find colorful pink purple and light green succulents and they are really pricey but since they spread and are very hardy I will splurge when I find what I want. Here in SE Kansas it has been so dry a veg garden is too much work and water…we have a large Amish community and we go out on Saturdays and get everything much cheaper that we could grow them. We have a huge Nursery about a half mile from our house and I like to go and look and visit with the owners and I get so many questions answered and good advise and the beautiful flowers and trees and plants are amazing!
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What a wonderful day out you had. I love going to garden openings and shows and like you come back all enthused and revving to go. Its a real pep up pill for me. I hope you don't mind me saying that I disagree with you on a couple of points. The first is that it is quite possible to vegie garden on a sloped site by building terraced garden. Secondly, I strongly disagree that fruit and vegetable gardens are not beautiful. I love mixing vegetables and ornamentals and can create wonderful color and pattern with just vegetables. The plus is that they are also edible. I must add that in my part of the world, a home with a vegie garden all laid out is now quite a prized and much sought after house when it comes to selling. Very trendy now!!
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Sounds like you had a lovely day out in sunny Cornwall!
In Dumfries and Galloway we have various agricultural shows, garden open days and farmer's markets which appeal to gardeners.
I love all types of gardens and frequent the garden open days which are usually held for charity. It's lovely to see the different garden styles and there are often good value plants for sale.
My own garden isn't huge by any means but it has a lot in it.
At the front there is a stone garden which I constructed with standing stones, mainly existing shrubs, sandstone slabs found when clearing the garden, some purchased beach cobbles, slate and pebbles and locally collected driftwood. Part of it has an oval with an acer, a small sitting buddha and three rocks with rockery plants. I just love my front garden. Being frugal it was created at a very low cost by using what I had and looking around for good deals and used stuff. It's very low maintenance.
At the side I grow a variety of veg. Some in the soil some in containers. I mix in annual flowers like marigolds, nasturstiums, black eyed susan and sunflowers…I do love yellow and orange flowers. All veg and flowers are grown from seed. I'm lucky to have a greenhouse to get things started. I never heat it but I make little green houses within the greenhouse from insulation, polystrene boxes and bubble wrap to protect plants….lost a few plants this year though with the unseasonal cold spell 🙂
The back garden has pear, apple, plum and cherry trees and raspberry canes, blackcurrant shrubs, strawberries and rhubarb which were there when I came here. Also seasonal flowers like snowdrops and daffodils from bulbs, winter flowering pansies and summer annuals which either come up every year or are grown from seed.
Every year I like to try a few new veg. This year it's butternut squash and mizuna.
To me gardens are a thing of beauty whether they are sculptural, flower filled, shrub filled or veggie. If I lived for ever I would never know all there is to know about plants and gardens so it's always interesting.
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I buy plants from the local gardening club because the plants they grow are super affordable and hardy to,our area. I planted the seeds you sent me last week. My lettuce is starting to grow!
Enjoy your new plants
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Agapanthus are such good value. I bought a small, deep purple one a few years ago, and divided it after a couple of years, and have had to divide it every year since to stop it growing enormous and taking over the garden bed. I now have about eight agapanthus plants, and the next door neighbour has three, all from my original little purchase. I love free plants!
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I have never been to the UK but one thing I have heard from everyone who has been is “The Gardens! The Gardens! It's like every single home and apartment has flowers and shrubs. Everyone has a beautiful garden! Is it a law, or something?” Seems some people go just to look at all the beautiful yards. I think all your yards are national treasures!
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What a great day out you've had Froogs.
Here in Qld, Aust our climate is tropical and warm nearly all the year round and in my case the more delicate flowers do not do well in my Jasper's Jungle of a garden which consists mainly of very hardy plants; Bird of Paradise, Allamanda, Hibiscus, Gardenias, Bougainvillia, Jasmine, Frangipani, Ferns, and Golden Palms - all of which get very little care and attention from yours truly yet provide shade, colour, and lovely scents.
About this time each year (our Autumn season) we get out there and prune and cut it all back and by the next summer it's growing thick and fast all over again!
I don't have green fingers when it comes to veggie gardens so we shop at The Farmers Markets held every fortnight at the local park grounds in our area, it works out much cheaper and the fruit and veg is fresher than store bought.
I love those beautiful hanging baskets of colourful flowers you always see on the outside of buildings in the UK.
I have two hanging baskets on each side of my front door with various colours of Geranium flowers, they at least are quite hardy, pretty too, and manage to survive under my care!
Sadly we often overlook the events and offerings available for a day out in our own back yards.
Thanks for sharing your outings these last two days with us all, I've thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Cornwall and the things you can do and see there. x
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Well here in Dorset it is the home of the Great Dorset Steam Fair every Sept. too crowded for me, I prefer the Dorset County Show at Dorchester, usually the same weekend, more animals and plants. There are a lot of open gardens here from the NGS yellow book, numerous smaller agricultural shows and large village fetes, all with plant stalls with prices much lower than garden centres. Enjoy your gardening.
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Yes, yes, yes and a hundred times yes, flowers are uplifting and balm to the soul. It must have been a lovely day out, and personnally, I wouldn't say it wasn't a frugal day. Being invited, first : totally worth it. Buying plants from local producers, with all the good advice included - knowing that they are not dainty things that will be killed after the first year, and will grace your garden for the years to come : bingo, much wiser than impulse buying a lot of things without knowing where to plant them (ask me how I know…) and what their needs are.
Of course, you will have to show us pictures of your garden this summer ! Love the British gardens.
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we love the garden centres when we visit Cornwall , we hardly ever buy as they are so expensive , but we just go for ideas and it looks like the show you visited would have been great for inspiration too , That's Frugal, it saves you making expensive mistakes having as much information as possible about the plants you choose can be valuable in itself, the only plant we have bought from a garden centre in Cornwall was a chocolate plant as i could not get one from where i live , Because Cornwall is warmer than here i think it had a shock and it died , if i need to buy a plant now , i buy them locally as they are mostly acclimatized to the area , we are moving house soon , me and my friend are spending the entire week next week digging up all my plants to take with us , this is both for frugality and the fact that a lot of them were presents , we dont do birthday cards , i ask the family rather than waste money on something that is thrown away to buy a small £1.00 plant and have stocked up my garden this way, happy gardening x
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Looks like a lovely day out.
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I love Mediterranean plants when we are on holiday I just love looking at what they can grow in a container even an old olive oil can. It would never look right in my garden. So we have cut our garden into 2. One formal lawn and home trained topiary and then at the bottom raised beds for veg. we are adding another raised bed today. as it seems warmer out than in, I am refusing to turn the heating on.
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I am in Indiana, USA. Spring is when our yard shows the best. We have several acres and I have made ''islands'' of gardens. In the center of the front is a 3 season bulb garden. the late winter crocuses are done and now the daffodils are showing their best. The tulip bulbs are visible and they will open soon, all colors of irises are next and than lilies then chrysanthemums. We have several areas and they are all planted a little different depending on light or what plants we have gotten over the years. Near the evergreens are azaleas, rhododendrons, lambs ear and lilies. Around the pool are easy care hostas, hens and chicks and another plant with a purple flower[can't remember all the names] down by the creek is an archway with more azaleas, hydrangeas and lilies, along the driveway on both sides are peonies. Another ''island'' has a red burning bush,forsythia, yucca,Rose of Sharons and I filled in with gladiolas and lilies. When I need to divide the bulbs I just find a new area to add some color, so I have lilies and daffodils all over. We have lots of flowering trees and bushes. I make sure there is lots of color during spring, summer and fall and than sculptural interest with trees and bushes in the winter. We have Japanese maples, red maple, forsythias, lilacs, snowball, burning bush, black pussy willow, holly, a host of evergreens, trumpet vine, wisteria, ferns, clematis and a few mystery plants…..some came with the property most was added from gifts from friends and my dad, over a 15 year period. I make a point of chatting with people at garden centers and pick up their castaways for almost nothing I nurse back what I can but mostly I like plants that will come back the following year. In my area if you are dividing plants and don't want them we lay them by driveways for anyone who wants them. Most of my bearded iris came this way and all my oriental grasses and some plants I don't know the names of. I plant my own hanging baskets [we had 14 last year] from annual seeds. There is an amazing nursery I pass every day and I confess to buying a basket or two when they are on sale. They are so beautiful and full and I will break them apart and replant in my whiskey/wine barrels. Most of the veggies are contained in a small patch but I do have some in containers that can be easily moved for better light. My herbs are in containers on the patio. I like my veggies closer to the house so we get more than the deer. we planted our berries away from the house and it is a fight to get them before the birds and deer. These gardens take a lot of work and when we are gone for extended holiday it can be a problem but we just love our yard. I am always looking at other peoples yards and in public gardens for ideas. When color is fading, towards the end of summer,in the front gardens or on the patio. I will pull the hanging baskets from the back and place them in the front gardens for an extra boost of color. Rather than having a small amount of color scattered I have a concentrated 'wow' area. While visiting the Netherlands this past summer we were able to go to Floriad, oh my, my mind was spinning with ideas.
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