Friday 9 January 2009

 

The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Peter Hoskin

Pete suggests


Raking up the past

Wednesday, 17th September 2008

Ursula Buchan on the Royal Horticultural Society's recent flower show in the Inner Temple gardens

There was something of a village fête atmosphere, thanks to the eclectic nature of the 50 or so nursery and trade stands, which rather sparsely populated the lawns. RHS members can always be relied on for their penetrating questions to exhibitors, their sensible shoes and a predilection for bringing their own lunch (which was just as well, since the catering facilities were hard pressed). They seemed as impressed by Andrea’s borders as by the nursery stands, and they also flocked to the Temple Church to see flowers arranged by the London branch of the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies (NAFAS) and an extensive, illuminating display of historical material concerning the early Temple shows.

Both the RHS Council and the Benchers of the Inner Temple have to decide quite soon whether a show in the Temple is an experiment worth repeating. I hope that they will think it is — and increase the number and variety of stands. The access is even more difficult than around the Westminster halls, but the strong impression I received is that nurserymen see the point of a relaxed, open-air show at just the moment in the year when gardeners’ thoughts are turning once more to planting. They certainly sold a lot of plants. In 1911, one Bencher is reported to have remarked: ‘Wet plants and dry lawyers don’t make good bedfellows.’ Well, it seems he was wrong.

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