A new 10 part series is due to air on BBC2 this week.  It aims to do for horticulture and plants what the Great British Bake Off has done for baking and cakes!  Can this be a good or a bad thing?  Anything that puts horticulture on the agenda can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned and it will be interesting to see the public's reaction to it.  It's said to be trying to reverse the nation's obsession with paving, patios and decking and trying to stir up some passion for plants and all things green!  

Each episode will have two well known presenters such as Monty Don, Chris Beardshaw, Carol Klein, Charlie Dimmock, Alys Fowler and Joe Swift. They are tasked with bringing an aspect of horticulture to our screens by giving us hands-on advice, explaining the heritage aspect of whatever it is they're concentrating on and showing how, through correct care or restoration, there can indeed be a revival.

Subject areas that will be covered are topiary, herbaceous borders, roof gardens, wild flowers, kitchen gardens, cottage gardens and even house plants.   Perhaps this kind of programme would have been best placed in the New Year schedules when the people have Christmas behind them and can concentrate, or maybe even plan some changes for their garden!  

As for me, I'm looking forward to it and I'll be interested to see how they try to bring back some traditional horticultural skills however nostalgic it might be. 

In case you’ve missed mention of it The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been on this week and I’ve been gutted that I haven’t had the opportunity to go down and check it out for myself this year.  While it’s for a good reason - I’ve been so busy doing designs for Blue Daisy's own clients - not being able to get there in person hasn't stopped me taking a sneaky peek at the TV occasionally.  From what I’ve managed to see, here are some of my favourite garden designer bits:

Designer Chris Beardshaw never seems to disappoint, and this year he continues to inspire with his Arthritis Research Garden.  A personal journey for him - he was diagnosed with arthritis in his teens - his planting is absolutely gorgeous and I just love the scupture that's forming the focal point in this shot. 

This garden is a sum of its parts and is split into 3 sections that represent the journey that arthritis sufferers go through from diagnosis through to managing their condition effectively and with confidence.  The warm, vibrant planting in this image forms the Radiant Garden, representative of that final happier stage.  See Chris Beardshaw talk about his 2013 show garden here.

Chris won a well deserved gold medal for his efforts and the coveted People's Choice award.

Design Competition - Update

Last week I attended a full day workshop with the other semi-finalists.  It was a long day that started with the challenge of getting to the Malvern Show Ground in freezing fog and -7 degrees but I made it by 9.30am with a little time to spare for a mingle and a quick cup of tea!  Including myself there were 17 semi-finalists and 9 members of the sponsorship teams representing Chris Beardshaw, The Three Counties Show Ground and Bradstone.

I entered a Garden Design Competition last month and last week have received the fantastic news that I have got through the first stage!

It is the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship Programme sponsored by Bradstone and in conjunction with The Three Counties Show Ground.

To enter I had to design a small show garden for the 2011 Malvern Spring Gardening Show (May 12 -15 2011).

The brief was that it had to reflect the theme of the Atom which celebrates UNESCO's International Year of Chemistry which happens to be in 2011. So I busied myself and tried to come up with something a little different which was pretty hard as an atom is an atom and there are very few things you can do with it!

Now I have to complete another set of application forms for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) judging panel to decide whether my design is good enough to be constructed for the Malvern Spring Show.  If I am lucky enough to get through the second stage I will get a small bursary to help with the materials and plants but I will have to try and find a sponsor(s) to enable me to build the best show garden I can.