RHS Shows - another on the horizon- Tatton Park

[Maggi Young]

As the next RHS show at Tatton Park looms on the horizon, hot on the heels of  the Hampton Court extravaganza, there are reports all over the place about the construction of yet more "Show Gardens".

Adopting the mantle as Devil's Advocate, I ask :
Are these really of any great use, other than to provide a hook on which to hang publicity for their designers ?

Or  is this the prime example of horticultural "planned obsolescence" ? 

[ranunculus]

Oh that these monoliths of 'horticultural obsolescence' could become simply 'virtual' designs on enormous screens, 3D displays on pure white walls, ideas in image form only. The judges could still preside, the competition could persist … perhaps the Gold Medal designs could become permanent 'constructed' features at some of the great gardens, the stately homes or on the estates of the gin palaces of the 'nouveau riche', thereby recouping much of the financial outlay and adding substantially to the already inflated reputations of the designers and their sponsors?

[Mavers]

I'm with you on this subject Maggi.

I am tired of 'designer' gardens at the flower shows as they are just a snap shot of how the garden looks at that time with plants in their prime with no planting for 1,2 3 or even 6 months time. They are not real gardens.

It would be interesting to have the plant combinations judged again just a month after the rave show reviews to see how they have stood the test of time..............they most likely haven't.

Without major replanting the designer gardens would look tired the rest of the year.

[Maggi Young]

Cliff's mention of the "rich and famous" reminds me of gardens made to please owners of big estates who were only present at the place for very limited times each year - the gardens were almost entirely geared to give their peak performance at that particular time. No need to worry too much about other seasons so long as it looked good when  "the Boss" would be in residence. I suppose such schemes do still exist, though with better travel arrangements the absentees Boss may be likely to be around a  bit more often. Perhaps the designers have that type of thing in mind, as well as just the theatre of a show week.

Just to throw another rock into the pool - I regret that so many young horticulturists seem to aspire to be "designers" - there is as big an excess of garden designers about as there are politicians, in my view.
Seems the world and his wife have undertaken a design course and become instant experts - often with no plant knowledge at all.  Something that irritates me hugely!

[Mavers]

During the 'Love your garden' show on TV last night one of the young ladies made a small water feature out of a fibreglass pot that looked about 15" across.

She started off with a nymphaea pygmaea Helvola positioned in the bottom of the pot (still left in its pot).

As usual with this programme, everything over planted for immediate effect, she then started to stuff all manner of vigorous marginals around the little waterlily.........I thought not much plant knowledge displayed there.