Gardening Scotland 2012

[Colin]

Well done to SRGC on their silver-gilt.  Travelled up from N.Wales to see show. Whilst I appreciate that everyone we met was enthusiastic, the show itself is a poor relation to the RHS shows and even some of the local ones south of the border such asa Harrogate etc.. The exhibitors are not to blame, thank goodness for their support ,but the overall impression is of a show that is 'tired' and  struggling to attract exhibitors.  The spread of stands in the main hall suggested that space was available for many more. On one society stand the person on duty sat on the middle of the stand for most of the day thereby blocking view of their leaflets and video.  They rightly won no award!
Surely a quiet word from one the show's organisers could have put him right.  However almost everyone was helpful, eager to please and gave freely with information and advice.  Therefore in my view they deserve more from the organisation. 

[Tim Ingram]

I expect all Shows tend to suffer by comparison with the RHS events because building up the sort of momentum they have must be very hard. Although I have always loved Chelsea, I must admit to finding Shows like Hampton Court overpowering and uncomfortable; just too much going on. Probably Chelsea is not quite like this because in size it is small, it has such a long history and there is an amazing enthusiasm that goes with it, for all that you might think that celebrity tends to predominate.

One of the things about Chelsea is that the Gardens are always described as judged on their own merits; ie: not against one another. Viewers like me of course do judge them on our own reaction to them and look at individual stands in the same way. I think building a successful Show cannot be too easy; it needs co-operation across many people. Once you have fantastic exhibitors, you then need fantastic advertising, and of course every Show (especially one in Scotland) wants to do its own thing! If you start with really good growers and plants, which there must be, then the thing to do is always encourage this and everything else should follow.

[Colin]

Tim
I endorse what you say and there is no doubt, in my humble mind, that the plant exhibitors that were at Gardening Scotland put on a very good show indeed - that was my point, they were better than the show itself, because some parts were very amateurish indeed.  I appreciate that any show based in Scotland can be considered 'out of the way' for most folks and can never have the financial clout of any RHS event; nevertheless one would hope that, as the only large such show in Scotland, it could attract a sizeable sposorshiop base.  Then the problem arises as to who has the vision to spend the money wisely?  Still, it's always a good excuse to go back home and visit 'the folks'.

[mark smyth]

Maggi what day/s is Beech Grove on?

[Maggi Young]

Maggi what day/s is Beech Grove on?

Thursdays at about 7.30 pm ( that varies) and a repeat on Sundays at 5.05pm BBC2

Maggi what day/s is Beech Grove on?

Usually at 7.30pm on a Thursday, though that varies. Tomorrow, Sunday 9th June ,the repeat is at 5.05pm on BBC2
 
The website is http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/
 
This coming week the  Beechgrove Garden times are Thursday 14th June BBC2
at 7:30pm and repeated on Sunday 17th June BBC2 at 12pm

[mark smyth]

Thanks. I'll set up sky to record it

[Lina Hesseling]

Is BBC 2 Scotland not the same as BBC 2?

Lina.

[Peter Maguire]

Not quite, they like to go their own way...

[mark smyth]

The Beechgrove Garden is on BBC2 Scotland which is found on Sky channel 990. BBC1 Scotalnd is on Sky 971.

[John85]

There is also some gardening  on Alba(Sky 168) in gaelic.Don't worry the subtitles are in English (tuesdays repeted saterdays)

[Lina Hesseling]

Sadly I only can watch BBC 1 and BBC 2.
And I must admit, the programs in Holland about gardening are terrible.
All very commercial and trendy.

Lina.

[ChrisB]

Thanks Mark, I think I'll do the same.  It seems to be a much better programme than Gardener's World....

[Liz Mills]

Here’s the photos I took of our stand on the final day before judging while Stan was outside setting up the winning pallet garden for North Berwick.  My apologies for the quality of the photos and also for the delay in posting these.  Unfortunately I’d forgotten how to re-size photos using my camera software and only had time this weekend to re-learn the technique.  More on plants and people in next post.  (Fingers crossed that I've got the photos resized properly!)

Rocky cliff
Al Elliott looking at the other side of the rocky cliff
The rear side of the rocky cliff – Graham Catlow’s Pleiones
Ian Pryde views the dry river bed
Cliff, river bed and edge of woodland
Woodland with Ian Christie’s Meconopsis

[Liz Mills]

OOOps - something went wrong - where are all the other photos?  Will try again once I've re-read the posting instructions.  Sorry Maggi.

[Liz Mills]

Trying again - didn't see the (more attachments) text and so you only got the last photo in the earlier post.


Rocky cliff
Al Elliott looking at the other side of the rocky cliff
The rear side of the rocky cliff – Graham Catlow’s Pleiones
Ian Pryde views the dry river bed
Cliff, river bed and edge of woodland
Woodland with Ian Christie’s Meconopsis