The Knebworth Garden Show

Walnut trees - yum!

Pepe wooden furniture

High quality South African pine furniture was also a spot of luxury for any garden...

    

29th April, 2017

What a fabulous Show!

We made a family day out of the first day of the Garden Show and had a great 'daunder' looking at things I really love. It did, however, involve a bit of juggling with two small children and three adults with divergent interests. It was seamlessly organised, and we flashed a Blue Badge to get parked near the entrance, which appealed to my mother-in-law who is currently waiting for a knee op (rather than obviously to me, who knew how many thousand steps I would be doing on a day like this...)

Walking around the show area

I talked to lots of people today and it is incredible what info you can pick up! In Wanstead, a council allotment has a whole section that has been built with raised beds and wheelchair paths to enable people with disabilities to use the allotments. The lady who I was talking to did say she found it an area which always seemed really quiet and I countered that with the possibility that there was perhaps a shortage of able-bodied people to help others get to the allotment to which she agreed.

Many stands were offering show discounts...

Trying out a rocker at Pepe Garden Furniture

Other things we looked at was garden furniture, and we talked to the chap (I didn't get his name!) at Pepe Garden Furniture who told me that a lot of his products are used in sensory gardens at facilities used by people with mobility issues and autism. I sat on one of his chairs that rocked and could have stayed all day... lots of the stalls were offering Show discounts for pieces and part of me was wondering if it could be a birthday present? (Not until June though!)

A wooden swing at Pepe furniture.

Another personal issue we have in our house is flies! I worry about the use of fly spray so The Fly Trap Plants has provided us with an experimental purchase of a sarracenia pitcher plant, which will create fly trapping pitchers when the flowers have bloomed. I will watch that with bated breath!

We finished off our day at Knebworth with a visit to the children's area, where the girls spent ages on the steep (almost vertical) drop slides. I manage to cry off watching this as I get severe vertigo. Our ticket price can offset the price of Knebworth season tickets and we are tempted to do this...

I have some serious planting to do now as I knew that I would not resist the beautiful specimens, so I have brought home some luxurious hostas, sambucus Black Lace and phormiums... getting up early tomorrow!

Loads of plants to covet...