A few Parish Notices: some interesting, some important, some otherwise...
Some of you (especially Anna who grew quite flustered by the idea) might remember the pictures Paul Debois took of gardeners hands late last year. I am pleased to announce that he has won first prize in the People in the Garden category of the International Garden Photographer of the Year Award. The pictures are being amalgamated into a book for those with hand partialism.
Saturday May 2nd was World Naked Gardening Day but unfortunately I found out too late so missed the opportunity to risk my bits in the bushes. I hope nobody told Bob Flowerdew.
How Britain Got The Gardening Bug is being shown at 8:30pm on BBC2 on Tuesday (a promotion from BBC4).It is rather a good programme if you are bored. There is vintage stuff from Percy Thrower, Penelope Keith, Joe Swifty, Ursula Buchan, Lawrence L-B, Jim Buttress and me.
Biscuit (or cookie if you are one of those) of the week is the Garibaldi or Squashed Fly biscuit. They used to be a staple of the childhood tea table and I have not had one for years. Likewise the Playbox biscuit which was a particular treat: they had hard, coloured icing that we used to scrape off with our teeth. They were made by Peek Freans (who also invented the Garibaldi, the Bourbon, the Twiglet and the Cheeselet so they were titans in their field: weirdly named but still titans.) The company still exists in America although the Playbox is sadly defunct, possibly as a sop to child dental health.
If you can attend, you definitely should as it is a fine show in a very gorgeous location. If Americans leave home today they will be here in plenty of time, Australians better hurry up.
I am there (as usual) from Thursday until Sunday flaffing around in the very spiffy theatre. There will, of course, be gardening but there will also be a string of fashion shows, assorted pedigree chickens and cookery with a chap called Felice Tocchini (I hasten to reassure you that the chickens and Signor Tocchini are by no means connected: he will not be roasting a pedigree Aracuna.). He has, however, made a scale model of one of the show gardens in cake: not just any old cake but a cake made of vegetables. The garden in question is designed by Paul Harvey-Brookes and is based on Il Ballo della Vita Humana by Poussin. So we have horticulture and high art made from parsnips, carrots, fennel, sweet potatoes and lavender. The cake is being auctioned for charity on Thursday evening.
On the gardening side the perfectly formed Mr Beardshaw will be on display on the Thursday sorting through show gardens looking for a talented scholar. On Friday I will be in conversation with Terry Walton: we will cover all things vegetable. Terry has had an allotment for ever and turns up on the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2. Questions would be very welcome as I am no vegetable specialist and might run out of topics.
On Sunday Joe and I are talking about new plants, presenting a fashion show and also announcing the People’s Choice Award for Best Show Garden. We are then going home knackered but happy. I will endeavour to Blog from the showground at some point.
Please come and say hello.
I am listening to Down From Dover by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra. The picture is of Tulip Little Princess (a gorgeous species tulip only about six inches high).
