Show week at Chelsea, and it’s been a delight to meet visitors and speak to them. Rather gruelling after some rather long (and hot) days during Build-Up, but such a pleasure to hear the response to our garden. Here is a typical day manning the garden!

Visitor: This is fabulous! My favourite garden so far

Me: Thank you, glad you like it!

V: How wonderful to see some colour at Chelsea at last, it’s about time

M: Yes, we love colour in the garden, too

V: Can you tell me what that plant is, the tall yellow one. Is it a Delphinium?

M: No, it’s a Verbascum ‘Cotswold Queen’ and its from Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in the Pavilion

V: Did you make the mosaic yourself?

M: No, Maggy Howarth designed and made it – she’s the best in the country for these pebble mosaics

V: What is the name of the shorter iris at the front of the border?

M: Iris ‘Jane Phillips’  – the other one is Iris ‘Superstition’

V: Did you make the mosaic on site when you built the garden?

M: No, it was made off site and took three months to create

V: Do you know what the Pavilion is made of?

M: No!

V: Did they lift the mosaic in one piece into the garden?

M: No, it’s made in sections and put together on site, rather like a big jigsaw

V: Can you tell me where the aviary is in the garden?

M: Its the big blue building taking up half the garden!

V: Is that double flower a tulip?

M: Yes, ‘Cassablanca’

V: Was the mosaic always here and then you created the garden around it?

M: No, we had the mosaic especially commissioned and made for the garden. There was nothing here when we arrived except grass

V: I think you were robbed, you should have got Gold and Best In Show! This is by far the best garden here – I love it!

M: Thank you, so do we!

Tags: Chelsea Flower Show 2010, Hardy's Cottage garden Plants; Chelsea Flower Show 2010, Iris 'Jane Phillips', maggie howarth, Victorian Aviary

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