Show And Stars

This is the Cactus in flower at the new house. The pink star glows yellow in the middle, like a burning coal fire. Cat bought this from the Harrogate Spring Flower show a week ago, and it has flowered since we brought it back. Its May now which means The RHS Chelsea flower show is only a mere three weeks away (the 25th-29th May).


This is the biggest flower show in the world from a horticultural excellence point of view. I will be watching the show from the comfort of our front room as all tickets have sold out. My dream is one year to go to the RHS Chelsea flower show..
Talking of Stars I have to say that if you are lucky enough to have tickets for Chelsea go to see the Growing World Class Talent garden at RHW43. It is being built now by a team of young landscape gardeners. There is an organisation called UK Skills that helps young people compete in high standard competitions against competitors from around the world, in a variety of skills such as landscape gardening, bricklaying, electrical installation, cabinet making, floristry, and stonemasonry. These young people have competed (or want to win a place) at World Skills, the largest skills competition in the world. 1200 people from fifty countries will compete in front of 150,00 visitors It is a biennial competition. The next one is in London in 2011.
I have been asked to mention members of the team building the garden. Keith Chapman, William Gadd, and Grant Finch. There is no bigger stage for you to show your stuff off. Good luck guys! I hope that you get a medal, but im sure the experience will be priceless..
The garden has been designed by Paul Green , and will be constructed under the guidance of Harry Turner, lecturer at Askham Bryan college. I hope that Alan Titchmarsh and Co show this garden off on the tv. It will have a pond, wall, Apple Tree, Fescue grassed area,and lots of wild flowers. It will be wildlife friendly.
The RHS link to this garden is: http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2010/Gardens/A-to-Z/Growing-World-Class-Talent

My Chaffinch finally came back and I got his photo at about half past seven on monday night. He is very handsome with his blue/red feathers and black/white wings. He enjoys the new seeds I bought from Wilkos. He prefers there seed mix.
He is a star of our garden, reclusive, shy, but spectacular when he appears.