RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Amazing weather at this year's sell-out show on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (which has hosted the show since 1913) ensured a crazy crowd, and crowded it was.  My cousin and I were there in the afternoon, and the gardens were fabulous (if a bit wilted from the heat). We wove our way around the grounds until just before closing, and then headed over to the Bluebird Cafe for dinner. A wonderful day all 'round...

Hanham Court

Isabel and Julian Bannerman, an amazing British couple who design + build gardens for the who's who of London {Jacob Rothschild, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul Getty, John Robinson, HRH the Prince of Wales} have made Hanham Court their home for the past 16 years. Part medieval castle, part Tudor barn, this rustic Manor house is where they hone their unique sense of design -- a mix of 'ancient' architecture and romantic, fragrant blooms.

A semi-ancient tub on their estate, overflowing with just 2 varieties of tulips and completely evocative of their incredible style, is my favorite. I just acquired a pair of these fabulous vessels, somewhat difficult to find on this side of the Atlantic. They'll be arriving, together with the rest of my late summer shipment, very soon at Post & Gray!

photo via Cote de Texas

Pink Daisies

Yesterday I drove all around South Carolina gathering up fabulous-ness for Post & Gray. During my crazy drive of many stops in ridiculous heat I passed a PARK SEED CO. sign. And in very small letters just beneath, it read Wayside Gardens. U-turn. Have you seen the fabulous catalog? The grounds were amazing -- a wilt-free zone except for the Stargazer Lilies, which looked a bit like I felt.

It was Flower Day, part of this sleepy little town's Festival of Flowers, and Wayside's bigger-than-big annual sale. I got to the cash register just after sale prices were cut in 1/2 and paid only $3.21 for a 1/2 dozen 6-flats of pink African Daisies.

Love a Garden?

Check out The Guardian's GardeningBlog, one of the best resources for new gardeners on the Web.

Hydrangeas

I re-planted my ancient cement pots this morning with 'Mathilda Gutges,' a small-ish hydrangea from the 1940's that promises cobalt flowers (with enough acid) and deep green leaves. Happily, the mopheads are not yet wilting in the mid-afternoon sun. Feels like summer already.

Kitchen Garden {just planted}

Inspired by the White House garden of First Lady Michelle Obama and the One Million Garden campaign, I planted one of my own today in fabulous new grey pots from Lowe's.

Of course, I had 3 beautiful raised beds created in my backyard 2 years ago. Set behind a lovely weathered picket fence and filled with near-perfect soil.  And I planted them.  Trouble is, out of sight, out of mind. Everything came to an untimely end minus H2O. But this year, pots planted with Fajita Bell peppers, Better Boy tomatoes, Quinault strawberries and miscellaneous herbs are nestled in a bed of pine straw just steps from the back door. And I'm feeling cautiously optimistic regarding their chance of survival.