Where has this month gone? Most years August has been reasonably relaxed. This year it has been utterly hectic - in a thoroughly good way. The weather has been so kind to me, given this is a new garden and there has been a lot of toing and froing, but on August 13th I finally left the Herefordshire gardens for good and have hardly had time to think since then. Every flower I have grown here seems to have been put to good use, and the gardens are looking a little short now but should see out the next few weeks happily and I'm really looking forward to the next tranche of planting. I had a fairly full on few days, starting with early preparation for a party today followed by a wedding in Kent on Sunday then back to a full on couple of days for the party here - many metres of garlands in cages and globes always takes as long as it takes! The Kent wedding was at a fantastic venue, Preston Court near Canterbury. A gorgeous house and grounds with barns, old wagons, ancient rusting trains and carriages, a fairground carousel, fairground organs, peacocks, an island in a little lake..... getting there was a trifle traumatic as it completely poured with rain on Saturday night and I set off from Dorset rather later than planned, at about 8.30 on Saturday evening, having booked somewhere to stay in Canterbury. I arrived there at something after 2.30am as it rained so hard I could scarcely see the vehicle in front when I reached the M25, then missed an important sign and had to backtrack for about 30 miles, not a brilliant plan! But happily Sunday dawned brighter and set for a lovely day. I was completely knocked out by the venue, definitely one of the most interesting I have worked at, and I had a completely lovely bride who definitely knew what she wanted, vintage style, and I hope I gave her that - in fact I know I did as she incredibly kindly emailed me today telling me how happy she was with everything, I just can't wait to see her photos as part of the bridal flowers were headdresses for herself and her four gorgeous bridesmaids and I do so love doing headgear! I'll have to wait for those photos (which will I'm sure be terrific as Katey-Ellen heads a team at a very up there photographic studios in North london) but took a few snaps as a memory.
Then it was straight into getting garlands and globes together for a big party locally, a fabulous place with barns to die for and all terrifically organised and easy - they even have the best step ladder in the world so you can hang a globe 20 feet up and feel stable! (or as stable as I ever feel). It was a very pink party so I now have almost nothing pink left in the gardens after 40 jars full as well as everything else..... I made the large globe in two hanging baskets, and the smaller one in the largest oasis form you can get, theya re a bit of a fiddle but I think they always look very impressive and are an excuse to use huge skeins of clematis and honeysuckle (or trailing roses in season) so a joy for garden flowers.
