What a difference a day makes.

On Monday morning my willing finishing team and I were holed up in our little marquee shletering from the rain, frustrated and bored, peering at the sky and hoping we would get just two dry hours to finish off.

On Tuesday afternoon I was presented with my first RHS Gold Medal for ‘Grasses with Grace’ and I stood there grinning with glee as the garden sparkled gently in the evening light.

I’m certain it was a close call – I can do gold medal planting but have neither the budget nor the energy or inclination for complex structural stuff. And it is Tatton, not Chelsea. But it’s still a proper, pukka, show garden RHS gold medal and I’m very proud and pleased, for me and for everyone involved.

A few heartfelt thank yous:
– Juliet Scott for the loan of the lovely ‘Grace’
– Marshalls Landscaping provided the Tegula block path
– Abel Landscaping did an excellent job of laying the path in very short time
– Dave Atkinson did a wonderful job of making the elm bench
– Pete at Bartington Forge made the lovely steel spiral poles

and to everyone else involved for helping me get the plants ready, turning up on site to build it and providing vital support services behind the scenes – ferrying stuff, food, housework etc. You all know who you are :-)

So, here’s a pictorial timeline – the evolution of a show garden:

July 20, 2011