Photo Blog: RHS Harvest Festival

Enormous pumpkins greeted visitors at the door to RHS Lindley Hall this week. Photos don't really do their size justice. Their sprawling girth reminded me of Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars. 

This year's star of the Giant Pumpkin Show with its prize-winning rosette:

It wasn't Stars Wars, although I understand that competition can get pretty fierce among vegetable growers.

Large rosettes announced the prize winners of the RHS Giant Pumpkin Competition at the Royal Horticultural Society's Harvest Festival Show 2018.





An incredible variety of apples lined two long tables. Their scent filled the air.

Children admiring Chisendale School's RHS display

Nothing tastes as good as home-grown fruit and vegetables. The RHS has a wonderful scheme to help children learn about growing flowers, fruit and vegetables. Some great artwork and produce were on display from a selection of inner-London primary schools.

Some schoolchildren were in the hall admiring their own work and the produce of others. Maybe some of these enthusiastic young vegetable growers may return in future? Enthusiasm captured at a young age often lasts a lifetime.

Displays from John Ruskin Primary and Christ Church (Battersea) Schools

I loved this poster from Portway Primary School using actual seeds in its design:

Another eye-catching display for children was the carved pumpkin competition. I remember doing this for Halloween with my own children every year. The RHS competitors were much more imaginative.

Mouse pumpkin with cheese

Carved insect pumpkin

Moon and stars pumpkin

Witches' cauldron pumpkin

Bejewelled Day of the Dead pumpkin

My personal favourites were the Bloom carved pumpkin and the Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos pumpkin.

After the show I visited the RHS Lindley Hall Library and its exhibition. I found out from the librarians how they got the giant pumpkins into the hall without damaging them. They had to use the same special lifting gear as is used to get cars into the hall.


All photos and text copyright: Karen Andrews

Commemorative Poppies

5,000 poppies paid a tribute of respect and remembrance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week. This was a recreation of the Anzac Day tribute in Melbourne, Australia in 2015. Homemade crocheted poppies captured worldwide attention with an estimated 50,000 contributors.

Verdun

World War I commemorations take place today at Verdun in Lorraine, France. The French President, François Hollande has invited the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel to join him at the French national event for the Centenary of the Battle of Verdun.

The Somme

The UK will commemorate the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme on 1^st July. The ceremony will be held at the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France to remember British, Commonwealth and French war dead.

Scottish vigil

Scotland will stage a commemorative ceremony on 30^th June in the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. Regimental associations will stage a vigil throughout the night until 7.30am on 1^st July. Fifty-one Scottish battalions took part in the Battle of the Somme that lasted for 4 months, sustaining heavy losses.

Other vigils

Similar overnight vigils will take place in Westminster Abbey, in County Down in Northern Ireland and at the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff.

France and Germany together

I remember spending my year abroad in Lorraine. The wounds between France and Germany still seemed raw in the area then. It is therefore remarkable and commendable that France and Germany can join together in this way today.

Perhaps it will send hope that other conflicts in the world can be resolved? Deep wounds can heal. Although those nations in conflict today should note how many generations it takes for former enemies to work together.

We should remember Santayana’s words:

“Those who cannot remember the past

 are condemned to repeat it.”

Families

These two long World War One battles are a testament to how senseless war is. So many young men lost their lives with little ground gained. So many families were affected by the losses in Europe and worldwide.

Poppies of Remembrance

The World War One battlefields gave us our symbol of remembrance. The humble poppy bloomed on the worst battlefields in Flanders. Today its brilliant red colour recalls the blood spilled in all wars and conflicts.

The poppy remains significant. The huge crowds that viewed the Tower of London’s ceramic poppies last year demonstrated this.

Some 50,000 crocheted poppies were displayed in front of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea this week. The display had special significance as this is the home of the Chelsea Pensioners, the UK's veteran soldiers.

The project began as a small personal tribute by two Australian women to their fathers. The Chelsea Flower Show leaflet describes:

“a worldwide outpouring of respect and remembrance 

to those who have served their countries in all wars, 

conflicts and peacekeeping operations.”

Carpet of crocheted poppies in front of Royal Chelsea Hospital

Families want to go on remembering.

 Telegraph article

The Tower of London Poppies Video:

Dahl's Centenary at RHS Cardiff

A wicker BFG at RHS Cardiff

2016 is an extraordinary year for literary anniversaries. It's not all about Shakespeare and Cervantes. Cardiff is celebrating the centenary of the birth of the famous author Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl's children's characters featured prominently at the Royal Horticultural Society's Cardiff Flower Show. We were barely inside the entrance before we saw the towering figure of Dahl's BFG made out of wicker (left).

Roald Dahl was born in the North of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. His parents were Norwegian and he was baptised in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay.

Dahl-inspired Pure Imagination Garden

One of the show gardens was called Pure Imagination. It was inspired by Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a surreal representation complete with chocolate pond. It captured something of the storyteller's wonderful imagination. 

The best Roald Dahl-themed show contributions came from local children. Local nursery schools, primary schools, Beavers, Brownies and various other children's groups transformed wheelbarrows to represent their favourite stories. Show visitors were given counters to vote for their favourite wheelbarrow. It was extremely difficult to choose.

My elder son chose the Enormous Crocodile (left). It brought back fond memories of bedtime stories when he was younger. He now towers over me - not as tall as the BFG, but pretty tall nonetheless. 

We remembered how he used to love the ending when the enormous crocodile gets sent spinning off into space. 

Roald Dahl wrote great stories that are still capturing children's imaginations. 

My younger son always loved listening to Roald Dahl's stories. He liked James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox and George's Marvellous Medicine. He loved that the wicked grandmother got her comeuppance in the latter.



Not every child finds reading and writing easy. Reluctant readers and children with early learning difficulties often appreciate Roald Dahl's stories. If they grow to love the stories through other means like artwork and gardening, it is much easier to motivate them to read the books afterwards. Fresh air and improving hand strength for writing are added bonuses.

James and the Giant Peach Wheelbarrow

Not only was Roald Dahl an inspirational storyteller, his own story is inspiring for such children.  It now seems incredible to think that Roald Dahl's teachers did not think much of his writing skills. Their comments were cruel. Yet, he went on to become one of our best-known and best-loved authors.

I thought it was a great idea for the RHS to host such a competition. It combined literacy skills and gardening. The children had obviously put a lot of thought, work and love into their wheelbarrows. Capture them young. I'm sure that early interests in reading, the environment and gardening never go away.  They certainly didn't in my case. 

Moorlands Primary School's entry complete with a Norwegian flag and Dahl's writing hut

After a great start to the RHS Show season, I am now looking forward to the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows. Tickets already booked.

RHS On Tour Bus ready for the next show

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is

an English copywriter 

and digital marketer

with Welsh roots.

She loves gardening

and visiting gardens.

For further information see
Anglicity's website