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

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