It was on a rainy day that I visited the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show but that didn’t dampen my spirit. I was indeed looking forward to seeing the show gardens which despite being quite small (6x4m) all had interesting features that made them look bigger.

I was particularly impressed by the ‘Elements of Sheffield’ garden as the sunken seating area combined with a soft water feature and rich planting made it feel quite cosy.  I enjoyed the compact planting of flowers such as purple Lysimachia atropurpurea combined with bright Achilleas and Digitalis, as well as the use of airy plants such as bronze stemmed Anthriscus.

Also contributing to the cosy feeling of the garden is the use of moss in the soft cascade from the constructed back wall.

A key theme for this year was mindfulness, highlighting the benefits of gardening and the great green outdoors on mental health.

One particular flower that stood out for me this year was Geum, since it was used in a lot of displays in all shades of apricot colours and I found that it complemented other plants in shades of copper really well. In fact I spotted such Geum in the wild as the trip to Chatsworth offered the opportunity of a walk in the Peak district. And it thrived in the Lathkill Dale alongside the Jacob’s Ladder, in full bloom at this time of year.

Another show garden which appealed to me was called Eutierra (gold medallist too), which although minimalist felt quite peaceful thanks to the dominance of green walls, hostas and ferns.

Finally in the beekeeper’s stand I couldn’t resist to get some seeds for the allotment, including Teasel and Ammi, to help attract bumblebees and lacewings in the garden.

I was reading this article about a gardener being banned from exhibiting at his local county vegetable show and it occurred to me that I need to keep an eye out for local agricultural events to include in my diary. I think that it’s important to support your local show even if you are not exhibiting. Quite often you will find that the events include the opportunity to discover and buy delicatessen products such as home-made jams, cakes or chutneys.

I have previously exhibited vegetables at a local amateur vegetable show and did win a couple of small prizes for some of my peppers and cherry tomatoes. But most of all I enjoyed watching what other people grow to get new ideas. The morning of the show is always an exciting moment for me as I go round the garden selecting my best looking vegetables. I am not very experienced at showing vegetables – having exhibited my garden produce only twice at the local village show. Sadly this year the horticultural show will not take place in my village due to lack of interest but hopefully next year it will be scheduled again.

This weekend is forecast to be largely sunny in the UK so if you are not busy watering the garden and harvesting crops you may wish to visit a local show.

One of the largest events to take place soon is the Malvern Autumn Show on 26th & 27th September. And if like me you also enjoy learning about activities related to the land, and you are visiting the region of East Anglia then the Grandsden Agricultural show (26th September 2009 – Cambridgeshire) may be of interest too.