Helen Yemm has done wonders for us with her article in the Telegraph about SPANA and gardens and Marrakech. It was first printed on Monday. And now again today. Can’t ask for better PR than that!
But from the comments from passers-by, we were hoping for big things from the BBC website ‘Vote for your favourite Garden’ competition.
Now we hear they’ve abandoned it (for technical reasons) and are going to decide the winner themselves.
Well, there’s a surprise. Touch of the Blue Peters?
Still, it’s lovely and warm, and there are still thousands of people pouring past our little SPANA garden…….
Jeremy Hulme
Thursday, 22 May 2008
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2008 - Day 4
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2008 - Day 3
Don’t know whether I’m actually going to survive this. Last three days, from 6.30 in the morning ‘til eight or nine o’clock at night. But we’re getting some wonderful publicity and a chance to recruit hundreds of new members.
We were even invited to have lunch with The Great and The Good of the RHS – so perhaps they’re not too cross with us after all.
First bit of warm sunshine as well, which makes all the herbs in the garden – thyme, rosemary, lavender and mint - give off great wafts of intoxicating perfume.
Everybody says it reminds them of their holidays!
We can hardly keep up with the demand for our bags and leaflets – lovely coming home this evening watching a stream of SPANA bags heading for the Tube.
Jeremy Hulme
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2008 - Day 2
Hurrah hurrah.
Breathless runners have just arrived from RHS headquarters - we’ve won a silver medal!!! Not bad for a bunch of amateurs like us! (OK,OK, so we did have a teeny-weeny bit of help from one or two people – Chris O’Donoghue, Helen Yemm and others too numerous to mention). Tee-hee, it’s jolly nice hearing about all the bruised egos in the mega-gardening world who haven’t won anything. We’re feeling rather smug.
It was also great when the Royal Party – out in force – arrived yesterday evening. Of course they all wanted to know why Emma was not there. The Queen also enjoyed the story of her magnificent horses falling madly in love with a humble donkey.
The crowds are just fantastic, thousands and thousands streaming past, all congratulating us and asking about SPANA – the whole point of the exercise after all - and to see thousands of our SPANA bags being carried around is just great.
Jeremy Hulme
Monday, 19 May 2008
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2008 - Day 1
Ye Gods, can it only be Monday? Knackered already and it hasn’t started yet.
We spent all last week frantically building, painting and tiling. I must have done two days on my hands and knees laying tiles and then grouting them – without getting any spots of cement or dirt on them. Tiles now OK, knees need replacement.
The plants came on Thursday – including an olive tree we’re hiring just for the week.
I must say it looks pretty good – the fountain from Marrakech despite weighing half a ton made it safely, and is even working – a miracle!
Last night we arrived at Knightsbridge barracks with Emma, our little donkey from our Trustee, Carl Boyd’s farm in Chertsey.
The Blues and Royals had arranged a nice comfy stall for her, but we had reckoned without the hormones in the troop horses. They all fell immediately head over heels in love with her. Silver Stick (the Grand Fromage of the Household Cavalry), and the Commanding Officer both had their huge chargers (17 hands or I’m a Dutchman), stabled just across the corridor. They became completely besotted with Emma, who just played hard to get. These great big softies spent the whole night stomping up and down, yelling and calling out to all and sundry. Nobody got any sleep, except Emma. Or did she? We will never know!
Next morning, she inspected the Queen’s Guard mounting in the Barracks Forecourt, before riding out to Whitehall. Great pictures – especially one with a trooper on a huge black mount who is looking down with horror and amazement at this strange looking thing standing beside him. Of course there were lots of cracks from the boys about Gordon Brown’s defence cuts, and the new cavalry mounts etc etc.
Now it’s Monday afternoon, freezing cold – the judges have been and gone – Clare Balding (very nice, very complementary about SPANA) and the BBC also.
Sadly, it was decided that Emma had not got security clearance, so would have to go, before HRH and the Royal Party arrive.
Jeremy Hulme
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