Are you ready for the North-West’s biggest annual garden event? RHS Tatton is almost with us and Cheshire Life is delighted to support the Alzheimer’s Society show garden

Green-fingered folk of all ages and merit, amateur and professional, will be flocking to Knutsford, later this month for the annual garden festival that is the RHS Tatton Flower Show.

As ever, the Tatton Park event will be a spectacular source of inspiration for avid gardeners and those who simply love to look at pretty blooms, rather than getting down to creating them.

This year, Cheshire Life is delighted to be partnering with the Alzheimer’s Society whose plans for a delightful garden created by Louise Harrison Holland of Blue Tulip Garden Design, Wilmslow, are well underway. The garden contractor is Matthew Belt of Greenbelt Landscapes in Warrington.

Louise is designing a space for quiet reflection. The underlying structure is a grid of overlapping squares that divide the space into three distinct areas of water, paving and planting. The pale contemporary paving will be contrasted with exuberant planting full of texture and movement.

Large stepping-stones cross a sparkling reflective pool to a seating area with a stone and timber seat from which to contemplate the garden. A raised planting bed embraces this space to create a sense of enclosure while providing a partial boundary with full height walls and openings that frame distant views.

Soft pastels combine to conjure up a dreamy colour mix, interspersed with occasional spots of dark colour for contrast. Flower heads of tall perennials will be woven through a mass of grasses to give the impression of a flowing sea of colour and texture. Perennials include the pastel shades of Achillea ‘Lilac Beauty’, Achillea Salmon Beauty’, and Astrantia ‘Roma contrasting with the dark purple of Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’

The garden has been designed as a space in which to reflect and seek inspiration and pleasure in the simple joys of nature. A pool has been incorporated to emphasise the reflective nature of the space and introduce the cool and calming qualities of the water.

Louise Harrison-Holland trained at the Pickard School of Garden Design in London graduating in 2005 before setting up Blue Tulip Garden Design in Wilmslow. Having originally qualified and worked as an interior designer, Louise is now an experienced garden designer creating original, exciting designs to perfectly complement clients’ homes.

Zone in on the fun:

Alongside traditional and contemporary gardens, this year’s show highlights include attractions in different Zones:

The Grow Zone

Floral Marquee

The Floral Marquee will be home to around 90 nurseries, with spectacular displays to enchant visitors. New for 2013 will be two RHS Potting Benches, where nursery specialists will be doing short, informal, hands-on demonstrations to give visitors practical tips to take home.

National Plant Societies and Plant Heritage Marquee

Plant-lovers can meet specialist societies – from the North of England Orchid Society to the British Beekeeper Association – and share their passion for plants, as well as discovering several National Plant Collection holders from Plant Heritage.

RHS National Flower Bed Competition

Local authorities and communities across the country will compete in the RHS National Flowerbed competition to find the most creative displays of bedding plants, each drawing on a local story from their area.

Winsford Education Partnership School Gardens

New for 2013, schools from across the North West, both primary and secondary, will be creating 22 small gardens at the show, aiming to get children excited about gardening. The theme for this year will be ‘Horrible Histories’ for the primary schoolchildren and ‘Horrible Sciences’ for the secondary pupils.

Inspire Zone

Galaxy Gardens

Inspired by the nearby Jodrell Bank Observatory, this year’s specialist garden category is Galaxy Gardens.

Also, three young garden designers aged 28 and under will present their gardens with a theme of Eco Innovations.

Floral Design Studio

Professional florists will showcase their skills in the BFA/Interflora competitions, while students from six floristry colleges will present galaxy-themed displays for the Floristry College Competition.

Feast Zone

Cheshire Life gardening columnist Jacqui Brocklehurst will be busy here throughout the week, doing various talks and demonstrations.

RHS Fruit & Vegetable Competition Pavilion and Great Taste Market

Visitors will be able to meet and get tips from top fruit and vegetable producers. Around 30 UK food producers will be exhibiting and selling their delicious award-winning regional foods,allowing visitors to sample and take home the best cheeses, delicatessen items, the finest oils and vinegars, and condiments.

Great British Allotments

Feast will be home to a collection of commercial and community allotments, each with their individual take on what an allotment should be.

Ladies’ Day

Friday 26th Ladies’ Day is the perfect excuse to dress in your most stylish outfits and indulge in the special programme on offer. Catch the Manchester School of Art’s Graduate Fashion Show and treat yourself to a glass of bubbly with your friends.

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

July 25th-28th, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire

Tickets from £19.50 to £23.50. Children under 16 go free.

To buy tickets: www.rhs.org.uk/tatton or 020 7649 1885

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