His & Hers loves a garden party. Add some show gardens with a winning theme, arts, crafts and flower, bulb and seed stalls. We discovered marquees full of beautiful fruit, vegetables and flowers, with some inspiring arrangements. Parking was easy. Park and ride, or train and ride: it all works beautifully. We chose a perfect sunny day, purposefully. There might have been the tiniest element of chance, but the Southport Flower Show was well covered. And the atmosphere generated by staff, radiated warmth and a sunny outlook.
Words: Jean Hill
A map is useful, although we found our way around quite easily, and the staff were engagingly helpful. We made our way to the show gardens and they were all quite different in really interesting ways. One sustainable garden was natural, with simple wild flowers interspersed with grasses, and it worked beautifully.
The ‘Mad Hatters tea party’ was, in contrast, impressively formal; and had some surprising component parts. The display included the legs from the old Southport Victorian Bridge and the front of 22 Trafalgar Road with full canopy. Oh, and throw in a 17th century bollard from the Liverpool Dock with anchor from Southport Pier. This all appeared to be set in stone; awe inspiring. Then there was Let’s Grow Preston with: ‘Let’s take tea, colonial style’. Just like stepping back in time, a great period piece.
I loved the ‘Rock and water garden’ designed by Dean Halsall for Garden Landscapes. A winding path meandered through a rock and water garden with mixed herbaceous plants, alpines and trees, to reach a patio. ‘Boulevard’, with architectural rain effect water feature, took its inspiration from the tree lined boulevard of Lord Street. I loved all the references to local landmarks. The Cutting Garden created by Angela Coulton, Petal and Twig florist grower in Tarleton, was a pleasure to wander around. Some old fashioned flowers, such as clary, and mullein sprawled alongside upright dahlias with dusky copper leaves. BBC Radio Merseyside assembled a garden designed by a young male who is disabled. He created a wheel-chair friendly gardening space, that used vertical space for containers; simple and effective.
Celebrity chefs were on hand to demonstrate their culinary skills. Dave Myers is a born entertainer. Peter Kinsella shared his love of Catalan food. His brand of authentic Spanish cooking can be enjoyed at Lunya and Lunyalita at the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool.
The Floral Marquees were breath-taking. Kaleidoscope images of multi-dimensional pastel florae swirl around in my head. Dibleys Nurseries was stand-out, with a glorious collection of unusual begonias, with exquisite leaf markings. HMP Kirkham put on a dazzling display with wackily oversized cups, celebration cakes, and a vegetable patch complete with a vintage bicycle. Southport Flower Show was celebrating ninety years of existence. It is a show that reflects and showcases the best of the North West. As we were leaving we spotted the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Our last impressions were of a rather large pig, that looked like he was in clover, two gleaming horses grooming each other and the old-fashioned sight of women spinning wool. Cannot wait to go back next year.
Main image by Gareth Jones. Related feature: Bruno Toniolo to open Southport Flower Show.
