27.6.12 - Carolyn

From now on my diary will be short & brief as I get last minute preparations done & disappear on-site, so here goes.Thursday 21 June am finish off all the Health & Safety forms, what a relief & pm Tatton preview at Chalon – where were you !Friday 22 June visit the paver to see the curved path laid out ready for cutting, it’s a big area!  Then onto Steve’s nursery to pot up some grasses & in the afternoon collect my cousin Susan and we travel to Albrighton to check on the roses.Sat & Sun I'm at my part-time job.Monday 26 June myself & Steve travel to Mynd Hardy Plants to collect 11 Day Lily’s and then onto F P Matthews to collect the trees (they just fit into the van).  Call at Mums on the way home for coffee & cake. Unload at Steve’s Nursery back home at 9pm.Tuesday 27 June deal with emails in the morning the off to Waterworld on the Wirral to sort all the water feature parts.  I thought I knew the way but get lost and nearly end up in Birkenhead.Tomorrow, deliver passes & sort out the base for the patio, still trying to get the gothic benches from the National Trust & I need to check the garden brief.Thursday & Friday I’m at my part-time job.

15.6.12 - Carolyn

Since my last update, I’ve been stressed.  There are so many different elements to ‘The Modern Romantics’ design & it takes some co-ordinating.  Natural Paving are supplying the Oyster Limestone Paving & the dry-stone walling.  They are so helpful, some of the paving is now with the paver to start cutting the path off site (he told me its fab paving).  The rest is being delivered to P K Stubb in Crewe & they will deliver to Tatton on 2/7/12. I contacted Andy White from Greenwood Oak, he is happy to make the steps & supply the oak beams for the top of the dry-stone wall, he will be drawing up plans this weekend & I will see him on Monday to approve them. Another thing ticked off my list.Garden bench: Found some great Gothic benches on the National Trust website shop, so contacted Jacque my old boss at the Trust & she is investigating the possibility of me borrowing these.Arches, deal done they are being supplied by Redwood Stone.Last Thursday morning I went to Chalon in Knutsford to discuss next week’s preview. The two guys from the newmoonpub.co.uk were there, they are putting food for the preview so it should be a good do.Still haven’t done all the form for the RHS, so I need to get onto this; and we need some sun for the plants to grow!

Chalon RHS Garden Design Preview Event TODAY !

TODAY'S THE DAY ! OUR RHS TATTON FLOWER SHOW PREVIEW EVENT WITH CELEBRITY CHEF 2pm - 7pm CHALON SHOWROOM, 50 KING STREET, KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE , WA16 6DT - COME ALONG !!!

Chalon RHS Garden Design Preview Event

Hi guys - not long until the show now! If you are interested, why not head over to the showroom on Thursday 21st June for our RHS Tatton Garden Design Preview Event! Lots going on in the showroom, food & drinks with local chef David Mooney & meet the designer Carolyn! Neil & I (Sam) will be at hand for all furniture and kitchen design questions.

RHS FLOWER SHOW GARDEN PREVIEW EVENT

With Carolyn R Hardern Garden Design, RHS Medalist 2010 & 2011

David Mooney, the North West's original celebrity chef, of the New Moon Pub Company

Neil Wright & Samuel Burgess, Chalon’s Design Consultants & Interior Designers.

INVITATION

On behalf of Chalon Kitchens, we are delighted to request the pleasure of your company at our special Garden Design Preview Event.

THURSDAY 21^ST JUNE 2012

2PM – 7PM

AT

50 KING STREET, KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE, WA16 6DT

Talk: 'The Making of a Show Garden' a personal journey based on Carolyn’s 2010 charity garden for Making Space

Chef David will be providing a selection of tasting canapés and offering a master-class in creating your perfect pre-party canapés at home

RSVP to Neil – neil@chalon.com – or telephone 01565 745 878

You can also view our latest handcrafted kitchen & furniture displays, mixed with modern appliances and rounded off with that exclusive Chalon hand finish.

www.chalon.com

6.6.12 - Carolyn

Bank Holiday weekend, a time for most people to have a break and watch the festivities but not me apart from a break away from Tatton work.  Next door’s daughter is getting married very soon, so I decide it’s time to re-do my front garden.  It’s been on the cards since by 50^th birthday, just haven’t got round to it.  The design is based on triangles using 2x6 inch timber creating raised beds,         ‘him-indoors’ is dismayed by all difficult angles to cut.  Last month, Shaun (Mottershead Paving) who helps at Tatton, came over to relay the path and make it wider.

So Saturday we start firstly moving a large rhododendron to another part of the garden, then we assemble the sections of the raised bed insitu.

Sunday, rained off but at least the Rhodo gets a good soaking.

Monday & Tuesday get up very early to beat the showers, first two coats of paint, then move nearly a tonne of slate mulch, fill with compost (the middle section takes 10 bags) and plant.  The middle section edged with box & 5 yellow rose bushes called Graham Thomas, I used this rose in my 2010 show garden for Making Space. The rectangle has 3 slate obelisks and bergenia.  We run out of time to plant the remaining triangle so just place some pots in for now.  Just finished in time before the rain and its all good training for the Tatton build!!!

Just received a phone message form Mark at Mynd Hardy Plants, he is worried because the daylily’s are forging ahead and sending up flower spikes already and too early.

31.5.12 - Carolyn - 47 Days to go !

Last week I meet up with Andrew & Steve but firstly calling in at Steve’s nursery to check on the progress of the twisted willows and all the other plants he is growing for me.  The willow suffered from the cold nights a few weeks ago and I was very concerned, but looking at them now they seem to have recovered. The growth of other plants such as the Equisetum hyemaile are very, very slow but the Geranium phaeum is flowering so Steve will do the Chelsea Chop on these.  We then got our heads together to discuss various technical aspects of the build and one idea that Steve had for the rill is to build it with 4 granite setts across in a U shape.

This weekend I had a break getting away for a few days and resisting the temptation to take paperwork with me, so all the plants I have accumulated were moved to the front garden and Rosemary, next-door, watered them over the fence as well as looking after Posh the cat. Rosemary cannot believe how many I’ve got but this will only cover a small area of a show garden. It was definitely a good idea to get away for a few days.  I’ve moved more plants over for Mum to look after as the ones she has are doing extremely well.

This week I have checked the quantities of hard-landscaping materials.  The dry-stone walling & the beautiful oyster travertine paving are being supplied by Natural Paving.