This year was very different from 2009's show. It was muggy and wet, Sir Cakealot had been jousting and the pair of tickets he'd bought for Parsley and himself had fallen from his gauntlet, and were nowhere to be found. I had a tasty thunderstorm brewing in my frontal lobes. In short, conditions weren't favourable.
I ventured out solo a little after one o'clock. Had a relatively short skirmish around the stalls, not forgetting to photograph some humongous pumpkins and some giant LLllllllllleeeks (http://parsleyandoregano.blogspot.com/2009/09/lll
lleeeeeeks.html). What a treat! It still amazed me to see these almost sculpted veg! What delicate means people must have gone to.
After a jaunt round most of the stalls, I went and picked up thirty tulip bulbs, five purple sensations and a clematis (Polish Spirit!). Came home and planted the clematis just by our back door. I'm hoping it will climb up the chain and the previous climber (no idea what it is, all we have is a skeletal remain).
Rounded up Parsley and Cakealot later. Mimicking last years tactics we moved in late to get the best bargains. I'd had my eye on some gorgeous hostas earlier on so we moved in on them, dividing the old 4 for £10 with my fellow G uniters. I had a good laugh at Parsley bartering for some trugs. The father and son team were having none of it. I love the word trug it just sounds so meaty and functional!
Trug negotiations!
We popped the hostas in the trugs and scouted around a bit more. I revisited The Hardy Plant Society for a last minute deal. I love these guys! The dude who was selling me the plants (nine for £2 - count em!) had no idea what most of them were, which was genuinely charming. I'd bought hostas and ferns from them last year - tiny little things they were as well. But they've grown twofold. I love the modesty and the surprise element of growing stuff that looks weedy at purchase, but one Spring later is rolling out proud like a horticultural Muhammad Ali!
What a catch!
We headed back about an hour later as it looked like it was going to pour down. We drank tea, and I sat in the same spot where it all began (my gardening existence at least!), with a surly Eric (aka Smethwick, aka Smethchick) prowling about. A nice sense of completeness.
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I rushed back and planted all my treasures once I got back to our garden. Keep your peepers peeled for updates!
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