How to create a garden for entertaining

I’ve just visited a dramatically gorgeous garden for entertaining – and it’s also a plant-lover’s heaven.

Dan Cooper’s lush and jungly garden for entertaining. It has shelter from the seaside breezes, scented plants and an outdoor kitchen. The variegated leaf in the foreground is Coleus ‘Henna’ and it changes colour depending how much sunlight it gets.

The garden belongs to Dan Cooper, who blogs about urban and coastal gardening in his blog, The Frustrated Gardener. He opens the garden once a year, on the 4th and 5th of August for the NGS.

Dan Cooper’s writing desk – an inspiring area for a garden blogger to write in.

Two gardens for entertaining

And while many of us have a front garden and a back garden, Dan’s home is unusual – it has two side gardens. He recently bought the house next door and knocked through.

Broadstairs is a charming historic town, with houses and streets growing higgeldy-piggeldy up from a beautiful sweeping beach. A quirk of architecture means that both of Dan’s gardens are tucked away around a separate entrance door on either side.

Viking Bay in Broadstairs – the historic houses rise up the hill in a variety of sizes and eras.

One garden has an outdoor kitchen and a large generous dining table.

Overhead view of the dining table and outdoor kitchen. The tree on the top right is Phillyrea latifolia and the one on the left is a narrow-leafed bay tree (Laurus nobilis ‘Angustifolia).

The other is called ‘the Gin-and-Tonic garden’ because it has a small table and chairs for enjoying an evening drink.

Dan’s Gin-and-tonic Garden – a perfect place to enjoy an evening drink. The red rose is ‘Dublin Bay’ and the clematis is ‘Forever Friends’. Very appropriate for a Gin-and-Tonic garden.

Both are crammed with flowers and plants, many with unusual foliage.

Plants for privacy in a garden for entertaining

Dan has made his garden private and sheltered for entertaining by using lots of tall plants. Like any seaside town, Broadstairs can be windy, so he’s chosen a few unusual evergreen trees to create a year-round windbreak and the sense of being tucked away from the town.

One of Dan’s evergreen trees is this ‘Phillyrea latifolia. ‘It naturally cloud-prunes itself’ says Dan, although he does tidy it up a bit too. Its open shape filters the wind and lets light through.

The Santa Cruz Ironwood tree (Lyonothamnus floribundus) has stretchy peeling bark – the blackbirds love to strip it off for their nests in spring. The airplants are attached.

It’s a small garden and most of the plants are in pots. Dan’s tall large leafed plants make the area feel private.

His theme is broadly ‘exotic gardening’ – definitely one of today’s hot new trends. (There’s advice on creating an exotic garden in a cool climate and an unusual tropical garden, also in Kent, in previous posts.)

How to install an outdoor kitchen

Dan has a basement kitchen. Having people round meant a lot of going up and down stairs during the evening. He also works as a buyer for John Lewis, with a four hour daily commute, so entertaining needs to be as relaxing as possible. The solution was to build an ‘outdoor kitchen’ in the garden for entertaining.

He prepares food beforehand in the main house kitchen, and cooks on the built-in barbecue/hob in the garden. There is also a sink, worksurface area and some storage.

Dan’s outdoor kitchen makes a big difference to entertaining. Note the small ‘splashback’ between the slate tiles and the base of the kitchen units. The dahlia on the left is called ‘Firepot.’

‘Make sure that you use good quality tanalised wood for an outdoor kitchen,’ advises Dan. ‘My kitchen isn’t under cover, so it gets rained on, snowed on and is hot in the summer. However, because I used the right wood, it has lasted for ten years.’

‘But don’t let the wood touch the ground directly, or it will rot. I’ve created something like a splashback in slate at the base so that water on the ground doesn’t rot the wood.’

He also advises you to minimise the number of joins on your outdoor kitchen work surface. ‘We started off using the same slate tiles as we had on the ground, but the joins all leaked. Now I have a piece of granite with just one join and there are no leaks. A kitchen unit outside will swell and shrink as the weather changes – it’s quite different from a kitchen inside. So it’s easy for cracks to appear.’

A view of the outdoor kitchen from above. The worksurface is granite and there is only one join. You can just see it on the top right hand side of the picture.

Marine-grade stainless steel

It’s also essential for any metal in outdoor kitchen equipment – the hob, barbecue and even the taps – to be of marine grade steel, so that they can survive the weather, including Broadstairs’ salt air.

A collection of exotic plants near the sink. Even the tap is of marine grade steel.

Plants in a garden for entertaining

We’ve already mentioned evergreen shrubs and trees for privacy and shelter. Dan also likes scented plants. A splendid Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) welcomes visitors at the gate, perfuming the air in summer and creating an evergreen wall the whole year round.

Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) covers a wall at the entrance to Dan’s garden, greeting visitors with its rich scent.

Having unusual and exotic plants also creates interest.

Ginger lily (Hedychium) – Dan hopes it will still be around for the open gardens day on the 4th and 5th August

Guests always ask after interesting plants, such as this variegated leaf Begonia.

Furniture in a garden for entertaining

Dan has a table made of recycled oak, so it will go more silvery with age. He’s also chosen light, easy-to-wash, arm-free chairs, which tuck neatly under the table. Big garden chairs with arms would have taken up much more space.

Recycled oak table and light, easy to clean chairs which tuck under the table and save space.

Fridge or no fridge?

Dan decided not to have a fridge in the outdoor kitchen, but he does have a sheltered spot on the worksurface where an ice-bucket can sit.

A shady spot is very useful for storing an ice bucket and cold drinks.

See more of Dan’s garden on video:

Dan Cooper’s garden is open for the NGS on August 4th and 5th 2018. Or catch up with him on the Frustrated Gardener blog or YouTube channel, Twitter or Instagram

And we’ve somewhat neglected the Gin-and-tonic garden, so here’s a shot of it:

A close-up of Rosa ‘Dublin Bay’ and the Clematis ‘Forever Friends’.

And if you visit Broadstairs, don’t miss…

Don’t miss an ice-cream or an ice-cream sundae at Morelli’s, the traditional ice-cream parlour on the sea front.  We treated ourselves to an evening swim and then had a Salted Caramel Nut Sundae. A heavenly way to round off a delightful evening.

You can just about justify this if you’ve had a swim in Viking Bay, Broadstairs, first.

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Why a successful small garden needs a big idea

A small garden needs a big idea.

You can let a larger garden evolve – and by ‘larger’ I mean any garden more than about 100ft long or quarter of an acre.

A small garden with a big ‘exotic’ idea – this purple bench and tree fern in a London courtyard.

But the most successful small gardens I’ve seen recently all have one strong idea behind them. Here are three of them, to inspire you.

The plant-lover’s garden

After visiting Philip Oostenbrink’s garden (open for the NGS on 29th July, 2018), I realised that a small garden is a wonderful display area for unusual plants. As the plants are so close to you, you can really appreciate the differences in leaf shape and colour. Find Philip on Twitter at PhilipHGCC.

Wonderful leaf contrasts in Philip’s garden – the slim palm-like leaves of Begonia luxurians contrast with the darker Persicaria ‘Red Door’ and the citrus green of Hakonechloa macra (Philip holds a National Collection of Hakonechloas). In the foreground is a rare variegated form of ground elder (in a pot).

Also, in a small garden, there’s no need to plant in threes or drifts. One of each specimen will look just fine in a smaller space. (if you dot lots of different single plants around a larger garden, everything could end up looking a bit muddled….)

Tree fern, Canna ‘Durban’ and other foliage plants in Philip’s garden.

‘It’s all about the foliage for me,’ says Philip. He is Head Gardener at Canterbury Cathedral Gardens (also open for the NGS earlier in the year). And as Chairman of the Kent division of Plant Heritage, he is passionate about unusual plants. His small garden (around 35ftx15ft) is bursting with fascinating leaves, and follows a jungle theme.

Most of the plants in Philip’s garden are chosen for their foliage, but he also adds dash of brilliant colour from dahlias. Here Dahlia ‘Happy Days’ and Ricinus communis make Philip’s front garden stand out from all its neighbours.

Urban jungle garden

Philip’s theme is also be defined as ‘urban jungle’. That’s another good look for a small garden, because it’s relatively easy to get the look of a jungle packed with different layers of plants. ‘A jungle is quite an enclosed space when you’re in it,’ says Philip. ‘If you have more space, you could create a tropical or exotic garden, but it wouldn’t necessarily feel like a jungle.’

Philip adds splashes of colour with bedding plants, but he is really interested in the unusual plants especially those with large leaves like the Tree Foxglove (Paulownia tomentosa) on the top at the right.

Tree dandelion (Sonchus canariensis) – one of the fascinating exotic leaf shapes in Philip’s garden.

And for more exotic garden inspiration, Steven Edney and Lou Dowle’s tropical garden is nearby and is open for the NGS on the same day.

Derek Jarman coastal garden

There are a number of small gardens open for Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day (held on the last Sunday in June every year).  One of 2018’s most popular gardens was the Derek Jarman-inspired garden, belonging to the Feltons.

Guy Felton painted the fence black to echo the fishermen’s huts nearby in Faversham harbour and also at Dungeness.

Guy Felton is a retired architect so he has a keen eye. When they bought the house, the garden was a thin strip of lawn bordered by two narrow beds. It’s around 15ft wide at its widest, but tapers down to around 12ft. And it’s around 35ft long.

‘There didn’t seem any point in mowing such a tiny strip of lawn,’ he said. So they replaced it all with shingle, which makes the garden look wider and lighter. The plants grow out of the shingle.

Raised beds, grasses and ‘found objects’ such as shells and broken china all convey a beach-comber ‘Derek Jarman’ look.

Faversham harbour is nearby, and when Guy was walking around the boatyard, he spotted an old wooden yacht rudder. It was about to be put on the bonfire, but the owner said Guy could have it. It now stands halfway down the garden ‘dividing up the space’, and looks like a piece of garden sculpture.

Garden sculpture or an old yacht rudder? There’s a pretty seating area behind.

Exotic courtyard garden

This is the smallest garden in this post. It is around 15ftX15ft and belongs to my friend, Amanda. She picked ‘exotic’ as her theme, and asked garden designer, Paul Thompson-McArthur to make it work. (She says it was my idea, but I’m not sure…I think it just came up when we were all talking.)

Paul Thompson-McArthur kept this exotic look simple, with a few distinctive plants and brick paving which echoes the garden walls.

The back of Amanda’s kitchen is one long glass door, which rolls back, so her garden is on view all year round. ‘Exotic’ has a long season of interest, because it’s based on leaf shapes. In the winter, the two benches both look like garden sculpture, and there is a distinctive piece by Tom Stogdon, too.

Amanda’s garden from the kitchen – it’s on view all year round, but the purple bench is a good focal point.

Amanda’s tip for small gardens – choose a chair that is quite ‘transparent’. The sculpture is by Tom Congdon.

Small garden details

In a small garden, everything can be seen, so Amanda wanted all the detail to be right. She asked Paul to source nails and wires that looked as if they could have been there forever.

I love these rusted nails and wires set into the wall to support the climbers. Amanda’s house is Georgian, so touches like this give the garden a feeling of having been there for years.

Another tip from Amanda is to remember the garden when you’re having any work done in the house. She had her kitchen renovated, which would have been the ideal time to run an automatic irrigation system out into the courtyard. ‘But I did the garden after the house, by which time the kitchen floor had been laid over the piping, and it really wasn’t feasible to take it up again.’

An automatic watering system, by the way, makes alot of sense in a small garden. It’ll keep your plants alive, especially if you are away alot, and it’s also a good use of water.

More small garden tips

You’ll find more successful small gardens in these posts: 15 easy affordable ideas for town gardens, 8 steps to the long thin garden of your dreams, and 6 Effective Tips to Narrow Town Garden Success.

Small gardens big ideas video

You can see more of Philip’s garden in this video, plus another look at the other two small gardens and more small garden ideas.

There are more ideas for small gardens on the Middlesized Gardens ‘Narrow town gardens’ Pinterest board. And let me know about your big ideas for small gardens in the comments below, on Twitter or on the Middlesized Garden Facebook page. Thank you!

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The best windy garden plants and solutions

I’ve recently been asked about plants and solutions for a windy garden.

Sue Marling and Fay Sweet’s Suffolk garden is in a windy area, but it is colourful and feel sheltered. The plants which love the conditions – the low-growing Alchemilla mollis and the tall spikes of Phlomis russeliana, along with salvias, have spread.

Even if you don’t have a windy garden, you probably have a windy spot. Our walled garden gets windy in the middle, which is quite common.

I’ve made a mistake with planting too tall a young tree there. We’ve secured it with several stakes. But it gets pushed over again when the wind changes direction. I actually chose the right type of tree – a Liquidambar – for a windy spot, but it was too tall when I planted it.

Check the gardens in a windy town

And not long after being asked about plants for windy gardens, I went to the charming beach town of Southwold shortly afterwards.

It’s always useful to look at what grows naturally – here on this windy Southwold beach, there are lots of grasses.

Southwold is a delightful former fishing village on the Suffolk coast, and it dates back hundreds of years. But Suffolk is quite flat near the coast. And all seaside towns get their fair share of wind.

The Crown Hotel at Southwold. It was a Georgian and Victorian fishing town, and is now a well-loved holiday place.

A garden in Southwold is definitely a windy garden. So as I was visiting in midsummer, I thought I would see what was flourishing in the Southwold gardens, and along the beach.

If you prefer to see a video, rather than read a post, see The Middlesized Garden YouTube channel on windy garden solutions.

I saw lots of clumps of these very low growing asters (now known as Symphotricum) everywhere in Southwold. Even though they’re a common garden centre plant, they look good in groups.

Expert advice on choosing windy garden plants

First I spoke to Rosy Hardy of Hardys Cottage Garden Plants. Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants is one of the leading plant nurseries in the UK.

Rosy had three pieces of very useful advice as well as suggestions for plants.
‘Choose shorter varieties of your favourite plants if your garden is windy,’ she suggests.

‘Or you can choose plants which are meant to blow about in the wind, such as grasses or gaura,’ advises Rosy Hardy.

Sue Marling and Fay Sweet, whose garden is featured here, have created a successful garden near Southwold. They have found that salvias, Phlomis russeliana and fennel have all done well in their garden. They are all plants that can sway in the wind.

And they also have Alchemilla mollis, which fits into Rosy Hardy’s ‘low-growing’ category, as do the asters all over Southwold beach.

Gaura ‘Rosyjane’ is one of Hardy’s Cottage Garden plants and is ideal for a windy site.

And thirdly,’ says Rosy: ‘Plant trees and shrubs dotted about the garden to break up the wind. Don’t plant in a line.’

Specific plants she recommends for a windy garden include hardy geraniums, especially the Oxonianum ‘Lace Time’. Amongst the grasses Stipa Tenuissima always looks good’, she says. And she also recommends the long slender stems of Gaura Rosyjane, which is an elegant flower with a picotee petal.

Japanese anemones are also tough enough to survive windy conditions, and Rosy suggests you try an unusual variety such as the ruffled ‘Swan’ series.’

Japanese anemones (Anenome x hybrida) do well in a windy garden, so choose a special variety such as this Ruffled Swan from Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.

Hardys Cottage Garden plants stock all these.

The RHS on trees and shrubs for windy gardens

One important thing to understand about wind is that it whips up a solid fence or wall, and then drops down creating turbulence on the other side. That’s why hedges and shrubs, which break up the wind rather than block it, are better than fences and walls. And a very thick line of evergreens can act more as a fence or block rather than a filter, so the RHS recommend choosing a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs.

Sue and Fay have surrounded their garden with a mix of trees and shrubs around the boundary – and there’s a hedge behind the trees. The garden feels sheltered and secluded although the Suffolk winds can be quite strong.

Trees and shrubs won’t grow as tall in windy conditions but they are so important for breaking up the wind. The RHS has a page of recommendations for trees and shrubs that do well in exposed sites. These include some pines, hawthorn, Norway spruce and holm oak, all of which I love. Good shrubs include black elder and pinus mugo (dwarf pine).

Roses do well in a windy garden

One thing that really surprised me as I walked round Southwold was how well roses were growing. They seemed to be blooming in every garden.

This white climbing rose seems very happy amongst the winds of Suffolk.

So I contact Michael Marriott of David Austin Roses. He confirmed that that roses often do very well in windy places. Some original species roses came from quite inhospitable places – Rosa rugosa came from Northern Japan and Siberia, for example, and the Spinossisima roses (often called ‘Scotch roses’) are basically coastal plants.

Rosa rugosa ‘Rosarie de la Haye’ tumbling over a front garden wall onto the beachfront at Southwold.

Roses in windy gardens won’t grow as tall, he says, and you do have to pick and choose your varieties, but they are a great plant to add.

Rosa rugosa Gap from David Austin roses – will do well in windy gardens.

This is David Austin Roses’ Dunwich Rose. Dunwich was a sea port just along the coast from Southwold, Most of it was reclaimed by the sea, so only a few houses now remain. Not surprisingly, the Dunwich Rose does well in exposed sites!

But choose your rose carefully

When choosing roses for a windy garden, Michael suggests you firstly think of the flowers – single flowered or semi-doubles will be better than big showy blooms of hybrid teas.

‘Kew Gardens’ rose from David Austin Roses is recommended for windy spots.

And think about how the plant grows – a rambling rose will create a lot of body which can be buffeted in the wind. The stiffer and more individual stems of a climbing rose will give the wind much less to blow about. And keep tying a climber in if you have a windy garden.

Roses growing over Sue and Fay’s windbreak-cum-wildlife home (see later on in this post). This is a small single-flowered rose with a few stiff stems that can be tied in. Good for a windy garden!

Break up the wind for a sheltered spot

In terms of a sheltered spot to sit in, consider a broken screen rather than a solid one. There is a terrific range of laser-cut screens around these days, such as this one from Stark & Greensmith.

This corten steel laser-cut screen from Stark & Greensmith breaks up the wind and offers privacy, but it isn’t a solid barrier.

And I’ve seen some great screening ideas at the garden shows this summer. For example, I like this slatted wooden screen inscribed with poetry from The Oak & Rope Company.

This is a slatted screen so it filters the wind. From the Oak & Rope Company.

Sue and Fay have created a wildlife-friendly screen by building a curved wall out of inexpensive roofing battens. It filters the wind, and offers a hideaway for insects. Fay built it herself, although she admits it was quite hard work.

Fay built this high semi-circular windbreak wall herself out of roof battens, laying them in a criss-cross pattern. The wall is about seven feet high, so it provides lots of shelter as well as supporting climbing plants like roses and honeysuckle.

And here is another easy DIY broken screen. These wood posts and strips of corrugated iron shield a washing line in this Australian coastal garden, while filtering the wind beside a seating area.

Corrugated iron and wood (possibly fence posts or railway sleepers) used to create a broken screen in coastal Australia.

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How to update your garden on a budget

If you want to update your garden on a budget, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show has lots of good ideas.

There are, of course, the top show gardens, where the budget is way over anything you or I could manage.

The fountains at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show – it’s a beautiful setting.

But even those have ideas you can copy without breaking the bank. Here is my pick of the best budget-friendly ideas at this year’s ‘Hampton Court’.

Update your garden with vibrant colour

The Bizzy Lizzie, formerly the most municipal of bedding plants, has had a makeover, courtesy of B&Q.

Blocks of inexpensive bedding plants – the new Busy Lizzies – teamed with large leafed ‘exotic’ plants for a contemporary jungle look.

No-one mourned when it disappeared from the shelves due to a virus. And I wasn’t particularly interested to hear that B&Q had developed a virus-resistant variety, the Imara Bizzy Lizzie.

Bizzy Lizzies teamed with fashionable spikes…

But top marks to the B&Q team for showing what you can do with standard bedding by planting it in big blocks and teaming it with exotic plants.

Resurrect old favourites

Are there other plants you’ve begun to take for granted? Fuschias, for example, or dahlias? The great fun of today’s gardens is that ‘knock your socks off’ seems to be replacing quiet good taste. Go for it. Add a few new varieties of familiar, easy-to-look after plants to add instant zing to your garden.

Dahlia ‘Fashion Monger’ from the National Dahlia Collection’s stand. Is it time to say goodbye to restraint in the garden for a while….?

Fuschias from Roualeyn Fuschias fairground carousel-themed stand.

Make an impact with size

A huge pink tub of matching pink Bizzy Lizzies on the B&Q show garden at RHS Hampton Court.

Fill one large planter and make a statement, rather than planting lots of little ones up. It’s also easier to water, as small pots need watering daily. Big ones hold water better.

These pink Nurgul pots from B&Q cost between £17 and £68.

You could also paint any big plastic pot in a vibrant colour.  Use a specialist plastic primer, such as Rust-oleum Plastic Primer Spray Paint . You can then paint any colour or brand of paint on top.

(Note: links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means I may get a small fee if you buy through them, but it doesn’t affect the price you pay. Other links are not affiliate.)

Paint your fence or shed a stunning colour

There were some wonderful fence and wall colours this year at Hampton Court. This is a look that we could all mimic.

A strong sunshine yellow makes a dramatic backdrop for a courtyard. In the Santa Rita 120 garden.

And duck egg blue is still a garden favourite. From the Community Brain ‘vegetable box’ garden.

Update your garden with a spiky plant (or two)

The jungle look has well and truly arrived, and there were spiky plants everywhere at this year’s RHS Hampton.

You could buy an agave…although it might poke you in the bottom as you bend over to weed.

The Santa Rita 120 ‘Living La Vida’ garden at RHS Hampton Court, complete with agaves, agapanthus and other sculptural planting.

Buy a smaller agave, such as this Agave parryi from Palms-Exotics, and keep it in a pot.

Buy ‘exotics’ that will survive your weather…

The most budget-friendly way of acquiring exotic plants is to choose ones that will survive, so you won’t have to keep replacing them.

The Chusan Palm, or Trachycarpus Fortunei is less prickly and will over-winter in most UK and Northern hemisphere gardens, provided that it is sheltered from winds. Around £10 for a small one from Palms-Exotics.

And you can find cordylines very reasonably in most markets. And they seem to survive anything, judging by the neglected cordylines I see on the streets.

Carex ‘Feather Falls’ is an exotic-looking grass but it will withstand heat and frost, and it grows well in most environments.

If you can be patient, it’s always cheaper to buy smaller and let it grow – but there is the worry that ‘exotic’ may have passed by the time it gets large. Pick fast growers like Carex ‘Feather Falls.’

Pines are back…

Pines used to remind me of my parents’ home in Camberley (Surrey) rather than fashionable exoticism. But they are beautiful sculptural plants that have been over-looked, perhaps because they’re evergreen.

It’s definitely time to add a pine or two – buy them small and keep them in pots. Then you can plant them out – if you like – when they have grown.

Pines in pots are affordable and even spiritual…From Limes Cross Nursery stand.

Anything can make a stunning ‘garden feature’

Don’t take those old kids’ bikes to the tip. Paint them and use them as garden features.

A row of children’s bikes, painted and used to edge a garden at RHS Hampton Court.

The full row of bikes…

I loved the RHS Primary School children’s scarecrow competition.

Buy (or find) extra water butts

One water butt really does not save you money on water. It only lasts about a week into a drought. But I like these four tiers of water butts from the RHS Grow Your Own with Raymond Blanc Gardening School. I’d have lids on the butts in case small mammals fall in, though. You may be able to find old water butts via Freegle (or Freecycle).

Four tiers of water butts at the Raymond Blanc Gardening School at RHS Hampton Court.

This ‘self-watering’ guttering system looks fun. I’m not convinced it’s practical, but let me know if you’ve tried it. Also at the Raymond Blanc Gardening School.

Embrace your inner ‘cottage garden’

The big message from the shows this year – from Ascot Garden Show right through to RHS Chelsea and beyond, is that flowers are really important now.

Echinacea ‘Lelani’ from Hardys Cottage Garden Plants at RHS Hampton Court – echinacea and other cottage garden plants are brilliant for wildlife.

If you want your garden to look contemporary, fill it with flowers. Lots of the same sort, or lots of different ones…it’s hard to get it wrong. Choose flowers that do well for you or try experiments.

Alcea ‘Halo Apricot’ from Daisy’s Roots.

I have a stylish garden designer friend who refers to gardens with a mix of flowers and colours as ‘fruit salad gardens’. It does not sound like a compliment. Not the way she says it, anyway.

But a riot of colour, attracting birds and pollinators, is what gardens are about now.

Ann-marie Powell’s planting for the Countryfile 30th Anniversary garden at Hampton Court.

And if you have to update your garden on a budget, plants can be the most cost-effective way of doing it. Swap, grow from seed or pick up bargains in nurseries and the market.

More ideas from Hampton Court in this video.

It is such a huge show that I could have spent all week there – and still not seen everything.

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