Horticultural is onto Gardeners' World and the exit from Berryfields and talks about Toby Buckland's opportunity to stamp his own personality on the new garden.
Jane Perrone seems pleased that the new show format will be more for the man in the street than the normal 'hoity toity' landowner with a luxury pad in the country.
"Sounds as if this new garden "in the heart of Birmingham" won't have the feel of "country estate garden" that Berryfields has always carried. And that's got to be a good thing, right? I mean, who on earth has room for a pond that size? I like the sound of the city veg garden, being that way inclined, but wonder what the front and back gardens will be like. "It's really hard for these kind of supposedly "real" TV gardens to feel genuine because, well, unlike most of our gardens they'll be preened for TV."
Graham Rice is struggling to find a decent squirrel-proof bird feeder and I had to chuckle about 'Billy Bunter' getting stuck behind bars
"When this squirrel tried to get out he got stuck half way – he was full of seeds, of course, and so a great deal fatter than when he went in! I had to hold the feeder next to a branch so he could grab the branch with his front paws – then the squirrel hung on while I pulled gently backwards until, eventually, he popped out and scampered away."
Susan Harris is having a [Garden] Rant about the Philadelphia Flower Show. Although it is thriving and brings in $35 million to the local economy, Susan questions the Italian and Roman theme when we are now in a time of 'growing vegetables and environmental stewardship'.
"So given all that, what's my complaint with the show? While I've frankly never loved gaudily lit fake gardens in convention centers, wherever they may be, the theme of this year's Philly show is Italy, and Roman hardscaping surrounded by forced tulips and azaleas just doesn't DO it for me, okay? Ditto all the floor space given to floral "fashion"".
and finally a stop off at Mark Diacono's Otter Farm blog for a look at the photography.

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