NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME - PADDOCKS ALLOTMENT AND LEISURE GARDENS

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME - GARDENS TO VISIT IN LONDON AND NATIONWIDE

http://www.ngs.org.uk/


I went to see the Paddocks Allotments yesterday, (at 12 pm the temperature was probably over 30 degrees).  The Allotments was open for one afternoon as part of the National Garden Scheme.

SCARECROWS

The Society had arranged a Scarecrow competition and us visitors were asked to put three in order of preference.  I chose this one first, Prince William and The Duchess of Cambridge, then Elvis, then Goldilocks and the three bears.

Which ones would you have chosen?

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, still waiting

Elvis in  all his glory

Goldilocks and the three bears

I also liked these

Forget its name

Grandad Scarecrow?

GARDENERS SHOP

This site has a very good shop, where you can become a 'Garden Member" for £3, and buy your compost,  manure, tools, seeds, fertiliser - you name it they have it, very well stocked. I am a member and I am also a obsessive purchaser of plants, so yesterday I bought a bay leaf rooted cutting, an aloe, a dianthus and something they called 'Hawaiian Honeysuckle.

Plant sale, I could not resist!

More plants for sale

 THE ALLOTMENT WAS A MIXTURE OF HIGHLY CULTIVATED PLOTS

 and those like mine which are in need of more care and attention, in fact taking over your life and leisure....

Here are some more views of things I liked the look of

Lovely old watering can

Through the netting

Good idea to support nets

Follow route to find scarecrows

Bean poles go straight up, unlike mine which are twiggy

Ranunculas don't look real 

Grandad's pot

Nana's pot

Raspberries jostle for space

Carrots in pots seem to do OK

Lovely yellow argyranthemum

They took on this plot four months ago

Hanging baskets are on a lot of the sheds

What a good idea for flower pots fixed to a hanging basket frame

I liked this shady corner under the tree

Mega broad beans

Cherries and roses, what a lovely mix

Some plots were suffering from the heatwave

So get out there and visit all the other gardens in the National Garden Scheme ....well I tell you this, but I am a bit lazy when it comes to trecking out into Surrey or North and South East London, especially in the heatwave.

I prefer to sit in the shade and enjoy looking at my own garden.