Hampton Court garden festival

[rary]

Are any Grapes going to the garden festival at Hampton Court this year?
Can any Grapes afford to go the garden festival, and if so do you think it is value for money

[veggiechicken]

I'd like to see the restored kitchen gardens at Hampton Court https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court...itchen-garden/ but I'm not interested in garden festivals and certainly wouldn't go that far to see one.
Are you going, rary?

[Scarlet]

I love London - I would never miss a day out

I've never been to Hampton Court flower show though I think it's a reasonable ticket price for the day?
I have RHS card and National trust and that's my days out generally.

I did go to Chelsea this year - my first time. I went with a group to celebrate a friends birthday. I loved it BUT I really love The Malvern shows - preferably the Spring one.
I like to be able to buy plants. I usually go with a friend to share the cost of the car park/petrol and we meet up with some friends. We all pay for Gold parking and take a picnic. Someone brings the teas/another the sandwiches etc. Proper cups and cutlery and fold up chairs We go back to the car several times to offload our plants and also do lunch and coffee as the parking is so close.

I also go to lots of open gardens - it's amazing how much they charge. I recently went to the Abbey House gardens in Malmesbury. Was once the garden of the naked gardeners. He died this year, he had a stroke in 2015. So the garden has been kept up by others I paid £8 to look at similar weeds that are in my garden. I was very disappointed. Some bits were still lovely but areas had been neglected.
I've gone to a few national open gardens close to me. £5 for a couple of hours tops.....Hampton you can stay all day.

[rary]

Are you going, rary?

With the question, can any Grapes afford to go? I will let you guess the answer to your question

I did go to it once in the past, and the price to enter and for parking was I thought a bit high, I was at it a day or so after attending the Southampton flower show, now that was a very good show and great value for money

[Scarlet]

I think £30 for a special day out isn't too bad? The Cardiff one was £18....did you go VC?
And would be much smaller?

[JanieB]

No. I find these shows overpriced and unrealistic. I've been to 1 or 2 in the past with my sister and they were so out of what most people can do with their gardens, it's a waste of money. If you want to dream.

[Scarlet]

Really? I find them very informative. On the back of going to shows I often seek out s new plant or find seeds to grow my own.
I've been looking for a "special" tree for a few months and spotted a fabulous Cornus Kousa at Chelsea and I'll be buying one with my birthday money from my Mum.

[veggiechicken]

I think £30 for a special day out isn't too bad? The Cardiff one was £18....did you go VC?
And would be much smaller?

Don't think I've been since we met up, Scarlet. IIRC it was £10 this year if you booked in advance and were an RHS member. I agree its small scale.
I went to the Malvern spring show once to meet VVG. There was a lot more to see there but, the trade stands are much the same at every show, I think.

[Scarlet]

At Malvern there's plenty of plants to buy, Chelsea not so. You could order and they would post on. Not my thing as I like to see the plant.
I haven't been to the Cardiff once since we met up.
I have often done the Malvern in the Spring and then the Autumn one too. I don't look at any stands other than plants or seeds. You often get to see varieties that you've never seen in a garden centre or can buy plants that you would pay several pounds for postage.
At Malvern this year I picked up some new Chrysanthemum varieties that I would have paid postage. I often do my homework before going armed with a list of wants that I can't get locally.

[veggiechicken]

Some people spend their money on fine dining and wining, down the pub, on holidays, theatre, new cars or clothes.
Whatever we choose it doesn't matter, only that we have the money and enjoy it.

That's my excuse for buying so many seeds and books.

[veggiechicken]

I did the Malvern show on the last day, when they were selling off the plants. It was like the opening day at the Sales, form an orderly queue!!
Because there were 3 of us, it was like a military operation, two strategically placed to buy and the third to mind the plants before we ferried them all back to the cars.
Great fun and some real bargains.

[rary]

Never having been to Malvern I have no idea where it is, so is there any places of interest near it?

[DannyK]

I can afford to go especially since I stopped smoking but I do resent the charges.
Have been going since it was run by a rail company.
Last year two members' tickets cost £75 in advance, luckily rail is free after 09:30
What really annoys me how they rip you off for drink and third rate food. A can of Coca Cola that would cost 40p in Tesco is sold for about £2.50. Bottled water was expensive.
I'm only going at the behest of my OH who gets reimbursed by her employer for her ticket.

I parted company with RHS end of 2018. Not having a car Wisley is not easy to get to and Kew is relatively near and my wife gets in there free. They started adding a £5 per head charge for the London shows. I used to attend nearly all and bought a lot of plants there. The number of shows went from about 10 to possibly one. They also messed up what was an old fashioned restaurant. Now coffee is in paper cups! Those shows were well attended as they were only a few minutes walk from Victoria.

I enjoy buying plants at shows. My saved sub has paid for three nice David Austin roses and all my compost!

Keep an eye open for county shows, they can have good plant sales. They're not run by RHS, Oxted and Edenbridge is about £14 if you are a wrinkly and there's lots to see.

[rary]

I think £30 for a special day out isn't too bad?

is that £30 per person for entry Scarlet or are you counting transport and snack into that price?

[veggiechicken]

Never having been to Malvern I have no idea where it is, so is there any places of interest near it?

Malvern is near.............Malvern! https://www.visitthemalverns.org/