At the RHS Flower Show in Cardiff

Authors are allowed out sometimes, and I regularly take my chance at an escape when the Royal Horticultural Society's travelling flower show arrives in Cardiff, sometime in April. It's a bitter/sweet day out, as I have memories of going there with Mum, and last year I was just getting over a major operation, so it was a very quick look. I'm happy to say that this year, in the sun, I had an excellent time - and the show was very good this year. I spent too much on plants, but that's a given.

Happily the memories of my Mum are fading away from the miserable hours spent sitting beside hospital beds, into the good ones, like the day, at another sunny Cardiff show, when we had two ice-creams for lunch. That's two each. I can still see her grin, and her emphatic nod, when we'd both finished the first one and I asked her if she wanted another. She loved ice-cream. And no, I didn't have one, this year, as my jeans are getting snug. I bought another plant instead.

The flowers were lovely, the gardens had the theme of myths and legends, which brought out some interesting ideas, and there seemed to be an even better selection of craft stalls this year. The lady selling sun hats was doing a great trade. I was looking for a chance to sit down - that's one of my only complaints, the RHS shows are not over provided with places to sit - so I wandered into the part of the marquee where a talk was taking place, and found myself listening to a fascinating half hour on the National Garden of Wales and it's Regency heritage. And now I know what the connection is between the garden and pirates, nutmeg and the television series, Taboo. And I have another location to put on my 'places I must visit' list.

I took pictures, so now I'm presenting my gallery of the show.

Enjoy. I did.

The tulips were especially good this year

I couldn't resist snapping this - a reminder of the
Choc-lit cartoon tour bus

I loved the colour of these.

One way to fill a bicycle basket.

Yes, this was a garden. A representation of standing stones.
And it won a medal. 

A more conventional display garden

Can you see the metal owl?
I took this one because I was thinking of Jane Lovering and of the owl in her latest book
Have you met Skrillex yet? 

This was another medal winner - a depiction of the story of  Blodeuwedd
who was made of flowers and got turned into an owl. 

As this was Wales, and the theme was legends,
there were a few dragons about.

More lovely colours

I bought a bulb to grow these, but mine will be pink, I hope. if the slugs don't get them first.
And I can't remember what they are called!

The garden of my dreams is going to have an olive tree in it.
As it will also be in the South of France, I think it's going to stay a dream

This display said everything about spring to me.

Lilies.

Can you read the label? I loved this.
And the cacti were good too.
My grandfather used to grow cacti. As a kid, I was not very impressed.

lipstick pink peonies.

This is more like my real garden, but tidier.
And not so many slugs.

The food crops on this stand in the marquee were spectacular.

Hosta - I love the cool green

Another dragon

I have all the ingredients to create one of these. Now I need the time!

Gardener's Delight?

As regular readers know, I like gardens. Other people's particularly. No worries about weeds and watering. And don't get me going on the subject of slugs and snails. I'm still mourning the loss of a cherished lily - chewed just enough to fall over and die, but not actually eaten.

So the chance to grab a couple of hours at the Royal Horticultural Society Cardiff Flower Show last week was bliss. And of course I took pictures. Which I am sharing in a spirit of total generosity.

Funnily enough, although visiting buildings usually gets me plotting about bodies and so on, I've never had an attack of plotting at a flower show. Maybe it's all that healthy fresh air - or that flowers don't seem to lend themselves so well to the black arts? Maybe they are a better fit for cosy crime rather than suspense? One day I'd love to write one of those stories about restoring an old garden, something left over from one of the wars, probably. That is another on the wish list, which grows longer and more unruly with every passing week.
One day?

Planted wellies on the way to the show!

It wasn't just about the plants.

One of the show gardens - a space for working from home.
Not sure how much work would be done. 

This was a gold medal winner - food, hens and a space for alfresco cooking and dining.

And here are the hens :)

I liked this garden. Writer's shed, anyone?

Brought home some shopping.
Now, how to keep the clematis away from the slugs ...

Postscript to Wednesday

Today I dodged the showers at the Royal Horticultural Society Show at Bute Park in Cardiff, bought far too many plants - and some artisan chocolate that I hope is going to taste as good as it looks - and snapped a few of the show gardens. This is the kind of thing I imagine Kaz designing, and building. These aren't quite as big or as grand as the ones at the Chelsea Flower Show, but you get the idea. I didn't get wet, but is was a close call. Last year the weather was hot and sunny and we ate two ice creams each. This year hot soup would have been more appropriate!

See the certificate with the medal , bottom right.

Drinks, anyone?

That bench looks a bit unforgiving.

This one is a bit more rustic

Gardening ... And Coincidences.

This week is the first UK National Gardening Week. The Royal Horticultural Society is putting on all kinds of events to celebrate gardeners and encourage more people to take it up. You can find out more at http://www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk/

Rampant honeysuckle



Right - so that's very nice to know - but what has it got to do with books - other than gardening books, that is?

Well - I like gardening. Even better, I like going to gardening shows and visiting other people's gardens - all the fun, and none of the work. So - when I was looking for a career for the heroine of Never Coming Home, I decided to make her a landscape gardener. I wanted an unusual career, and one that would demonstrate her artistic talents in a way that would not impress her father, who is a famous artist and a terrible snob about people who can't paint. I made her a very successful designer, who has won medals for her gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show but who is also a hands-on gardener. I thought I knew just enough about both to be able to bluff. It's worked so far!

And this is where the first coincidence comes in. When I read about Gardening Week and thought it was a good subject for a blog post, I checked up on what special events were planned. And today proved to be Careers Day - highlighting the possibilities of gardening as - yes, a career. Just like Kaz. Neat, or what?



Impersonating an Italian palazzo

 And it gets better. The day is being hosted by gardener/author/TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh. And Alan is also one of the plenary speakers at the Winchester Writers' Conference this year. I have a special place in my heart for Winchester, as I was a finalist in their competitions on a number of occasions. Never Coming Home was one of those finalists, in the first 500 words of a crime novel category. I'd encourage anyone trying to get themselves published to have a go at the Winchester contests - there are a lot of them, in all sorts of categories. You don't have to be attending the conference to enter, although the entry fee is slightly lower if you are. And if you're there, you have the magic chance of seeing your pen name on the finalists board at lunch time on Saturday. Which means walking around in a happy daze for the rest of the day. You can't beat that feeling. If you attend the conference you also get the chance at workshops and panels, individual interviews with editors and agents, meeting other authors - it's a fun weekend. Booking is open now
http://www.writersconference.co.uk/

So - that's gardening ... and coincidences.