The Friday of bank holiday weekend was bright and sunny but decidedly cold, but we were not deterred by the temperature and set off in high excitement, up the line to Exeter for Toby Buckland's Garden Festival.
Never to be distracted from a garden related outing, we zoomed up the A30 to Powderham Castle and after a bit of rubbish map reading (mine!) we arrived and set off up the drive to the castle.
The festival was more extensive than I expected...
and the stalls were very varied, beautiful and local cut flowers from The Good Flower Company...
spectacular foliage plants...
and varied shrubs and perennials...
all grown by local nurseries and growers.
There was a real festival atmosphere...
with mobile live music...
and appearances from Toby Buckland himself and Christine Walkden.
(I can't tell you how many attempts I had at this shot - and this is the best!!! I promise you that the two people on the back of the buggy are Toby and Christine)
This is them in the programme and I promise they looked just like this!
The Castle was a spectacular backdrop, this is the lecture tent - there was a full schedule of talks, from gardeners, writers, historians and cooks.
And inside the house were varied craft stalls which gave us an excuse to wander round the rooms and appreciate the lovely features.
After all that we had a Devon Split (like a Cornish Cream Tea only not!), a much needed cup of tea and a sit down.
We reviewed our purchases and planned our route out - taking in various last minute purchases from Avon Bulbs and loaves from Bread of Devon.
We collected a Clematis purchased for a client and admired some of the beautiful variants on offer.
As we wended our way through the castle walls, bounded by Magnolias, and weighed down with bags, the final temptation awaited...
Tree Peonies!
A whole stall of them! I long for one of these huge bloomed works of art and had one in my London garden. It had huge purple, single flowers - sorry flower - mine only ever had one flower each year. It always flowered over the May bank holiday and if we went away for the long weekend I always missed it! I did see it - about twice. The rest of the time I saw the bud forming and swelling and just starting to open, then we would leave and return to a pile of petals!
I really must try and create a space for one, but in the absence of even the smallest space available I turned away from the gorgeous sweet shop of Peonies and followed the stream of happy gardeners down the drive.
(Yes there are people in the trees - a specialist tree company had set up ropes so kids could climb trees and frighten their parents to death!)
What was our final haul?
A Clematis H F Young and three Echinacea Purpura for a client, and some gorgeous Osteospermums in an unusual rich red for us. Then an Ipheon, an Armeria and a lovely dark leaved Honesty - Lunaria annua Chedglow for me, and a new soil tester and some plant labels for Jayne!
The Festival ran for three days, Friday to Sunday and was well worth a visit, with lots of plants, accessories and information, and a lovely setting all it needed was some good weather to make it to a really
Grand Day Out!
We're already planning for next year!!
Oooh, I really wanted to go. But I've sprained my ankle and that weekend could barely walk. It's probably just as well, I'd have been tempted by the tree peonies for sure.
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