Visit to Chelsea Flower Show

Our lucky draw winner Heidi had always dreamed of going to the Chelsea Flower Show but never thought she would be able to go. She said she could not believe her luck when My Nametags rang and offered her the 2 free tickets. She invited her keen gardener friend Isobella to make the journey up to London.

She said “It was superb with all the awe inspiring gardens and the displays in the tent! I have taken home so many ideas from all of the gardens and displays!”

Bonnie Davies and her Literary Garden

One of her favourites was “A Literary Garden” by Bonnie Davies.  Heidi chatted with Bonnie whose use of running water, abundantly free planting, time measured by sundial and natural materials to welcome wildlife, all combine to provide a perfect writing environment.  The inspiration for the garden comes from Martin Cook’s (the other designer of the garden) work with Jan Hamilton Finlay at his garden “Little Sparta”. Martin and Bonnie’s garden is intended as a poets retreat with verse carved into various features to provoke thought and reflection. Bonnie designed the planting to be informal and overgrown favouring, Cornus Kousa “china girl”, Campanula “take me” and Geranium “jolly bee”.

Heidi said of the day, “ It was truly a dream come true and I cannot tell you how grateful I am. I will never forget the day. I loved the smaller gardens as my garden is quite compact and found the Welsh child’s garden so inspiring! I just loved the artisan gardens they were so beautiful! It is a day we will both remember with much happiness”.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show – win tickets

In our early May newsletter, we will give away a pair of Chelsea Flower Show tickets.

As you can see, as of this morning, there are still some tickets available for purchase on the RHS website, but if you would like to buy tickets, you have to move fast. Otherwise, just sign up to our newsletter on the right and hopefully get the tickets for free.

Members	8am–8pm	3.30–8pm	5.30–8pm
Tue 24 May	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT
Wed 25 May	SOLD OUT	LIMITED (£22.50)	LIMITED (£15)
Thu 26 May	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	£21
Fri 27 MAy	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	£21
Sat 28 May	LIMITED (£34)	n/a	n/a
Public	8am–8pm	3.30–8pm	5.30–8pm
Thu 26 May	LIMITED (£47)	SOLD OUT	£21
Fri 27 May	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	£21
Sat 28 May	LIMITED (£47)	n/a	n/a

You can also follow the Chelsea Flower Show on their Facebook page.

Family fun in the garden

The holidays are finally here and it looks like we are in for a long, hot summer. Read our tips on how to enjoy your outdoor space with your children. Thankfully, it doesn’t mean that your garden has to be full of brightly coloured plastic either. We’ve negotiated an exclusive 10% from sustainable garden store, Hen and Hammock, especially for My Nametags customers.    

Andrew Jones, a keen gardener, left his job in marketing in London to set up small independent business, Hen and Hammock, with his partner Debbie in 2006. “Everything we sell is good for the environment and for the people who make them,” says Andrew. But this doesn’t mean compromising on style: “We won’t sell anything if we don’t think it’s a beautiful product.”    

1. Get painting – Give your old garden furniture a new lease of life by giving it a lick of paint. Try painting your chairs in different colours for each member of the family. Or give the kids a paint brush and let them customise their own chair. It’ll keep them amused for hours…     

Sack of summer games £28

2. Outdoor fun – drag them away from the TV or Play Station and stage your own summer fete or version of ‘It’s a Knock Out’ with sack races, egg and spoon races or skittles. They’ll enjoy the planning just as much as the events themselves.     

3. Green fingers – Give your children a lesson in photosynthesis by getting them gardening. It’s not too late to sow lettuce and it only takes about 6 weeks to grow. Andrew recommends lambs lettuce or winter density. July/August is a good time to sow gorgeous architectural vegetables like fennel, kale, carrots or cavolo nero (a delicious black Italian cabbage).     

Bug box £15

4. Nature watch – get them interested in nature and you could all do your bit for the environment. Help bees and insects by making your own bug box. “Stuff a container like a jam jar or postal tube full of brightly coloured drinking straws and larger tubes such as cut bamboo and leave it in a sunny spot,” says Andrew. It will be beneficial for pollinating the plants in your garden and help the insects survive over winter.    

5. Jazz it up – if you’re entertaining, don’t despair if your garden looks more like a football pitch than the Chelsea Flower show. Throw a pretty cloth on your table, add a vase of flowers and light some candles. No one will notice you haven’t dead headed your flowers or that your lawn is yellow…    

Rainbow hammock chair £65

6. Chill out time – make sure you have time to enjoy your outdoor space too. Invest in a comfy garden chair, picnic blanket, lovely cushions, hammock or hammock chair (great hung from a tree or even indoors) – perfect for summer lounging while keeping an eye on the kids.    

To get an exclusive 10% discount at Hen and Hammock quote your unique code ‘nametags’. Valid until the end of August 2010. Call 01844 217060 or visit www.henandhammock.co.uk