Grand Designs Live, Birmingham NEC

Dominic and I have just had a busy weekend exhibiting at Grand Designs Live held at the NEC at Birmingham. We met some really nice people, some of which were about to or are currently building houses. People were very impressed with Dom's lovely wirework Vessel which lots of people stopped to touch to see if it was willow or metal!  We are hoping for lots of garden design/courses/garden visitors and metalwork commissions!! Have got some B&B bookings since the event which is great!.

Come and See us at Grand Designs Live Birmingham NEC Oct 4th - 6th

We are delighted to be exhibiting Dominic's metalwork and our garden, courses and B&B at Grand Designs Live in Birmingham at the NEC this weekend 4th -6th October. Do come and see our stand G15 (Grand Garden section!)

Design your own garden course starts end of September

 

Metal urn made for my birthday by my delicious husband Dominic Watts  who runs www.metallurgi.co.uk

We are enrolling now people who would like help with their gardens layout /problem borders/eyesores etc. Our 14 week part time course starts EVERY Thursday 10-2.30 from 26th September (timings fit in with the school run and we avoid school holidays and most of December!). We visit each student's garden for a morning or afternoon and I carry out a design consultation. Following this we teach students how to draw up the plan. Create a planting plan by putting together plants carefully considering the plants form,texture and colour. Students attending the course have a mix of plant knowledge and aim is to have informative fun and open peoples eyes to the wonderful world of plants. We only have small numbers on each course between 4-12 (much less than a College course so individual tuition) See my website for the course syllabus www.lucyredman.co.uk or ring Lucy 07503 633 671.

Dominic is at Chelsea

Do come and see Dominic at this weeks Chelsea Flower Show (21-25th May). He has created a wonderful woven metal fence along the back of the Alitex Greenhouse stand (on Main Avenue opposite the large show gardens). Alitex are amazing, high quality aluminium greenhouse suppliers to the National Trust and Kew Gardens. Both Metallurgi and Alitex have a modern take on a traditional idea so they fit well. Dom is on the stand every day bar Friday and I am there today (Tuesday) and Saturday. www.metallurgi.co.uk

The garden here at Rushbrooke is open EVERY FRIDAY 10-5 and looks amazing at the moment with a sea of blue Camassia. We have also opened a second B&B room on the ground floor - The Moroccan room. So a choice of Morocco or India now! See pictures on my website www.lucyredman.co.uk

Year review

We have had a fab year, despite the weather. We've had coaches of visitors to see the garden all the way from Australia to Poland and America. Not to mention all the lovely garden clubs/WI's and Art groups who have sat and painted amazing pictures of the garden and also inspired our girls to sit and paint!

We have welcomed lots of lovely B&B guests and are excited to announce that we are extending the B&B to two rooms. The second room will be on the ground floor with twin beds or super king size bed with en suite shower room. So two couples visiting gardens in the area can be accommodated. Pictures will be available soon! We had a sweet postcard in August from the great Beth Chatto wishing us good luck with the B&B and saying ' ..Lucky people who stay and are cared for by you." What a kind and amazing lady she is. It is an honour to know her.

The girls are thriving and Dominic's company  www.metallurgi.co.uk is going well. He has been busy making and installing metal edging and smartening peoples gardens. The tree seats are fun too and using www.easigrass.com (artificial grass) as a more durable and very convincing top makes the seats a superb feature underneath large trees such as Oaks or London Plane trees and storage spaces for tools or a crochet set are created where the soil would be in turf topped seat version more suited for small to medium sized trees.

                                    Woven metal Turf Tree seat in The Lucy Redman Garden, made by
                                                      Dominic Watts of Metallurgi.
                                                       Photograph copyright of Marcus Harpur    

THE LUCY REDMAN GARDEN AND BED & BREAKFAST! 

We have had a busy summer of opening the garden and welcoming guests to our new B&B which is very busy. We have been inspected by Alastair Sawday's sister and are now registered with them! Yesterday a group from the Pennsylvanian Hardy Plant Society, USA came around the garden, which rounds off our visits from overseas which also saw coaches from Poland and Australia! How did they know about our little patch of paradise here in Suffolk! It is always fun talking plants with fellow enthusiasts.

Today (Friday) we had record amounts of guests come around the garden, it was a beautifully sunny day with plants such as the Eucomis, Galtonia and Polygonum scoparium heralding the end of summer sadly.  We are also beginning to get students enrolling on our 14 week part-time course in garden design which starts mid September.(Once a week 10-2.30 held on a day which suits everyone).We visit each others gardens and have a good look around the house too! It is a good icebreaker and fun to see what everyone is contending with - sometimes it makes you feel better about your own ground elder infested patch!

We are also working towards opening for the NGS (National Garden Scheme) on Sunday 9th September 2-5pm in conjunction with Home Farm, also in Rushbrooke. We look forward to seeing you and if you have visited us already this year, thank you for coming and see you next season.

Garden Lovers Bed and Breakfast!!

We are preparing to open in March our new Bed and Breakfast. We have a sunny double room which overlooks the Pebble Parterre. The snowdrops are beginning to flower in the leaves of the parterre which are followed by crocus,Narcissus bulbicodium and delicate Fritillary's finish the show when the surround borders burst into life! If you come in April the Azara microphylla which is now at the same level as your window will scent the room with it's heady 'sweetie' smelling flowers, which my girls love!
This weekend we are making marmalade and our plum jam from last summer is delicous too! Three families are raising three pigs, one of which we are using for our BandB bacon!! Our free ranging chickens will be providing lots of lovely eggs by march and if I can swing the bread making machine into action there should be homemade bread too!!
Do come and see us and I'd be delighted to give you a private tour of the garden and for a small extra fee advise you on a tricky border you may have. Give us a call  01284 386 250. More information on website very soon!!