Purple and green and all the colours in between at Hampton Court Flower Show 2014 (part 1)

I have put this post together to celebrate: my in-laws' fiftieth wedding anniversary and the start of the gardening season in Doha. 

For all my readers who live in places where the gardens are snoozing under wintery blankets, this post might help you with getting some planting ideas for 2015. 

On a sunny Sunday in July (the 13th to be precise) this year, I boarded a bus from Kingston upon Thames, London, to tick a box in my 'things to see' list. I was too excited to plant myself on a seat in the almost empty bus. 

All those years when I was living in London, visiting a flower show was always moved down the list of priorities on account of how I behave when I'm in a place where I can see and buy plants, seeds or anything 'garden related'. You see, I go a bit mad...lose track of time and family, and with two young ones we couldn't risk it. 

So here I was, solo (the teenagers were still in bed) - bright eyed and bushy tailed - on my way to the Hampton Court Palace Flower show of 2014.

Even 'FANTABULOUS' falls short of describing just how much I enjoyed my day. 

Are you ready for the treat? The pictures are in the order I took them; i.e. not planned or thought out-just whatever caught my fancy. Get comfy. Grab a cuppa and here we go...

Smell the grass and enjoy the music while you wait in the queue to be let in.

Can you spot the visitor in this click?

Simple and stunning.

A juicy gathering of the succulents.

 And a close up fly shot.

Drum roll for dinner...I hope to use this idea soon.

After all that colour...a bit of serenity.

And just like that, it started tipping. Luckily, I was near a tent and inside this tent there was a CIRCUS!

If technology would allow it, I would've loved for you to press the 'sniff' button now. These sweet peas smelled heavenly.

I think this selfie is rather clever...if I may say so myself.

The unsung heroes of any show...back stage support team.

How a simple blue ring transforms this setting... I love it.

An English garden- this one ticked all the boxes for me. All my childhood images of an English garden come from books by Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter -
Miss Henny Penny would strut here quite happily, I think.

There were a bunch of gazebos and conservatories on display, so I took a peek.

All I need is a good book to live happily ever after here:

The behind the scenes stories are always more interesting. 

BEHOLD! Here lie  Pots of Gold...

Mrs. Scarecrow makes a style statement. 

Contrasts galore... light and dark.

Red and blue.

Tall and short.

Purple and Green...

and all the colours in between...

The day ended as it had begun...with music. 

What a day it had been...if I had an ounce of energy left after almost eight hours of walking and looking, I would have stayed on. I dragged my tired body and elated soul back to the bus stop.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. I had plans to create a sleek post and only choose a few pictures. However, as I worked through my clicks, I realised that nature doesn't need sleekness...it seeks abundance and so I picked a few more.

There's more to come soon, only trouble is- I have to pry myself away from my backyard to sit and create posts. So how soon will the next soon be- I can't say.

Enjoy your weekend and the exciting time leading up to Christmas:)