Jim Gardiner the curator of RHS Garden Wisley was the Sunday night speaker for those who arrive early. His topic was to speak on the Wisley Gardens and entertain us early birds.The first thing I noticed was the crowd it was smaller than last year’s crowd for Allen Armitage.
Does this mean anything? I don’t know. Maybe it was the topic, I mean how much more can we take on the English Gardening assault? Enough, already.
Mr. Gardiner seemed like a good guy and he knows his topic, and the history of the RHS, but the talk really never hit home. It never really connected with Ohio horticulture. It was about another public garden in England and some of what goes on to make it happen. To create those big, beautiful English perennial beds. Which have absolutely nothing to do with, the climate, soil, interest, motivation, and deer of North East Ohio.
Okay then, if not about that, what about inspiration? Well there was no get out and do this, look at what you can create kind of thing happening. Mr. Gardiner did a nice job but I would not find myself going back into another of this kind of talk on this subject. A remark by another at my table suggested about 10% of this talk was useful, ouch.
The Whispering Crane Institute 