Archive for August, 2010
Come to our FREE Taster Day!
Posted by editor on Wednesday, 25 August 2010
As part of the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival, Deborah Kalinke and Bridgette Saunders invite you to a Taster day at The Garden House!
It’s on Saturday 4 September! Taste the food. Taste the wine. Taste the courses…
Celebrate your enthusiasm for horticulture. Kindle an interest in learning a new skill. Savour food from the fabulous Brighton-based vegetarian food restaurant Terre à Terre. Enjoy a glass of wine supplied by The Butlers Wine Cellar, a local wine merchant.
- Bridgette will be signing copies of her recently published book Allotment Gardening
- Terre à Terre: The Vegetarian Cookbook by Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor will also be on sale
- Buy spring-flowering bulbs from a wide selection of our favourites – seeds too!
Come inside The Garden Room and browse our resource library and its wealth of gardening books, magazines and reference material at leisure.
NOTE: The Garden Room can also be hired for both work away-days and dinner parties for special occasions, menus and prices available on request.
Our Taster Day is FREE - Saturday 4 September – we’d love you to drop in any time between at 11am and 4pm – bring a friend or two and enjoy the garden and all our fun events…we look forward to meeting you!
For further information contact: 01273 702840 | 0778 866 8595
We love decorative ironwork…
Posted by editor on Saturday, 21 August 2010
When you think about garden design don’t forget that you can add drama by using decorative ironwork. Rose arbours, obelisks and wall supports give height, and exciting supports for your herbaceous perennials can help give personality to your garden space.
One of our favourite garden creatives is Brighton-based Steve Betteridge. Steve makes bespoke garden features in steel – he made our wonderful gates at The Garden House – often rusting the steel to blend beautifully with the garden’s natural palette without distracting. 
Taking reference from plant structures, such as alliums, arum lilies, Japanese anemone heads or leaves – his work has an elegant flow, long and simple lines of steel reflecting the plant’s natural movement.
Steve can also offer a range of gardening services from general maintenance to soft landscaping (bed creation, planting design, lawncare).
Late summer hot favourites…
Posted by editor on Saturday, 14 August 2010
Just because summer’s coming to an end, there’s no need to give up on vibrant colour and plants that flower well in the autumn – and it’s often the warm and rich colours of late flowering perennials that look best at this time of year. From warm yellows, through vibrant oranges, to rust and mahogany tones…
Amongst others our favourite plants for hot yellows and oranges include the lofty Inula magnifica, Crocosmia species (think Emily McKenzie), Helenium (Moerheim Beauty is a must), Hemerocallis (Corky is a favourite), Kniphofia (shown here is Tawny King) and the statuesque Eremurus (the foxtail lily).
For rusty and terracotta tones look to Achilleas; for deep mahogany tones consider Helianthus, these rich and stunning sunflowers will flower through to October. All sit well with ornamental grasses, especially as they dry and go amber and gold.
Deadhead fading flowers of herbaceous perennials regularly to stimulate new blooms and prevent plants from self-seeding. Once you know there’s no likelihood of further blooms, leave the last flower heads in place – not only can they look great, but they’ll provide perfect food for the birds in your garden as they prepare for winter.
Success at our charity event fundraiser!
Posted by editor on Thursday, 5 August 2010
Some weeks ago The Garden House held an open day to raise money for RISE (Refuge, Information, Support, Education), a local charity supporting women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
We had a brilliant afternoon, with delicious homemade cakes, chutneys and jams for sale; stalls selling garden tools, jewellery, glass-art, home made gifts; and a multitude of gardening items.
We also held an auction – with prizes including a week’s holiday in a stunning converted chapel in Suffolk, a week in a fab villa in Fuerteventura, a photo session in a local photographic studio, a customized deckchair (how very Brighton!), and so many more tempting items…
Little surprise then that everyone stayed on for the ‘auction action’ at 4pm (Bridgette’s partner Graham has this amazing knack of prising the money from his willing victims – to everyone’s great amusement!).
In the evening we held an outdoor dinner party – delicious homemade food, wine, and live entertainment. Again all profits going to the charity.
So, the bottom line – this year The Garden House raised £2,444.93 for RISE – a fantastic result! Thank you again to all who took part, all who helped make it happen – and of course everyone who visited The Garden House and enjoyed the day with us…
By the way, if you fancy finding out more about upcoming courses and workshops at The Garden House come along to our FREE mini-taster day on Saturday 4 September. We’ve asked many of the course-leaders to hold mini-taster sessions, discussing their upcoming workshops and showing examples of their work.
Plus we’ll be selling spring-flowering bulbs, and Bridgette will be signing copies of her book Allotment Gardening. And if all that’s not enough, the fabulous Brighton-based vegetarian food specialists Terre a Terre will be providing food for the day. We will also have wine and coffee available. Come along! Further details in DIARY on this website.