If you live in the Cotswolds, or indeed Charlton Mackrell, you may imagine that the metropolis is a rubbish place to garden.
You might even give a little and concede that that there are civilised places to do gardening in the capital: like Chelsea, Hampstead, Greenwich and Kew.
But though I'd defend my own borough to the hilt (Queen of the Suburbs, don't you know) even I was slightly surprised going through South London to a wedding at the weekend to spot a really good plant stand on a market outside Streatham Odeon. Perovskia, £4 mate. It had me leaning out the window of the car trying to see what else they were selling. (Sorry about the photo, it looked to most of the other people in the traffic jam like I was perving over that girl's legs, but it was actually the perovskia I was after.)
I also very much admired a whole selection of street flowers, like this gorgeous deep pink perchunia against the dark blue of BetFred the bookies.
However if you really want to see the honour of the Sarf London gardener defended you are going to have to make it to Victoria's garden opening on the 31st August. I will remind you again nearer the time, but write it in your diary now so that you don't inadvertently accept a ticket to the Reading Festival or something.
Another of V's friends opens their garden simultaneously in Tooting, so you can get two cake-eating opportunities in one afternoon. However my personal goal for the day is just to persuade Victoria to let me use the loo, so I can check she hasn't really got a vintage avocado bathroom.
1 comment:
Mmmm! I was born in Brixton, many years ago and even then, back in the day, we had a garden!
My dad was a very keen gardener but I have absolutely no memory of where he went to get plants. They were just there!
Streatham, Tooting and Clapham were also floriferous although gardens tended towards the petunia/lobelia/salvia school of planting.
(none of the links works for me, by the way)
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