Our excellent July speaker Mr G Ace, lectured for many years at Merrist Wood Agricultural College, whence his final year students emerged to win 11 Gold and countless other medals at the Chelsea Show.  Their budget being £14,000 (some firms now spend in excess of ¼ million)  their advance preparation time would be spend in endeavouring to gain sponsorship, begging, borrowing and recycling hard landscaping materials and generally inventing money saving devices.

Everything was meticulously planned and lightweight materials used (wood and polystyrene instead of stone and brick) to facilitate the speed and transportation of components for the students had a bare 9 days in which to construct their design, most other contestants having a full 3 weeks before the official opening.  Sometimes more than 1 garden was planned, perhaps for a charity which would supply everything but the labour involved - a worthy investment.

Strangely, for an agricultural college, planting was minimal.  They did grow most of their own plants, but these were generally set on concealed staging and thus  easily retrieved when judging was concluded. Nothing of the grottos, caves, rivers , patios, seas or lakes was allowed to remain, not even compost, for contractors then moved in and restored the original landscape of aged trees and green acres.  All over for another year.

At the meeting on 10^th September Mr P Collett will talk on Fruit for a small Garden.