Newby Hall, Plants and Lucky Birds

Spent a lovely day yesterday at the Spring Plant Fair at Newby Hall.  I set off around 6 am to have enough time to set up before the visitors arrived.  

From an exhibitor point of view, this is one of the best organised and happy events I go to - on arrival there is a warm welcome and I'm shown to my site and given details for the day.  The very next thing I am issued with lunch vouchers, so that I can partake of the delicious fare in the catering marquee and receiving offers of help from the Newby Hall staff and show organisers.  In no time they had heavy items lifted from the trailer and into position and all that remained was for me to put together the finishing touches to make everything look its best. I was left with plenty time to look round before opening.   Thank you all!  (They did the same helping at packing up time too!).

This is of course a Plant Fair, with just a few other exhibitors showing garden items.

There is a very relaxed atmosphere at the event, with plenty room to look round and enjoy.  Keen gardeners visit with wonderful tales of digging and designing, searching for plants in particular.  The nurseries really know their stuff, (expertise in spades!), and while there I learned a lot from the exhibitors either side, answering questions from visitors about the plants they were selling, how they grew, conditions they liked and how best to care for them.  Queues formed as visitors found their favourite plants to buy.

We were also entertained during the day by a four piece band, who wandered the show playing - what a great sight of people laden with plants, toe tapping and jigging to the trumpet and tuba!

My sculpture had plenty admirers, and my pots were popular too, mostly purchased to take plants just bought, but favourite were my Birdbaths, which sold out!

Bit tired today after all the excitement, but loading up for deliveries to gardens with lucky birds.