Slugger Off!!!

Another favourite garden from the RHS Show in Cardiff and featured on Breakfast News on the first day of the show. It was designed to be a lesson in slug avoidance without needing to resort to chemicals, hence it's name Slugger Off!!! Students from Heronsbridge Special School worked with a garden designer to realise their project and it will be rebuilt at the school after the show.

Planted with slug resistant plants (listed on the leaflet eagerly provided by the students), the garden had lots of lovely touches such as the nestboxes in the shape of buildings and the handmade pots hung in the trees to nurse along seedlings until they are robust enough to be planted out in the garden. I particularly liked the idea of using snailshells as cane toppers (see the bottom left hand corner of the picture) - another way of exacting some revenge in our war on snails!

The students were very keen to show me which parts of the garden they'd help to design. I asked one boy where he'd got his inspiration for his nestbox. The internet miss - of course, silly me. We were there when the students were awarded their RHS medal - a silver. They were so excited jumping and whooping with delight, unlike the garden designer who said grumpily I'd hoped for better, I got gold last year. I prefer the students' response and will donate to their appeal to help them realise a full blown kitchen garden for the school.

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 April 2008 at 08:41

    I like gardens like this that I can really relate to!
    The designer should have known better and kept that comment to himself.
    Nice entry VP! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Threadspider29 April 2008 at 09:31

    I agree with you-it was the children's response that was important!

    ReplyDelete
  3. CanadianGardenJoy29 April 2008 at 12:25

    That is a great garden ! I love the pots in the tree idea .. and the kids response is totally true to their hearts .. wonderful and excited .. grumpy guy should be pestered with SLUGS for the rest of his life for that one !
    Joy
    PS .. Dr. Who garden is still my favorite VP ! wink wink

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sylvia (England)29 April 2008 at 15:46

    My first thought looking at the picture was, what a muddle, but after your explanation I clicked and got the bigger picture (I think this is very useful, I wish more blogger did it). I can see that it has a real garden feel - lived in. Loved the pots in the trees, did the children make them? Thank you for choosing this garden to show us.

    Best wishes Sylvia (England)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Viooltje29 April 2008 at 17:17

    Wonderful post. Just as my 'sluggish' friends are eating away my seedlings, I might try the tree option. What a great idea! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mr. McGregor's Daughter29 April 2008 at 20:47

    I love it - do they have an "Earwigged Out!!!" garden?

    ReplyDelete
  7. kate smudges1 May 2008 at 16:00

    This must have been a wonderful garden to explore. I like the idea of using snail shells as can toppers.

    The kids must have been thrilled to have done so well ... the garden designer missed out on a joyful moment.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous4 May 2008 at 19:01

    You can't beat the enthusiasm of young people! I hope that this experience inspires a lifelong passion for plants and gardening. Fingers crossed that they get the kitchen garden off the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP6 May 2008 at 15:54

    Flighty - thanks & I think the designer only made her comment to me. I like to think she was more diplomatic the rest of the time, especially as the children were si excited and pleased.

    Threadspider - too true!

    Joy - It's great, but I knew you'd like the Dr Who garden best, that's why the post was for you :)

    Sylvia - thanks for stopping by. Yes, all the children made at least one each and planted them up

    Violtje - I'm thinking about trying it too!

    MMD - what a great idea!

    Kate - good to see you again. It was a lovely garden - a close second to my favourite one

    Anna - I think they will, the school seems to be pretty motivated

    ReplyDelete

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