At the weekend we visited the Garden Days in Beervelde, Lochristi . It is held twice a year on the second weekend of May and October.
This year the fairs celebrate 20 years and the reopening of the small Beervelde train station on the edge of the grounds. The intercity trains stopping exceptionally on the days of the show.
The advertising poster for the fair, a water-colour by the French painter Michel Charrier depicts two ladies leaving the station and walking over the bridge towards the entrance of the Garden Days.
The Park is the 50 acre private estate of the Count de Kerchove de Denterghem and has been in the family for 135 years. Sadly in 1947 the castle was demolished and a villa built in its place.
The grounds are in the style of an English landscape. That is according to the French and Belgians!
You enter the fair along a very beautiful tree lined avenue. In these cool and shady conditions you find the spectacular hydrangeas on the stand from Pieters.
Not to be outdone out in the sunshine the rhododendron growers put on a wonderful display.
Box is very common in Belgium. This topiary heart is a typical example.
There was also the not so common. This dead looking plant in a beautiful cast iron urn sitting on a plastic crate really caught my eye. When you looked closely there were tiny tiny bright green leaves which contrasted beautifully with the grey branches.
Almost the only place to buy seeds at the fair is at De Nieuwe Tuin stand. They specialise in everything that is edible, from flowers to vegetables.
Inside their tent, they always put on a spectacular display of the 'food' grown from their seeds. These pictures are from October last year.
Beervelde is situated in one of the most important horticultural areas of Belgium. The Garden Days pride themselves on being at the forefront of garden innovation.
This is one of the many roof gardens that was created last October. In the foreground is a display of the 'heavies' in the plant world. These plants not only look good, attract lots of 'good' insects but more importantly they act as a weed barrier.
The Mortier stand is always a must for us. They build traditional garden buildings using old techniques.
This year they introduced the Aermotor Windmill from the USA. Although primarily used to pump water, it is also possible to convert it to generate electricity.
As with any garden show, it's not just about flora and fauna. Garden decorations were in abundance.
In all shapes and forms!
Fun things for the gardener to wear too!
When it gets all too much for you and you need a helping hand with your hundreds of purchases. You can leave them at the Plant Crèche where magically they are transported to the main entrance where you can collect them at you leisure.
Having done that, you can treat youself to coffee and a pancake at the lovely café situated on the banks of the lake.
When you've regained your strength you can take a leisurely stroll back to your car. Stopping one last time at the De Bock stand. Each show they produce one of the finest displays of shrubs and trees. This spring, wisteria and lilac stole the show.
The standard wisteria were out of this world.
I would dearly have loved one of those for my garden, but no matter how hard I tried and I tried, I just couldn't persuade my wonderful darling husband to buy me one. Maybe the €369 price tag put him off!
With love
Flame Lily
