GARDEN TOUR - FLORAL DELIGHT
Since 1998 Suzanne Gaywood is the designer responsible for the Grenada Pavilion at Chelsea. With her stunning and inspiring designs she and her team have so far won 9 gold medals.
Smithy’s Garden is very proud to be a contributor again for the 2012 exhibit. Look at this great video to get a glimpse of our beautiful island which inspires Suzanne for her beautiful work:
Click here to view video
Grenada awarded 9th Gold at Chelsea in May 2011!
24th November - 1st December 2011 saw the arrival of the second group for the Grenada Spice Garden Holiday Tour led by Grenada at Chelsea designer Suzanne Gaywood.
Smithy's Garden - "This garden has lots going on in it!" comment made by Suzanne Gaywood, designer for the Grenada at Chelsea exhibit, January 2008. Established during the mid 1950's, the owners of this garden took the opportunity to extend the flowering plants of the garden after the destruction of Hurricane Ivan and to share the informal beauty of the garden with keen enthusiasts.
In May 2011 Grenada was awarded its 9th gold medal for its Grenada at Chelsea display and also has numerous silver and silver gilt medals in addition to this! Our Grenadian garden tour was constructed by Anne, guest arranger with the Gold Medal Award, Team Grenada at Chelsea 2002. Our cadre of knowledgeable guides, will take you to see "Anne's choice of Gardens." On this garden tour you will see exotic ornamental bananas and giant heliconias as well as Heliconia beharry, in their natural jungle-like setting. You will also have an opportunity to interact over tea or drinks with owners of two of the gardens and learn how they work towards supplying flowers and foliage for Chelsea. "Anne's choice of gardens" includes some of the following:
- Hyde Park Garden -Fay shares her passionate enthusiasm for her garden with visitors
- Bay Gardens - This garden is an education in itself
- Smithy's Garden - Anne shares her garden and Chelsea experiences with you.
- Balthazar Estate - Largest commercial garden and grower of giant heliconias
- Tower House Garden - Take a step back in time in this garden
- St. Rose Nurseries - Largest nursery - supplying unique garden plants
- Gemma's Garden - A warm welcome awaits visitors to this hillside garden
- Sunny Side Garden - See the Jade Vine in flower and feel Xoya grass underfoot in this garden.
Each Grenada garden is chosen for a specific highlight that they exhibit - lush and rambling jungle gardens contrasted with colourful, manicured, landscaped gardens!
Price dependant on number in your party and number of gardens visited.
Tour participants are advised to wear sensible hiking or walking shoes that have a grid bottom and NOT sandals or slippers on this garden tour.
This garden tour is a horticulturalist's delight! Here's what's happening in Smithy's Garden:
Early mornings and late afternoons are noisy with the calls of nesting birds, including beautiful humming birds, doves and the banana quits as well as the black parrot, the Ani. One green crested humming bird that lives in the garden was quite feisty yesterday - think I spoilt his dinner- he was displaying a brilliant green diamond of feathers on his forehead, then I got shown the side view and finally he gave up and flew away to the next bush. The spotted spider orchids are in full flower, as well as the Vandas. Just have to keep watering every day - takes 1.5hours minimum. Water is too precious to use a sprinkler system, we water each plant directly. Thank goodness we are still getting a good supply from the water authority. White Vandas are often brown from the sun and will soon stop blooming altogether. We continue to propagate white and pink ginger lily plants to fill spaces in the boundary hedge - following the plan to extend the flowering shrubs to the top end of the garden. The Rangoon creeper at the bottom entrance to the garden is in full flower and has started climbing over the new trellis. Have started using the compost formed from the mound of wood chips, which the tree felling last October produced. The new gates, which were installed at both entrances to the garden, seem to be keeping the plant thieves away. Thinking about adding yet another water feature to the garden - probably on the southern end - The new dendrobiums are responding well to the fertilizer, which the Orchid Circle brings in to Grenada.
Interested in reading more about Smithy's Garden, click here to check out Smithy's Garden blog at grenadagardenflorist.com.
Last Updated on 16.04.12
