Gardening Group

The day dawned bright and early but there was a chill in the air on the first outing of the year for the ZIWA Gardening Group. As the twelve ladies gathered outside the massive Messe Zürich building for the annual garden and lifestyle show, the sun was shining but the temperature was on the chilly side of zero. By the time we emerged for lunch, the mercury had climbed up at least 15 degrees. The Giardina exhibition covers five floors of the massive hall, and this year there was a feast of colour, sight and sound to be experienced.


To add to the excitement, a radio journalist working for World Radio Switzerland, Hester Macdonald, had approached our two amiable chairladies, Heidi and Helga, to interview them for a piece called Secret Gardens. She brought with her much enthusiasm, knowledge and ten free entrance tickets which we were happy to accept! The queues were building, so we made haste inside the entrance hall, collected gardening magazines and carrier bags, and headed to the basement for the ikebana show. Japanese flower arranging is an art form and we were pleased to see at least one former ZIWA member was exhibiting there; the stylised displays were immaculate.


Although not on a par with Chelsea, the Zürich fair had a fantastic display of small 'garden rooms' each showing what, with flair and imagination, could be done in a very small space. Water features, lighting and candles, Zen gardens, stainless steel sculptures, all had been used to artistic effect. And unlike at Chelsea, where the show gardens are protected from the trampling public, these bijou gems could be explored inside and out. Some of the ideas were spectacular - huge anthropomorphic mobiles, futuristic tree houses, a waterfall of colourful bulbs, concrete flower beds and steaming whirlpools had all been brought to life in these creative show gardens. An hour or so could easily be spent exploring here.


Upstairs were more ambitious, large-scale projects as well as stands selling ready-made water features, swimming pools, lawnmowers suited to a cricket pitch and every other type of garden accessory, whether practical or merely an object of desire. We saw a display of David Austin roses from England, took part in a competition to choose one's favourite garden style, we could buy shrubs and bulbs, or just admire the numerous creative ideas. After picking up various leaflets for future inspiration, we convened outside at midday to walk along the road to the Papagallo Italian restaurant for a very leisurely lunch and a chance to compare notes. And Heidi and Helga made appointments for later in the day for a 15 minute interview with Hester about their own gardens. A great opportunity for a little recognition for our two modest but knowledgeable chairladies.

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