RHS Chelsea Florist of the year.

This year at Chelsea Flower Show, this year's theme was based on 'A day at the races'. The competition was set in two halves Senior and Junior, each competitor had a jockeys vest to design and build which was co-ordinated by the British Flower Association.
Some of the detail is simply jaw dropping !

My other contribution this year was to make this life-size 2D willow sketch of a racing horse to set the scene, here it is being hung from the grand pavilion on show build week and a few shots during press day.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011.

Here's a sneaky peak at our tree feature in the continuous learning area based on the physalis (Cape gooseberry) form (Japanese lantern) as it degrades and exposes its berry.

I've created a 4.5 meter tall piece with a handsome canopy made from a combination of willow, steel and tissue paper, subtly illuminated with LEDs.

The project pulled in assistance from the whole family, my three year old daughter presented me with a real physalis stem last autumn "hey daddy, this is for you" and I hung it in my office and drew inspiration, my father in law volunteered his skills more than once, my brother in law helped out, my nephew (Rory) who is an electrical whizz, the wife and finally my Dad. It's a touching realisation that this is 4 generations pulling together, to help me achieve my goals, if ever there was a reminder of the beauty of families...

So onsite last week, I tapped up my friend from Kew, a flower show wouldn't be complete without help planting from Steve, we have ferns, foxgloves, scabious, grasses and lavender all set naturally beneath the foot of the tree framed by a lovely oak bench.

The show is on until next saturday and will be covered by the BBC.

I wonder what my daughter will find this year ..........

The Landscape Show at Olympia Kensington.

Last week we created a show feature for the this year's Landscape Show at Olympia Kensington,
Olympia really is lovely inside, with lots of natural light flooding in and the whole show was very well... erm... organised... by the organisers!
The 2 day event saw a steady flow of professionals seeking out its charms, aimed at urban garden spaces with a huge wealth of ideas and creativity for lovely green interiors too.
We put together a poppy and honey bee installation dressed with hostas, bark and our handsome oak bench.

Here is a view from the balcony, can you spot us?

Significant Figures.

I've got my name in a book... it's alongside several makers that I have the utmost respect for, I am in fact doffing my linen cap as we speak.
It's a book by Derek Reay which logs 86 working artists and craftsmen in Britain, a broad cross-section of makers from a bookbinder to a stone carver.
It feels like a moment in time captured.
Some of the said makers are the last in their line, some achieving the highest awards their industry can bestow, all carving out a path of their own.
In the foreword section of the book written by David Linley, he reminds us that 'Significant Figures' rejoices in the skills of craftsmanship, it also serves as a prescient reminder of the need to encourage the British government and educational authorities to nurture the skills of such trades in the younger generation and help to preserve them.
This seems so apt at present, for years we seem to have been moving away from anything with a simple healthy process, but then in recent years I've noticed a real change... more and more people are growing, cooking, baking, making, fixing and creating! It's simple stuff, but process is the calming, grounding focus that all our minds need from time to time. Thank goodness for deadlines or I would be far too content and relaxed!

Anyway the author Derek Reay is planning a traveling exhibition very soon, based upon the book so I will keep you informed where and when, but for now here is the section written about me and my sticks:

Please click on the image to read the text.

Available at all good independent book stores, or here.

Poppy seed heads.

These 'Poppy Seed Heads' were designed as a Public Art Feature for a site near to Livingston to marry in with the construction of a new garden center, they are sitting beside the Old Road (A89) to and from Edinburgh.
The seed heads incorporate a steel armature and are woven tightly with a basketry willow. They stand a whopping 5 meters tall and there are 11 in total, some of which lean around and communicate whilst others are a little aloof! They're set against the landscape of the Pentland Hills, which is a stunning site and helps to frame the work.

Incidentally on the drive up North the co-pilot and Sat-Nav system failed me and we were heading as the crow flys directly over the snow laden hills in our 7.5 tonne truck, an executive decision took us around them, safety first!
Standing or driving beneath the poppies is quite a childlike experience and ethereal, which reminds me of being under water looking up at plant life trailing under the surface... hmm, that gives me an idea...

Pastures Primary School, Leicester.

Pastures primary school in Leicester is celebrating it's 20th anniversary and I was invited along this year as part of the celebrations to make an outdoor classroom for the children within the school grounds!

The week before half term, we got busy with some living willow and planted out a whopping 5 meter diameter structure with the children. The living willow will (as you can see in the pictures) is/will sprout some lovely green leaves to help shelter from the sun and light rain.

Inside it we installed some very strong fresh green oak seating and under that some recycled rubber flooring, to make sure there would be no soggy shoes and socks!

It was an absolute pleasure working with this unique school whom whilst we were working with them, they adopted 11 rescue hens, 1 for each class, they (the chickens!) have a very handsome house, see the image at the bottom, and they're producing super local free range eggs for the parents! Very inspiring... Keep up the good work :)

2011 willow weaving course dates.

Please find Tom Hare (that's me!) willow weaving courses running this year at Harcourt Arboretum on these dates:

Living Willow Course - Saturday 19th February 2011 - Tel: = 01865 343501

Plant Support course - Thursday 24th or Friday 25th March 2011 - Tel: = 01865 343501

These Study Days take place from 10.00am to 4.00pm at the Arboretum.
Tickets cost £60.00 (includes a sandwich lunch).

I'll also be enjoying the summer sun (hopefully) and getting my weave on, at the courses listed below:

Sweet Pea Climber Course - 16th April at Spring Wood, South Derbyshire - contact Peter Wood at www.greenwood-days.co.uk - Tel : 01332 864529

Willow Sculpture Course - 23rd/24th June at MusgrovesWillows, Somerset - Contact Mandy at www.musgrovewillows.co.uk - Tel : 01278 691105

Beginners Basket making - 25th/26th June at Spring Wood, South Derbyshire - Contact Peter Wood at www.greenwood-days.co.uk - Tel : 01332 864529

Willow Sculpture Course - 14th/15th July at Spring Wood, South Derbyshire - Contact Peter Wood at www.greenwood-days.co.uk - Tel : 01332 864529

All prices and Information are on the relevant websites, I hope to see you there!

Zantedeshia.

Here is my latest piece created for a new garden centre in Ashford Kent .
The design was inspired by a collection of Zantedeshcia that were on display at the Chelsea Flower Show last year.
Whilst the communication for this started way back in 2010, I have been very excited to see this realised and installed.

My apprentice Andrew Cowling, who has been working alongside me since the 'Vegas project' last summer (blog to follow), is no stranger to digging deep on the final push of a project so a little finishing off on the weave last week...

...and then a long run down south.

Although it was a bright day for part of the installation, the images below were taken as the light had fallen.
I will return with some better images when the building and center is open.
But here's a quick glimpse...

Catch up with Kew.

This is long overdue, but quite apt since 2011 is set to be the third year that the Seed Walk is to be exhibited at the the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
It was way back in summer 2008 that Kew contacted me to discuss the project, the brief was to design and build 10 seed sculptures of Gigantic proportion to celebrate their 250th anniversary and to mark the millennium seed-banks collection of 10% of the worlds rarest seeds now safely stored at Wakehurst place.
Kew brought a shopping list of potentials and I added mine, the final 10 were selected on their ability to translate and be recognised by the viewer and here they are ..








The first five were installed during march 2009 and then I delivered 1 a month to Kew where I ran workshops to help involve the visitors. This was great for me working within Kew meeting some of the UK's most respected horticulturalists and such an international draw of visitors made for a very exciting residency.
It's such a charming space and a privilege to be on-site at those quite times before the gates open, sun rising, parakeets stretching their wings, squirrels scampering in the bins and staff on bicycles... I spent a lot of summer 2009 in Kew staying local and feel a real connection with the place and people... there are far too many people to mention who made this special and contributed to the Seed Walk, there is no denying that this was an Epic project, weaving with frozen sticks, digging narrow 1.5 meter deep holes, sleeping in the back of the van.
The seeds now firmly planted near the main gate are well established and really have nestled themselves into the landscape .
If you haven't had chance to see them yet, 2011 may be the last year, so, treat yourself to a day at the Gardens!

Shaving horse

The shaving horse is a holding device for working wood. I like to think that before the age of the D.I.Y. store most good households would have had one to work timber down to size.
I built a standard H frame horse around 12 years ago when I first discovered greenwood, which is now firewood! This served it's purpose but I never found it that practical having to feed the 'job' (wood) through the 'H' especially if it was a long job.
I've been meaning to make a 'dumbhead' style horse for ages since I had the eye for a Mexican design folding chair that would require some serious draw-knife action. The dumbhead is based on a 'T', so you can slide work in from the side and in and out with ease.
Thankfully a little pocket of downtime allowed me to play and here it is! There's still some fine tuning to do, and to add to my shopping list next time I visit the woods I'll be looking out for a bit of bowed ash, this will become the front leg (singular) and the two existing front legs will be 'retired'. Four legs is great on the flat but on uneven ground they're a pest. 3 legs are the future!

The body and components are all made from left over oak grown at Staunton Harold in South Derbyshire (up the road) and the legs are sweet chestnut.
It was all roughed out with a chainsaw first, then fine tuned with hand tools.
I took the opportunity to rattle out duplicate blanks for my mate to so he could build one too.
The head here was an experimental bit of whittling from way back and I thought it may work for this delicate job, it will need an upgrade soon enough to a good heavy one.

Ironically my families business has been in tool holding specifically chuck jaws for lathes dating back to 1946. My Great Grandfather William Morris was in partnership originally with a man called Dunn, hence the name Mordun, their work moved into a computerised era producing work internationally with my father also William at the helm and here's me building possibly one of the very first holding devices in history operated with my foot... fresh from the tree!
Brilliant! I'm sure he'd approve...