out of the bubble...

Building a show garden is ridiculously stressful - you work in all weathers, at all hours and end up living on biscuits and various fast food purchases, but I would not give it up for the world.

You meet and get to know better the most wonderful bunch of people you could ever imagine, who understand exactly what you are going through and are there to provide support when you are feeling at your lowest and high five you when you are on top of the world.

I was very lucky to be working on this showgarden with a great client team and fantastic design team (as I have blogged about before) and the actual build went better than I could have hoped.

Here is a little pic of our motley design team crew - (from the right) Alex Bell of Alex Bell Garden Design, James Steed of Outdoor Living Space and myself. (picture courtesy of Three Counties Agricultural Society)

A special shout also goes to all the guys from Outdoor Living Space who worked through snow, wind, rain and hail to get the garden built to our very odd yet exacting standards - thank you all.

I will be doing a few more postings soon about the garden and the general show escapades later this week, but I will start off with a few pics of the very special 25th Anniversary Garden for the Three Counties Agricultural Society, as seen in Malvern last week.

PS - if you want to see it again, come and visit the forthcoming Three Counties Show, where the garden will be open once more for visitors before it is dismantled.....

they're off...

There will be a small pause in posts from the ecospot, as we are all heading up to the beautiful Malvern (very early tomorrow morning) to complete the build of our latest show garden project - the huge, 25th Anniversary Garden for the Three Counties Agricultural Society, in readiness for the opening of the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

If I get a chance, I will try and stick a little update up here, otherwise you will have to content yourselves with my Twitters, which should get more frequent when I am on site.

And you never know, I might even say something interesting. You can follow me here.

See you all soon...

time for tea...?

Just a really quick post - a huge congratulations to Gaynor Witchard who produced a beautiful garden at the recent RHS Cardiff show and was awarded a Silver-Gilt and Best in Show.

With a gentle, cottagey feel, the garden was wonderfully delicate, and I have been assured that the vintage china teacup birdfeeders we produced for Irene's Garden fitted in perfectly.

Official photos will follow - until then have a look here... (click the tiny 'more images' text in the top left of the picture to see more details!)

Well done again Gaynor!

road trip...

Those who visit the wonderful Malvern Meet blog cannot fail to have noticed the ticking time bomb counting down the very seconds until the start of the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

So therefore it will be no surprise that I spent one day last week driving up and across half of the country to go and look at stuff.

The itinerary read as follows:

5.45 - leave Brighton. eat a whole bag of licorice allsorts for breakfast by the time the first service station is reached. fill up with petrol as I realise my petrol gauge is not working.

9.30 - arrive at the Three Counties Agricultural Society in Malvern to see what's occurring on site.

9.31 - find Nina and drink an enormous cup of coffee

9.32 - out onto site....And - the garden is looking amazing. Jim Steed and his guys at Outdoor Living Space are doing a sterling job with the detailing slick and bright.

The amelanchiers are blossoming (which is a bad thing, as they will probably be over by the show), the cherries are not yet (which is good), the turf is lush and the pool is Olympic. My excitement could not be contained as I took a whole load of pics before my short sleeved southern arms froze off in the biting midlands wind.

A couple of hours later and back into the minster to drive across the beautiful countryside to Northamptonshire where a section of polytunnel housed a chunk of planting for the garden.

The drive was lovely and quiet, and we stopped at a tiny pub in the middle of nowhere to have a spot of lunch. A goats cheese panini later and we were back on our way.

2.30 - We arrived somewhat later than we had hoped at Manor Farm Nursery, but we were welcomed by Gordon and the promise of a cup of coffee in ten minutes. We trundled up the track to the polytunnels to see the awaiting plants.

They are looking good - slightly smaller than we had all (including Manor Farm) had expected for the time of year, but we have been lulled into a supreme sense of complacency with the winters of late. The continued bands of snow have only extended the dormancy of the plants, who are really just starting to wake up to spring. We need sun, and we need it now to get the plants to their best for the show.

But Mother Nature will not be told. She will do what she does, and if required, I will source some extras for here daan saaaf where we live in a comparative Mediterranean environment.

3.00 - The promised cup of coffee was drunk (along with a biscuit) and we wound our little way back to the sunny coast.

6.45 - A total of 13 hours later, I sat down and ate chips for tea, exhausted, but content in the knowledge that it is all coming together...

apothecaries and apologies...

Again it seems as though I have abandoned this poooor little blog.

Spring has sprung on the south coast, and the amount of work I am trying to squeeze into the time my eyes are open has expanded beyond the time my eyes want to stay open. Subsequently, the blog has been a little neglected.

But no matter, I am here now, so I thought I would write a true diary post about what I have been up to.

I have attended a wonderful seminar, arranged by the Design Council and South East Design all about Designing for Sustainability, which was held at the truly beautiful Stanmer House. There were other wonderful people there and we spent the afternoon talking about carbon calculations, life cycle analysis and closed loop designing before redesigning an object that one of us had brought with us as an example of bad design.

The main speaker for the event was James from Giraffe, who was fantastic - just like a brilliant lecturer who can get you excited about the strangest of things, like carbon calculations. For example, using carbon calculations, you would have to use a ceramic mug 1000 TIMES before it outweighs the amount of CO2 used in the manufacture, transportation and disposal of the traditionally eco baddie that is the expanded polystyrene cup. Interesting eh?

But do not despair. Do not rush out and fill your kitchen cupboards with disposable cups (unlike our local hospital....). Just continue with your mugs and use them till they bust. Then continue to use them as plant pots or crocks.

I also trawled around Lewes looking at fantastic antiques that I cannot afford. Including these AMAZING apothecary drawers, which one day I will have an entire wall of, or I will find a lovely lovely client who will allow me to specify mountains of them for an interior.

We walked around a preserved iron age barrow and settlement and met a dog called Rory and his owner.

I also met a new client, have designed a micro market stall for a local trader using reclaimed timber and done my end of year books. My printer has broken, but the engine of our Morris Minor is being fixed (piston number 4 needs replacing). I have redesigned our website, but have not programmed it yet.

We also created a range of teacup bird feeders for Gaynor Witchard (who will be using them for her show garden at Cardiff at the end of the week), using these lovelies, and started to assemble another batch for a forthcoming showgarden at Malvern.

And of course, Malvern is getting dangerously close. Even though we have been on site since February, the show suddenly seems just around the corner, and the relentless countdown on the Meet at Malvern site is not doing much to calm my nerves. But things are going well, and I have been told that our decorative pool is so large I will be able to do my lengths in it every morning. Sounds good to me. Oh - I have also started to blog for both Meet at Malvern and the Three Counties Agricultural Society website, so take a look for my specific show garden ramblings.

Last but not least, I have been involved in the setting up of a new and (almost) completely unrelated business to my own.

The wares are natural and delicious and more details will follow very very soon...

can you guess what it is yet?

Brighton is Green with Architecture...

The last week has been quite hectic here in the claire potter design studio.

First off, last Saturday, we were delighted to be exhibiting at the Brighton Green Architecture Day, organised and run at the Sallis Benney Theatre by the wonderful people at the Brighton Permaculture Trust.

We were one of a number of exhibitors who merrily talked to the lovely people who attended about eco design, solar panels, composting and timber building.

Our stand was, well, as could be expected, quite quirky.

We split the services we provide into three strips (exteriors, interiors and product design) and zoned the table with a little recycled cardboard box sculpture.

For the exteriors, we had a little picket fence holding back an explosion of cress,

for the interiors, we had a little house with an LED inside.

and for the products, a little flat and pop up cut out of lights, desks, chairs and general stuff was created.

And because we were not able to put anything on the wall, we utilised an old hospital privacy screen that had been salvaged from somewhere and been kicking around the studio pleading for a new life by attaching scraps of timber, painting them up into blackboards, attaching some bulldog clips and scribbling all over them with our markers. (watch out for our 'wardy board' at other events ecospot spotters...)

There were fantastic talks on the day (including by our chum Tim at BioTecture and Ben Law of Grand Designs fame) and my exhaustion was remedied by the lovely contacts I made and by drinking fairtrade coffee.

If you are local and did not attend, put it in the diary for next year.

Saturday done, Sunday beckons, and by a spritely 10.00 I was on the Brighton Seafront Arches stretching my legs to run my 6 miles for Sport Relief.

11.00 I started, and I finished at 12.20. Pretty slow, but there you go - I did it, and it is the furthest I have EVER run. I could have done it faster, but I have made the mistake of training at night (at around 0 - 6 degrees) and our Brighton run was in lovely spring sunshine (at around 16 degrees). This blistering heat wiped me out until my body woke up and adjusted after three or so miles.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN to everyone who was able to sponsor me wandering around the course - it means stacks to both me and the reams of people your money will help support, both here and in the UK.

A video will follow of my meanderings, so watch this space...

stick it in my sock...

As an addition to my last post all about running, I can now announce that I am running the full 6 miles for Sport Relief on Sunday 21st March - all along the (hopefully) wonderful Brighton promenade.

If you are able, and indeed would like to, you can stick some of your hard earned pennies in my little sock on my online donations page.

click here to get to the sock.

And remember, all the money trapped in those toe warmers will go towards helping people in need in both the UK and overseas...

thanks all.

Bring back the Green Goddess...

The first post I wrote in January was all about the dreaded New Year's Resolutions and how I was putting together a small plan for my 2010. And two completed months in, I am still smiling to strangers, have been to the farmers market and I have only been caught out without a bag once.

I have also started to run. Now, for many, this will be an 'and?' moment, but this should be understood - I have not done ANY running for about 8 years, and have a very dodgy knee courtesy of relentless damage from ambitious snowboarding activities over the past 10 years.

So, even in the bitter cold and white out conditions of January, I have been donning my running gear and venturing into the sharp night air - determined to get fitter with good old Mother Nature.

I am now up to 3 miles a night, which is not a massive amount, but I am progressing at a steady pace. I have lost weight and my continued sinus aggravations have lessened. I love it and I am set to run (I think) 6 miles for Sport Relief later this month and 10K dressed as a super hero (exact one to be decided - suggestions welcome) in May.

But when it comes to the bits and bobs and gadgets for runners, are there any green options? I think the fact that I am pounding the pavements rather than in a stuffy, expensive gym is a start, but when it comes to renewing worn out kit what is about?

Let's start with the feet - we all know that trainers are never going to be high on the green front, but a few companies are trying to find eco solutions for the construction of components. One such company is Brooks who have developed a degradable midsole which breaks down when consigned to landfill and form each one rather than 'cookie cuttering' them out of a single sheet, so reducing waste. They also have an outsole made from a sand based rather than oil based compound, so pretty good.

Next - socks. Organic cotton is obviously an option, as is bamboo - which is super soft, helps to draw away moisture from a sweaty tootsie and are, well, lovely.

So - onto the trews - Organic cotton again is an option (these look nice), but you can also find options in hemp and soy fibres. Good companies to look at include Patagonia and LuLuLemon, good old Howies and the lovely Gossypium.

T-shirts are based on a similar vein, but you can also get recycled polyester versions as well as the organic cotton and bamboo sisters.

And you can even wet your whistle with a reusable and recyclable aluminium drinking bottle from Sigg, or with a recycled plastic one such as these from Orla Kiely.

Post run? Pampering can come in many forms, eco, naturally formed and ethically sourced.

Want to do some good when you run? Well, how about Eco Running - get fit and clean up the streets.

So there are - no excuses - get out there and make the Green Goddess proud!

Oh I do like to pootle up to Malvern...

I do love winter - I can be quite a solitary character and the hibernation suits me quite well, but I cannot help but get a little excited when the first snowdrops pop their head above ground and the sun makes a welcome (if not slightly watery) return.

But what really makes me excited, and if I am brutally honest, a little tense, is the realisation that the wonderful Malvern Spring Gardening Show is but a figurative stones throw away.

I have blogged many times about how much I adore Malvern and what we get up to there, such as here and here, and 2010 is to be no exception. It is truly a wonderful show, with a backbone of wonderful people and we are delighted to be involved once more.

So, what are we up to this time?

Well, the official reveal can be found here courtesy of the Three Counties website, but we are part of a small design team who have the fantastic responsibility for producing a large, semi-permanent show garden feature to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

So, claire potter design, Alex Bell Garden Design and James Steed of Outdoor Living Space have joined forces to create a conceptual yet (hopefully) beautifully lyrical space based on the history, present and future of Malvern and the inspirational ripples that have extended from the show into the wider world.

The build has already begun (as reported here by the brilliant Meet at Malvern blog), and you will be able to follow the progress of the space here on the ecospot, here on the Three Counties website and on the Meet at Malvern blog, where I will be doing a series of diaries and guest blogs.

Just a taster post really - so watch this space...

The greenest olympics ever?

It seems as though February has passed my by without so much as a howdi doodi, and I was appalled to see just how long it has been since my last post.

I have not been on holiday. I was a little ill, but nothing too serious. I have just been stupidly busy.

So there you go. Guilt removed.

I have been doing something instead of blogging though, and given that it only happens once every four years, I have excused myself from other duties to partake in the goggle box.

The Winter Olympics. As an avid snowboarder, this is bliss. Halfpipe (well done Torah), Boarder cross (haha, no slip ups with badly timed grabs this year eh?) and then there is everything else. Alpine events, skating, skeleton, curling, hockey......ah - wonderful times...

But this W.O. has caught my attention for other reasons. For a massive, massive event, it is really trying to improve it's green credentials, and I do not mean by being the first resort to try the 'no snow' look.

And here is a little run down of some of the pimped greenie elements...

Medals - although a tinchy amount, the range of gold, silver and bronze medals have been produced this Olympics using some recycled elements reclaimed from defunct computers. Up to now, all medals have been made using virgin mined ores, so this little symbolic action is a step in the right direction.

The Village - as you can imagine, there are huge amounts of accommodation required to house the myriad of athletes, coaches and support teams travelling to the Olympics. But utilising the opportunity to really do something good, the nine new buildings commissioned for the village were so uber eco friendly that they actually set a new green standard for North America. Heat recovery systems draw energy back from exhaust heat and even the ocean, and the usual suspects of solar panels and green roofs make the podium.

The Richmond Oval - this stunning skating venue utilises timber that has been affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle and is possibly the largest timber clear span roof in the world, with an area covering four and a half football fields.

The Vancouver Convention Centre - this building also sports a stunning roof of over six acres in area and is blanketed in over 400,000 native plants who sit in a pesticide free, chemical free compost system.

There are also a vast series of temporary and permanent small scale buildings and shelters that have been commissioned to be both beautiful and top notch on the eco scales.

Plus the world's largest hydrogen powered bus fleet is currently ferrying people about the venues.

So, the bar has been raised big style for London 2012. Can we become the greenest Summer Olympics ever?