More from RHS Chelsea 2018

As mentioned in my previous post on the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, there is just so much to see that it is not possible to cover it all in one post; well I suppose I could but it would be very long and you would fall asleep way before the end.
This is The Lemon Tree Trust Garden designed by Tom Massey.  The garden is based on his experiences of visiting a refugee camp in Northern Iraq.
The garden is superbly planted and I was surprised to see it achieved a Silver-Gilt medal and not Gold.  Most importantly though is the message that this garden aims to disseminate.  The Lemon Tree Trust support refugees to build gardens to grow for health and wellbeing.
It is a garden about colour and hope, two very precious things in our current world.
Another garden that is about hope is The Superheros Laced with Hope Garden, a partnership with Frosts.  This garden is designed by Laura Anstiss and won a silver medal.
The charity uses art on shoes to help inspire the sick children.  These small boots show how young some of the children are that they work with.  I love the use of colour in this garden, both in the background painting and how it works with the colour of the plants.  It was clever and moving.
This garden is the Embroidered Minds Epilepsy Garden, designed by Kati Crome.  This clever, Silver Gilt medal winning garden aims to show the journey from the start of before, during and after an epileptic seizure.  The garden does this extremely well, the plants are well chosen and the textures and colours change as the seizure passes.
The Morgan Stanley Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw and is not only Gold medal winning but also Best in Show, is to promote the NSPCC.  Be in no doubt, no matter what this garden cost to build, it will take the name and work of the NSPCC to more corners of the country and world than any advertising campaign could do.

Promotion is the name of the game when sponsoring and creating gardens and a good garden/exhibit that catches the eye is a great shop window.
This is the Flowers From the Farm Gold medal winning display.  I defy you to walk past and not just pause a moment at how wonderful it is.
It is so well done, I thought it charming.
This is the Cherub HIV Garden, a life without walls designed by Natalie Ferret-Cohen, the garden won a Silver-Gilt Medal and aims to symbolise the stigma and fears of children who are suffering from HIV.  This is one of the 'Space to Grow' gardens, this new category gave us some very interesting gardens to look at.
The planting colours worked perfectly with this garden by Tony Woods called Urban Flow.  The garden won gold and rightly so.
This is the Skin Deep garden, designed by Robert Barker and is sponsored by a skin-care company.  It is meant to reflect different skin conditions, this is shown by the different textures of the plants.  It won Silver-Gilt and whilst it looks a bit stark I think it made its message well.  I like the restricted colour palate of the plants.
The Seedlip Garden might have won the best use of lupins award.  It is designed by Dr Catherine MacDonald and aims to show us how beautiful edible plants can be used in our gardens.  The garden is designed to be in praise of the pea and all things pea.  I am going to have to use that word 'quirky', not a word I like hugely but actually I think works well for this garden.  It is not run of the mill and it is fun.  I liked it.
The Pearlfisher Garden, designed by Karen Welman and John Warland uses a fantastic mix of succulents, cacti and airplants.  They surround the aquariums where shoals of beautiful fish make great movement.  It is an unusual garden and a very good one.

I think I shall stop here as the post is in danger of getting too long (in danger you say?..... too late....)  The show is so good this year that there is so much I want to write about, so yes, I think there is one more post to come.

RHS Chelsea 2018 Part One

RHS Chelsea 2018 Part Three

Comments

  1. Space to Grow' gardens is an interesting new category this year.

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  2. These photos are fantastic and makes me somewhat regret not attending RHS Chelsea this year. Looking at the Morgan Stanley Garden again I can't help but feel that this particular garden looks not that much different to the gardens you see in some of London's leafier suburbs. It is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it does remind me of the gardens I worked on in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Still, as you said, it will certainly raise global awareness of NSPCC, and that is always a good thing.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes it is the message that counts most :)

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