RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018

Oh Chelsea Flower Show, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.....

1.  Magnificent Gardens

Gosh, where do I start?

The M&G Garden, a worthy gold medal winner designed by Sarah Price.  Delicately planted with great eye for coordination.
People often tell me that Chelsea Show Gardens are not relateable to 'everyday gardeners', but I think this simple pot and planting combination is easily done in a small space.  I loved this pot detail very much.
The David Harber and Savills Garden surprisingly only received a bronze medal.  I know that the judging of gardens is now far stricter and more objective then in previous decades, but I admit to being surprised at this receiving bronze.
I thought it well planted and it viewed well from different angles.
The Wedgewood Garden designed by Jo Thomspon received a gold medal and I thought it elegant.
The Welcome to Yorkshire Garden received gold and has to be a contender for the People's Choice Award.  It is beautifully and carefully done and on a hot sunny London day, felt like a breath of fresh air.
There are many gardens that are supporting worthy causes at the Show this year, the Myeloma UK garden designed by John Everiss and Francesca Murrell won gold and rightly so.  It is a rare and incurable condition that this garden raises awareness for and it does so extremely well.
This Artisan Garden, designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes, the Viking Cruises Wellness Garden has planting that stops you in your tracks.  It is superb and I was not at all surprised that it won a gold medal.
I am going to have to say though, I know it is a spa, I know that the pine sauna is a key part of the scene and works alongside the plunge pool; but it does rather stand out against the soft planting.

There are more gardens, I will write of more gardens, but I need to continue with my list:

2.  The Floral Pavilion

The Floral Pavilion is full of scent and colour and exuberance.
There are banks of specimens to drool over.  If you like lupins then this is the Chelsea for you, so many lupins in so many gardens and then more in the Pavilion.  It was lupin-tastic.
A highlight of the Pavilion is always the Birmingham City Council display, this year it commemorates the Windrush Generation.
There are sights to astound such as hellebores in late May on the Ashwood Nurseries stand.
and the always superb display from Hardys.
Regular readers will recall that I recently attended the Hillier press day that announced their plans for Chelsea.  It was a joy to see the final exhibit.
Whilst we were there, Kieron Williamson who has been dubbed the 'Mini Monet', was creating a painting that will be sold at auction to raise money for the Wessex Cancer Trust, a charity that Hillier supports. Just to give you an idea of how much of a prodigy fifteen year old Kieron is, his first painting that sold when he was six reached £14,000.  I think my children are just not trying hard enough......

and finally for this post;

3 the extravagences
There are many wonderful things to buy at Chelsea, the price range goes from the pound or two up to the many.  This is a bespoke playhouse made by Wallgarden.  My children would have loved this when they were small.

and my personal favourite, that every year I stand in front of and whisper 'it shall be mine, oh yes, it shall be mine',
The Willie birdbaths, they are way beyond what I could spend on a bird bath but I love them nonetheless and might be a purchase if I ever win the lottery.

4.  finally, this time really finally, the happiness

I always enjoy Chelsea, I always think it is fun.  I don't know if it was because the sun shone most of the day or if we are still all glowing a bit from the weekend's Royal Wedding; but there was a real happy vibe at the show.  Everyone seemed happy, the gardens shone in the sun, it was a day of sheer enjoyment.

I will write more later as I have glossed over much.  This show is too large to contain in one post.

RHS Chelsea Part Two

RHS Chelsea Part Three

Comments

  1. Agree with everything. Really surprised about the david harber garden. Best show for years. Plenty to see.

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    1. I can only assume it’s not to do with the quality of the DH garden but maybe interpretation of the brief? I know that they can lose points on that.

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  2. Thanks for sharing. We don’t see much of it over here, just a brief glimpse on TV.

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  3. I thought the LG Eco City Garden was very impressive. Stunning actually. Just looking at it makes me feel very happy.

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    1. Yes I liked that one too - there were lots of good gardens this year

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