Wednesday 22 May 2024

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show! And a bit more! 😁


 

So what do you think about this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show? I think I’ve seen better but nevertheless there are some lovely displays and there is much to inspire.

I try to push aside the woke/ celebs/ illnesses/ etc etc aspects. I’m afraid that gardening, for me, is an escape and the last thing I want to be reminded of is my illness…or any illness. I find it rather tedious that you can’t look at a garden and just say, ‘What beautiful planting..that’s stunning’… I hate that you have to ‘ go on a journey’! Going ‘on a journey’ seems to be the flavour! I prefer to sit quietly and take it all in, simply rejoicing in the efforts of the designers, the construction workers and plantsmen and plantswomen.

And as for the celebs...I wonder, how many get down on their hands and knees and really get stuck in? They always seem to feature the same old celebs…why? I wish they replace them with plants…such as new plants, planting ideas, colour combinations etc!

This year, so far, I’ve loved seeing how certain plants are being used to full effect. Take the beautiful Geum, for example. The range of colours have improved enormously and for me they are a garden must.

I also watched, avidly, whilst a lovely man from Peter Beale Roses, showed us how they do the grafting on to rootstock; I thought that their new rose, ‘With Courage’ was beautiful. 

It was good to see the young, Lithuanian designer, Ula Maria, winning gold with her ‘Forest Bathing Garden’…




I quite liked the mgr ‘Changing Tides’ coastal garden, below…



I liked the planting in The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with The National Trust..as seen here, below…




But I have to say that I do miss my two, favourite garden designers, Chris Beardshaw and Andy Sturgeon!

I also cast my mind back to the late 1970s / early 1980s, when I visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show a number of times. Teaching in Surrey at the time, I could hop on the train, after school, and spend the evening at Chelsea! I remember one delightful evening, sitting and listening to the band that was playing music in the bandstand. It was lovely. I also remember the tube trains being jam packed with people and their purchases…plants everywhere! 

I will never forget my first visit to RHS Chelsea and walking into the Great Marquee…the colours hit me!A real WOW! moment!

Yet, back in those days, everything was far more simple! I have some old programmes from those days…my treasures! They have some very interesting adverts in them!





And this is in the 1977 programme…suggesting an alternative to peat!




I’m sure that we all used Baby Bio products!









Apparently, the garden that we all want is…

The Woolworth Garden!




How different that is to the show gardens of today!





I guess that many of us remember Percy Thrower?








It will be interesting to see the result of, ‘The People's Choice’ garden! 



This morning, I popped to Plant World, my favourite little nursery. The main reason was to have coffee and a natter with my son and my daughter. We don’t often have the chance to get together and I treasure these moments more than anything! 

The cafe overlooks the River Teign; it’s a lovely spot to sit and chat. As we did that, the skies became darker and darker and then came to rain. So we didn’t get the chance to walk around the plants for sale.

I did however, take photos on my way into the cafe. They really do this so well…







And finally!

Early this morning, just after 8am, Nich sent me this, saying, ‘A Poppy has popped! ‘ 

I’m rather excited for him as he has always had the gardening bug and he and his wife are now planning their new garden…isn’t this lovely? 






2 comments:

  1. It doesn't seem that a year has passed since the last show. It's lovely to see beautiful displays, though some of the recent 'gardens' have been quite strange.

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  2. Gorgeous! Great fun looking back at the programmes too. I haven't been to Chelsea flower show but did go to see the Chelsea shops this year as they decorate them with flowers while the Show us on, blogpost coming eventually! I seem to have missed most of the programmes on TV this year but haven't seen anything that has really caught my eye, no doubt they are much better at the Show. Last year I lived the Sarah Price garden with all the glorious irises, wonderful colours.

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