Chelsea Flower Show 2010

About a week ago today, I was in the early morning lineup to the one-and-only Chelsea Flower Show. Chelsea is a big deal around here, and having first attended last spring, this time around I knew that for the best viewing – sans enormous crowds – you must be there when the gates open. Any outsider seeing the early morning lineup could have easily confused the feisty old gardening ladies jostling for position for teenage girls waiting to see their latest pop idol. Security guards repeatedly warned us “not to surge” and “proceed slowly and calmly” once the gates opened.

Like most, the highlight of Chelsea for me is the large show gardens. Designing a Chelsea garden must be one of the most demanding artistic endeavors imaginable, not to mention a logistical nightmare. And of course it’s also a pricey undertaking - one exhibitor told us the average price tag of each large show garden is around 3.5 million pounds!

You can find all of the information about the show gardens (and more) on the Chelsea site, but here are some of my highlights from my 9 hour marathon visit.

M&G Garden by Roger Platts
A very traditional cottage garden with some of the most amazing planting I have ever seen. Given that cottage gardens have been done a lot, it's quite remarkable to still be able to wow an audience with one. If you were actually allowed into the garden, I could have spent hours sitting in this one.







Daily Telegraph Garden by Andy Sturgeon
Many people’s (and my) favourite garden at the show, which is an impressive feat considering the unbelievable quality of gardens this year. The inspired mix of Mediterranean and English made for an innovative design which set this garden apart (and earned it ‘Best in Show’). I loved the colour scheme, plant choices and pairings, and well-integrated modern design elements. They don't get much better than this.







Laurent-Perrier Garden by Tom Stuart Smith
I really, really liked this garden. Again, planting was stunning (it seems that this year's theme was rich, loose, naturalistic plantings, which was nice to see). The contrast with modern design elements and shaped boxwood made for a well balanced composition.





Kebony – Naturally Norway by Darren Saines
This garden got mixed reviews from our group of visitors, but I really liked it. The combination of bold, clean modern elements against naturalistic plantings created a powerful visual contrast. The focal point was a gnarled pine, taken from a rock face in a Norwegian quarry along with about 4 tones of rock to preserve its roots. I don't really agree with taking such plants from the wild, but I’m telling myself that maybe it was actually saved from impending destruction. I asked if they were planning to put it back afterwards, but they didn't seem too impressed with that idea. It was going to be planted in a garden instead - hopefully it will survive.





The Tourism Malaysia Garden, by David Cubero & James Wong
This is one of the first times I have seen a well designed tropical garden. Often ‘tropical’ just means a whole lot of random, large-leaved plants. In this garden, however, plants actually appeared to be carefully chosen - predominantly dark green foliage contrasted with lighter ferns and rich burgundy and brown foliage and bark. Set against white stone and dark wood hardscaping, the overall effect was great.



I could go on and on about Chelsea, but it's really something that has to be experienced first hand. It's worth the treat. Just make sure to get there early to avoid the crowds!

Countdown to the Chelsea Flower Show

In just under one week from now, I will be at the Chelsea Flower Show. THE Chelsea Flower Show. I’ll just let that sink in for a little bit.

In the very unlikely case that you are not familiar with the Chelsea Flower show, it is nothing less than the greatest flower show on earth. It’s the gardening world’s equivalent of the Oscars. The thought that I will actually have a chance to witness it firsthand is almost overwhelming. I hope I make it to next week.

Chelsea is where the gardening world assembles every spring to strut their stuff, have a peak at latest and greatest in horticulture, and hand out prestigious awards. It sets the gardening trends for the year, brings new designers and concepts into the spotlight, and previews all new things in gardening. Yes, gardening is that fashionable when it comes to Chelsea.

The show features many things, but probably the most famous are the large show gardens, which have gotten more and more extravagant over the years. They are sponsored by large companies, charities, or even royalty. During the week of the show, the whole Chelsea Hospital grounds are transformed into several fully mature gardens, with extravagant hardscaping, and fully grown perennials, shrubs and trees. Plants are flown in from around the world for this – not very ecologically sound, which is a little ironic given the horticultural theme of the show, but just to give you an idea of the scale of the whole affair.

Another showpiece of the Chelsea Flower Show is the Great Pavilion, where exhibitors from around the globe display the latest and greatest in plants. Chelsea is often the first place where many new plant introductions are previewed. And it’s not just about the individual plants, but also about the displays as a whole, which can get quite elaborate. And in case all this is not enough, there are also many other features at Chelsea, like smaller urban gardens, courtyard gardens, floral design and gardening product stands.

There is only one slight blemish on my first trip to Chelsea. This year, due to the economic recession, there will be fewer large show gardens than normal - 13 instead of 22 in previous years. Less corporate sponsorship means that even famous designers like Diarmuid Gavin were not able to secure sponsorship. Flemings, an Australian landscaping company which has created some buzz over the last few years will also be absent as much of the their stock was lost in the Australian bush fires. Some exhibitors will also be missing from the Great Pavilion. On the bright side, this may give some new designers a chance at fame and glory as well. And also gives me an excuse return next year!

The full report on Chelsea will follow the week after next!