I don't know about you, but I have been glued to the Chelsea Flower Show coverage on BBC1 and BBC2 this past week. I have never been to the show itself, but I do like to watch the programmes. Here are some of my favourite gardens and I think they all have 'floofy' planting in common. The photos are all from the RHS Chelsea website
here. Not for me the best in show choice, with clean lines and restricted beds of plants. I like the exuberant planting where things are allowed to spill out. Irises featured strongly in a lot of the gardens as did foxgloves. First is the Homebase garden by Adam Frost, with lovely native countryside plants.
I really want one of these tree trunk seats (when I get my slightly bigger garden...no harm in dreaming!). It looked such a peaceful and relaxing place.
The Hope/Help for Heroes garden had more beautiful planting and lots of grasses. It symbolised the journey through recovery for injured members of the armed forces and won the People's Choice award too. The other great thing about it is that it is going to be a garden for injured service people to use, so will have a new life helping those very people it was designed for.
Cleve West always has lovely planting schemes.
This was the No Man's Land garden with a mound at the back with natural planting, symbolising the trenches in the battlefields slowly being taken back by nature.
The Topiarist's Garden was in the artisan category and had incredible attention to detail. The planting was mainly white and green.
The Night Sky garden was another lovely example of planting combinations and used lots of white flowers to represent the stars . The black background had little brass circles on it which did look as though they glinted.
Another view of the Night Sky garden.
Finally, the Potter's Garden, another in the Artisan category but again showing such an eye for detail. Call me old fashioned, but these gardens all appeal with the planting and the atmospheres they conjure up. I'd be happy to sit in any of them. Now that Chelsea is all over for another year, it is strange to think that all this beauty has vanished, as if it had never been there at all.
I loved what I saw of Chelsea Ellie. I love the more natural garden designs rather than anything too formal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne. I'm not too keen on too much formality - I just wouldn't feel comfortable with all those straight lines on show. There seemed to be lots of naturalistic planting this year which was lovely to see. I'm hoping that one year, I might actually visit in person!
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Beautiful photos! I can't believe how gorgeous it all is, I bet you felt like you were in a dream! Chrissie x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chrissie. The photos aren't mine, sadly, as I haven't yet made it to Chelsea. They are from the RHS Chelsea webpage and it is well worth a look http://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show . The TV coverage did make it all look gorgeous though. One day, perhaps I will go!
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Yes, I have been watching too, every evening!! So nice to see my favourite gardens back on your blog!! I really hope you can go there one day.... It would be heaven for you, wouldn't it? Lots of love from Mirjam.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mirjam. I hope I can visit one day too, although I think it would be a very busy show and quite difficult to see everything you wanted to, due to all the other visitors! Also, I do like to buy plants when I visit a show and I don't think there is so much opportunity to do that at Chelsea.
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
This is great - I haven't seen much of Chelsea Flower Show this year but I feel like you've just summed up the best of it for us here. Such inspirational planting, and I love that tree trunk seat too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your recommendation for the Women In Art programme. I haven't seen it yet but I heard someone (Debora Moggach maybe?) raving about it on Radio 4's Front Row a few weeks ago and it sounded interesting. One to watch on the iplayer. x
Thanks, Gillian. I think my choices show that I am a cottage gardener at heart. Despite other garden trends trying to sway me (and occasionally succeeding, such as prairie planting, which isn't really possible in a small garden), I always come back to the cottage style.
DeleteI enjoyed the second part of The Women in Art programme last Friday - third and last part this Friday. I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to see it. There was also a programme on Women Pop Artists presented by Alistair Sooke, BBC2, I think, which was also well worth a view.
Best wishes
Ellie
Hello Ellie!
ReplyDeleteThe Chelsea Flower Show is such a huge inspiration and I would dearly love to go one day. We have something almost as good here in the Loire Valley which has international acclaim but rarely picks British winners merely because it foolishly sees The Chelsea Flower Show as competition. It's held in the grounds of the Renaissance Chateau of Chaumont.
One day I will make it to Chelsea! Your pictures have inspired me!
Stephanie
Thanks, Stephanie. Will you be going to the flower show at Chaumont? I'd like to go to Chelsea one year too... until then, I'll make do with the TV coverage and photos on websites!
DeleteBest wishes and have a good rest of the week.
Ellie
What a fun way to get ready for our upcoming England vacation! English cottage garden is my favourite type of, but I have not been able to make one for myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mari. I hope you have a lovely vacation in England. Cottage Garden style is my favourite too - I hope you get to see some lovely gardens while you are here.
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Dear Ellie,
ReplyDeleteThat's it....it's now on my bucket list. Chelsea Flower Show with Ellie (hope it doesn't rain). In another 3 or 4 years - can be buy tickets that far in advance do you think? :)
Maria
Thanks, Maria. That sounds like a fantastic idea! I think the tickets can be bought a year in advance, but 3 or 4 years may be pushing it! I look forward to when we do go...
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie