I wrapped up warm for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. The
show happens at that time of year when the weather can really do anything.
Sometimes it is so hot you are desperate for any hint of shade. Or it can be so
cold that constant hot drinks are the only way to keep warm. Fortunately the
loos are always very nice at Chelsea.
This year’s cold spring made it tough for the nurseries who
supply the show. It is always a delicate balancing act getting plants to be at
their peak for the end of May. Each spring is different and this year it was
about a month late. Most years the gardens are perfect regardless of the
preceeding weather but this year was different. I saw several gardens with
flowers still stubbornly in bud and blossom trees without blossom. I found it
rather charming, however, to see show gardens that were closer to everyday
garden reality instead of impossible perfection.
One local nursery who struggled valiantly with the weather
to supply Chelsea
is Barters, in Chapmanslade. Jamie Dunstan’s ‘As Nature Intended’ garden was
designed around plants that we rely on in our daily lives. Barley is an
important ingredient in many beer drinkers’ daily lives and it was used as the
ground plane in Jamie’s bold and uncluttered design. The cold weather meant the
crop was not flowering in time for the show but it still created a calm, green
foundation for the well-balanced and restrained design.
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| Jamie Dunstan's garden |
The Barters barley was growing on Main Avenue, the central area for the
large Show Gardens. Prince Harry’s Sentebale Garden,
Ulf Nordfell’s Laurent Perrier Garden
and Christopher Bradley-Hole’s Daily
Telegraph Garden
were all within hailing distance. The Telegraph Garden
was another design with a predominantly green colour scheme but the subtle
variations of height, texture and form created a mesmerising and tranquil
tableau.
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| Telegraph garden |
If subtlety and restraint were the watchwords for the Main Avenue
gardens, the Australian
Flemings Garden,
which was at the Avenue’s far end, was an exuberant contrast. Featuring plants
from across Australia,
the garden was an exciting design that even included the sounds of the
Australian bush. I have family in Australia and have been bushwalking
there many times. I can tell you that this garden really did capture the drama
of the Australian countryside. It deserved the Best in Show award, although
this did generate controversy among some of the old guard.
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| The Flemings garden |
I find that you have to take Chelsea show gardens with a pinch of salt.
Most of these gardens are not possible in real life. They have been dressed up
to create eye-popping impact for one week in May. But, Chelsea is a rich source of ideas that you
can interpret for any private garden. Prince Harry’s Sentebale garden had some
beautiful hummocky groundcover planting that included a plant new to me,
Leptinella squallida or Green Brass
Buttons. It was planted with other groundcovers and accents of Forget-Me-Nots.
This kind of groundcover planting could replace your lawn, much less
maintenance and more eye-catching!
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| Sentebale Garden groundcover planting |
Chelsea
on Press Day is great for spotting famous faces. Ringo Starr was the most
familiar face I saw but there were many others, including TV chefs Jamie
Oliver, Raymond Blanc and Antonio Carluccio. Outdoor cooking was a popular
theme and that smoky barbecue aroma is hard to resist on a fine summer’s
evening.
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| Ringo Starr on the Water Aid garden |
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A couple of faces I recognised because they were from Frome,
rather than the silver screen, were John Collins and Jo Illsley. John Collins’
company Straysparks had a stand exhibiting his ornamental wrought iron work.
His garden trellis had been shortlisted for an RHS Product of 2013 Award. Jo,
who runs the Mells
Walled Garden,
supplied the lovely planting that graced the stand.
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| Straysparks' John Collins |
My favourite Chelsea
garden this year didn’t win a gold medal, but my opinion often differs from the
RHS Judges. The Cloudy Bay garden was in the Fresh Garden
category, where designers are asked to think outside the box. I didn’t think
the design was especially innovative, although the use of rammed earth as a
walling material is unusual.
The garden
elements were beautifully balanced, however, and the design had that special
quality that makes you want to explore the garden further.
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| Cloudy Bay garden |
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Of course the sad reality at Chelsea is that the public are not allowed to
enter the gardens. For Health and Safety reasons, I expect. So your garden may
not be a Chelsea
beauty but at least you can get out and enjoy it. And perhaps a little touch of
inspiration from our local Chelsea
stars will add some extra glamour!
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