Almost the last post from Chelsea...

The Horticultural Trade Association is reporting that Bank Holiday sales for some retailers were at an all-time high, with concern that good quality bedding plants are now in short supply.

So what's all this got to do with Chelsea Flower Show? Well it would appear that the blanket coverage it received from the BBC certainly fuelled the public's thirst for furniture, barbecues and plants, even if it wasn't the greatest telly.

Whether or not the weather played a part in the equation is subject to debate but a promotion around Chelsea Flower Show plants such as clematis and roses resulted in a 20 per cent increase in sales.

Follow me at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Sadly that's the last post from this Chelsea 2010 - a bit of a triumph for the organisers, show gardens and growers.

Follow my scribblings at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show...

Stately lupins

Some flowers really do have architectural qualities. Take this amazing display of lupins on the Westcountry Nurseries stand - what an impact they would have in any border. But if you look carefully, they resemble a well-known New York landmark.

Nice to think that maybe the humble lupin was the inspiration for the Empire State building.

Chameleon paeony

Believe it or not, this is the same paeony. "Coral Charm" from Kelways starts off flowering a deep rose pink and then tranforms through shades of pink, light apricot and yellowy cream.

Clever things some flowers...

Eye-catching iris

I can't let Chelsea Flower Show go without selecting my favourite iris on display - and boy what a selection there was to choose from - orange, brown, fawn, purple, burgundy, etc


Then I found it - tucked away on the Hardy Plant Society stand: Iris "Jane Phillips" - a beautiful understated pale blue that would lighten the dingiest corner of any garden.

Local interest

I always check out any local interest at Chelsea and it was good to see Capel Manor (in conjunction with John Woods Nurseries) doing one of the Generation gardens, which are tucked away in the Grand Pavilion.


Entitled "The Upwardly Mobile Garden", it has been designed for a professional couple in their first home and who have had a garden makeover to improve the value of the property.

The focal point is the six foot plus Cornus Venus which has a lovely contrast of creamy blooms against dark green foilage. The rest of the planting is a mix of flowering shrubs such as roses, hydrangeas and heathers, low growing foilage plants such as hostas and Coprosma repens, an occasional ornamental grass and a generous smattering of flowers such as diascias and lavender.

Great North Run tribute

A really clever concept can be found on the Gatsehead Council stand in the Great Pavilion.

The designers have reproduced that iconic image of the start of the Great North Run by erecting a scale model of Newcastle's Tyne Bridge.

The clever bit is that they have planted a host of pansies to represent the runners.


Don't they just look convincing...