Julian at Chelsea Flower Show

Almost the last post from Chelsea...

2010-06-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

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...

Top rose

2010-05-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

Choosing a favourite rose at Chelsea is like trying to narrow down your all-time favourite footballer - a tough ask because there are so many to choose from.

For me, the one that caught my eye this year was a new introduction from Peter Beales Roses. Rosa 'Notre Dame De Calais' is a stunning creamy white variety that can be used as a small climbing rose or scrambler.

The blooms are semi-double and scented. Watch the thorns though - it inherits these from parent 'Maigold' - so is ideal to use as an intruder deterrent in less secure parts of the garden.

The rose is destined to adorn the grounds of its namesake, the recently refurbished Church Of The Notre Dame, in Calais.

Small flower - big name!

2010-05-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

Prize for the plant with the longest name at Chelsea must go to sinocalycalycanthus raulstonii 'Hartage Wine', a new introduction from Hillier Nurseries.

It was developed by Richard Hartage, head gardener at the JC Raulston Arboretum in North California by crossing sinocalycanthus chinensis and calycanthus floridus.

The deciduous shrub has glossy green foilage and lightly-scented, semi-double burgundy blooms that resemble certain varieties of clematis. It flowers from May to September and the leaves turn butter-yellow in the autumn.

Nice one Hilliers...

Vote now!

2010-05-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Place your vote in the Chelsea Flower Show People's Choice Award, where you the viewing public get the chance to say which show garden you thought was top at this year's show.

My vote will be for the Roger Platts designed M&G Garden - a picturesque, traditionally British affair that has clever planting which enables the garden to look interesting in all light and weather.

The wooden structures and the circular pool provide a perfect backdrop for the flowers, shrubs and hedging.

Two of my colleagues have called me a "traditionalist" and a "plant hippie". That's not so - in the Small Garden category, my vote goes to A Joy forever, a contemporary sunken garden which has been designed for entertaining.

Let's face it - we would all like either of these in our back gardens!

Right heat for Chelsea

2010-05-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Weather is always a key ingredient at Chelsea, especially after the Winter/Spring that we have experienced.

Exhibitors were expecting the worst when the record temperatures hit us at the start of the week - nets were being draped over gardens to protect the plants from the fierce sun.

For some garden designers, it all got a bit much and Mark Gregory, in particular, sought sanctuary in his water feature - a handy-sized plunge pool in the Children's Society Garden.

Thankfully, things have cooled down a bit and the gardens and exhibits look an absolute picture with the majority of the flowers none the worse for wear.

Saves everyone's modesty...

Best show garden

2010-05-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Winner of the Best Garden In Show for the second year in a row was The Daily Telegraph Garden, designed by Andy Sturgeon.

His contemporary gravel garden echoes the Fynbos of the southern Cape, the Maquis shrub land of the Mediterranean, the Chaparral of California and Mexico, and the Matorral of central Chile, with its exotic planting, defined spaces, open clearings of sparsely planted gravel and rear courtyard, which houses a shady cork oak.

Rectangles of rusted iron provide a themed structure throughout the garden. His planting includes purple salvia, brown irises, yellow verbascum and sun-tolerant architectural grasses.

Tree of knowledge

2010-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

One of the more unusual exhibits is the RHS Tree Of Knowledge which is in the Continuous Learning section in the Grand Pavilion.

The 5-metre tall tree was designed by Tom Hare and is woven in willow. It was created to mark the 2010 United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity.

With the countryside and open spaces in urban areas under increasing pressure from planners and developers, a wider understanding of the importance of maintaining biodiversity will help reduce the impact of decreasing green space in gardens. An interactive RHS display allows visitors to learn more about biodiversity.

Among the other exhibits in this section:

The Capel Manor stand demonstrates how greening urban areas can reduce crime rates.

The Centrepoint garden introduces the production of 'Superfoods' - plants that can be grown in an urban environment with medical, healing and very high nutritional value.

Indoor Garden Design has created a 'Living Office', which demonstrates the importance of indoor plants in an office environment.

The UK Climate Impacts Programme exhibit shows how plants can be used to help create a better environment within our changing climate.

Thai takeaway

2010-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

Seems there was just time for a takeaway on the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden exhibit, which features elements of a Thai temple amid bamboo, orchids and other indigenous species.

Still, the team deserved a break as they have had to contend with problems shipping plants, etc, caused by the political troubles in Thailand - and the Icelandic ash cloud.

Rain forest in sunny SW10

2010-05-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

How do you bring the Cameroonian rain forest to Chelsea?

Well that's the conundrum that my pal Jane Owen and her partner in crime, Anne Marie Powell, spent eight months planning and deliberating. Sponsored by Green & Black's, they wanted to raise awareness of the threat to the rain forest in Cameroon and to the local population there.

The result was a most unusual courtyard garden complete with indigenous plants such as Ficus lyrata (the fiddle leaved fig tree) and cultivated banana palms. The AK47 was a nice touch on the side of the stand. All that hard work earned the girls a Gold medal.

In the picture, Cameroonian women build the traditional Mongulu leaf house which forms the centrepiece to the garden.

A funny thing happened on the way home...

2010-05-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Funny story of the week so far involved a former colleague of mine, Peter Seabrook.

The Sun's long-time gardening correspondent had a photographer here taking picture of Chelsea. When it was time to pack up last night, Peter was not to be found so the snapper left the pictures by his car.

Peter drove all the way home to Chelmsford unaware of this. At some point later, his wife noticed something on his windscreen and asked him if he had been given a parking ticket.

Upon inspection, Peter found the missing picture CDs still lodged under his windscreen wipers.

Lucky escape...

Borneo Bill

2010-05-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite pictures from the photocalls I attended at this year's Chelsea Flower Show was the one with Bill Bailey.

Here we see the 'part troll' holding a new breed of nepenthes from Borneo Exotics, named after him. Let's be honest, how would you feel immortalised by a... scrotum-like object - there I said it!

Not only that, but in the press melee that ensued, poor old Bill got his shorts well and truly soaked after being urged to sit on the wet moss that makes up much of the stand.

You're a trouper, sir!

Streptocarpus wins top award

2010-05-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well done to Lynne Dibley, whose unusual dolly mixture shaded Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Blue’ was named as the 2010 Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Plant Of The Year.

I tipped this plant to top the voting at the inaugural Plantsman Conference - and it polled a massive 29 votes from specialist growers.

Streptocarpus are one of those plants that gardeners either love or hate but they are surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. This one is bound to encourage converts!

It's Chelsea 2010

2010-05-25T05:47:00.001-07:00

Chelsea Flower Show 2010 is now live and the crowds are pouring in - read regular reports here throughout the week!

Alternatively, check all things green at julianinthegarden

Wet, wet, wet

2009-05-25T03:01:00.000-07:00

Chelsea had the odd shower - but nothing like the rain we are getting this past couple of days. Not so nice for those on holiday - but my garden is beathing a sigh of relief from the downpours. Check out my garden posts at http://julianinthegarden.blogspot.com/

Young person's 'Chelsea'

2009-05-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

On the back of the Chelsea Flower Show, garden designers of the future will showcasing their own 'mini' gardens during the half-term break (May 23-31) at RHS Wisley. A number of schools across all age ranges have created 1 metre by 1 metre gardens, many following the theme of growing vegetables. 'The environment' is also another major theme with gardens featuring bird feeders, recycled newspaper pots and even a bee 'cafe' and frog 'hotel'. Blue Peter presenter Chris Collins will be judging the competition. Chris was on hand at Chelsea earlier in the week - pictured (right) on the Centrepoint stand with James Sheehy (a student from the charity). Centrepoint provides opportunity to study horticulture at Capel Manor College for homeless young people

2009-05-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Another school very evident at Chelsea Flower show was Writhlington School. Pupils embarked in March 2009 on a trip to Sikkim in the Himalayas to take part in the Gangtok Schools' Orchid project. This has furthered the work of the botanical team at the school and resulted in a stand in the Continuous Learning area in the Grand Pavilion. Pictured here is Luke Barnes, laboratory manager and pupil at the school, examining seedlings brought back from the expedition

Young florist of the year

2009-05-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

A proud Joseph Massie (from Fishlocks) shows his Gold Medal after being crowned Chelsea Young Florist of the Year for florists aged 16-25. He beat off stiff competition from Heidi Lawley (Lindsay Barrow Designer) and Vicky Rymell (from Hubbards), both of whom also captured gold for their innovative designs. The British Florist Association (BFA) is responsible for finding contestants for this and all other major European design competitions

Learning to grow

2009-05-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

It's great to see children actively involved in a garden at Chelsea Flower Show - Ranelagh School produced more than a third of the produce on the Learning to Grow small garden, including beetroots, spinach, swiss chard, carrots and potatoes. Peter Seabrook, gardening correspondent for The Sun and coordinator for the garden, said: "They've done a fantastic job. Many of the vegetables would put a seasoned gardener to shame. The potatoes are even ready to harvest now." Part of the role of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is to promote and fund education for garden design and techniques, particularly among young people. So it was no surprise that Alan Titchmarsh was on hand today to congratulate the children - he launched the RHS Campaign for School Gardening Alan Titchmarsh Award last month, which enables schools to apply for £500 grants to get them started growing fruit, vegetables and flowers from September 2009

Top florist

2009-05-21T01:45:00.000-07:00

Neil Whittaker (from Design Element) has been named Chelsea Florist of the Year, beating off stiff competition from a host of mainly female competitors. He won a Gold Medal alongside Louise Roffrey and Saroch Promsiri (both from Southwark College) at the Chelsea Flower Show

Gold again - and a new record

2009-05-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

With all the cookery programmes on TV, we could be forgiven for associating herbs with just taste and smell - but they also look good as the display on Jekka's Herb Farm stand shows. Jekka and Mac McVicar first started planting organic herbs in 1984 at their home in Bristol and following this year's Gold Medal has set a new record for consecutive golds by a female floral exhibitor at Chelsea Flower Show, beating Beth Chatto's previous mark of 10. They have now amassed an amazing 62 golds, 14 of which have been won at Chelsea

World view to sculpting

2009-05-20T07:14:00.001-07:00

Sculpture has always been a part of Chelsea Flower Show so it comes as no surprise that there are 55 stands exhbiting all kinds of shapes, sizes and materials made by home-grown and international talent. Scupltors from Africa were especially evident and I could have walked away with a number of the exhibits from Zimsculpt.com, a studio based in Harare, Zimbabwe. I particularly liked this one...

Perennial problem

2009-05-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

If last year is anything to go by, some 65,000 cups of tea and coffee, 54,000 glasses of Pimms and 5,600 bottles of champagne will be consumed by visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show. But despite additional blocks put in by the organisers, the queues to the conveniences still remain a source of frustration...

Durban strikes gold

2009-05-20T04:37:00.001-07:00

On Monday, the Queen was quite taken by the City of Durban exhibit in the Grand Pavilion so I went to check out what all the fuss was about. It is not like anything I have seen before. There is a wonderful fusion of ideas. A modern metal arch representing the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which is one of the venues for the World Cup in 2010, hangs over contrasting cultural elements and environments. One is a coastal idyll, another ethnic Zulu art - all interwoven and bordered by rich flora from the province. After two years winning Silver-Gilt, they finally achieved a worthy Gold...

Floral art

2009-05-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's the gardener in me that has always thought of flower arranging as just chucking a bunch of blooms into a vase and popping them on the wundow sill. My eyes have been opened by the incredible contemporary arrangements on the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (Nafas) stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. This stuff is not out of place in an art gallery...

A dream fulfilled

2009-05-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

The appearance of the National Collection of Dahlias at the Chelsea Flower Show in the month of May is pretty unusual, if not outstanding. That was the 40-year dream of advisor to the collection, Jon Wheatley, who rightly earned a coveted Gold Medal and the President's Award, given to the best exhibit in the Grand Pavilion. The dahlia normally gives us that splash of colour late summer and into early autumn. Read the full story how he defied the natural cycle and got more than 70 cultivars to flower three months ahead of schedule at Times Online

Gardening Q&A

2009-05-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

Look who I bumped into - Jane Owen, another Times Online gardening writer, beckoning me to join her in the RHS Gardening Matters Marquee, which hosts talks by gardening experts covering all aspects of gardening and design. Jane is compering these Question Time-style Q&A sessions along with James Alexander-Sinclair and Wesley Kerr. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis so visitors to Chelsea can go along free and hear their favourite garden expert expounding matters floral.

Less affluence - but feel the quality

2009-05-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

Chelsea Flower Show had been hit by the economic recession, with eight less show gardens on display and a number of notable corporate absences. But those who did turn up have lifted the gloom that could have permeated the showground at London's Chelsea Hospital.

The designers of show gardens and floral displays alike have put real effort into producing exhibits that show what can be done on tight budgets - the results being thoughtful and often ingenious use of flora and less about dramatic landscape and avant garde structure.

The QVC Garden and the Laurent-Perrier garden illustrate sound design and subtle planting that is transferable to most people's plots of land. My favourite was the Cancer Research Garden, which was a little more challenging with its white walls and spherical sculptures - but even there, nothing was terribly overstated and there was a flow to the whole exhibit, whichever angle you came at it by.

That said, there have been some who have produced quirky and offbeat features, such as Tony Smith's 36,000 slates that make up The Quilted Velvet Garden or the sculptured tower of recycled material that forms the central part of the Future Nature garden.

Even in the Grand Pavilion, a sense of fun abounded. The Cayman Island Department of Tourism stand had an amazing underwater garden made of up humble sedums and succulents that mimic an undersea coral reef and the National Association of Flower Arrangers' Societies remarkable floral arrangements of cut flowers, in shapes that look like solid objects such as vases and screens. I could even forgive the fish tank of pirhanas that looked menacingly at me when I took a photograph of them.

The show is open to the public from May 19-23.

Huge medal haul

2009-05-19T03:54:00.001-07:00

While only three gold medals were awarded to the main show gardens at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, exhibitors at the Grand Pavilion weighed in with 46 golds in what Bob Sweet, Head of Shows Development for the Royal Horticultural Society, described as a "firework display of floral brilliance"

Best in show

2009-05-19T01:52:00.000-07:00

Swedish landscape architect, Ulf Nordfjell, has scooped up the Best in Show award at the Chelsea Flower Show (and a gold medal) for his modern garden which is a fusion between Scandinavian style and English planting. Take tour of the garden here

Picture perfect

2009-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

After all the panic, power cuts, internet access disappearing, late night and early morning blues, the show garden pictures are done. Take a pictorial tour of the main garden exhibits at this year's Chelsea Flower Show (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/chelseaflowershow)

Celeb spotting

2009-05-18T03:16:00.000-07:00

I nearly got killed in the rush to take pictures and talk to Dame Helen Mirren (pictured right with BBC presenter Nicki Chapman). Dame Helen was looking forward to viewing the small gardens and has a passion for hydrangeas (or 'mop heads' as most people know them). I'm with her on that one...

Underwater odyssey

2009-05-18T03:02:00.000-07:00

Mermaids? What are they doing at Chelsea? These two models (Rosanna, left, and Ursula) look right at home in the Cayman Islands stand. Guess where all the Fleet Street photographers were? Poor old Professor Robert Winston was feeling a bit lonely at his photocall which took place at the same time. He was there launching his namesake, a red rose from Harkness Roses...

Snail power

2009-05-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

You need some serious slug pellets to deal with this snail. Fortunately this is not a scene from Dr Dolittle but one of the giant creations from Willie Wildlife Sculptures (http://www.williewildlifesculptures.com.au).

It's all gone dark...

2009-05-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

Help - someone put the lights back on! First power cut of the day at Chelsea. Mind you, the shade loving plants in the Floral Marquee loved it. Journos in the Press Room were less impressed. All this technology and not a generator to run everything...

Batten down the hatches...

2009-05-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Exhibitors to the Chelsea Flower Show were bracing themselves for high winds that have been forecast for Press Day. The Met Office warned the Royal Horticultural Society that gusts of up to 45mph are expected on Monday afternoon, round about the time that the royal party will be viewing the show. Hang on to your hats - and the corgis...

Wet and 'orrible

2009-05-17T02:35:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day! I pity the poor old exhibitors trying to do their final tweaks in this weather. Mind you, the Perfume Garden people are so behind that they may need swimwear by the end of the day (see picture). Speaking of water, a stand that caught my eye was the underwater garden from Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, in association with Newington Nurseries, which gives you an impression of a coral paradise a few fathoms under. Hopefully, it won't get that wet...

Show preview

2009-05-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

There is always an expectancy on the final weekend of set-up of the Chelsea Flower Show. The Saturday and Sunday supplements are packed full of articles tempting visitors and enthusiasts alike. Check out Times Online's coverage which includes interviews with Joe Swift and Alice Bowe, both who will be covering the show for the BBC. But if you are like me, you'll love getting a sneak pictorial preview of some of the floral debutantes to the show...