It's Show Time!

If you have noticed extra flowers in shop windows this week it is because it is Chelsea Flower Show time.

 

As an expat it has been quite difficult for me to understand the British passion for gardening. At school, gardening was considered a form of punishment, here in England gardening is a national pursuit. And Chelsea Flower Show, taking place every May, represents the apotheosis of gardening. Every year tickets are sold out well in advance. This year marking the 100^th year anniversary the tickets were gold dust and the show was packed like never before. 

Historically Chelsea Flower Show opens the season of social events in Britain. Followed by Wimbledon Tennis Championship, Ascot horse races, polo matches and so on, Chelsea Flower Show is the place to be and be seen in society. Ladies wear their best, and champagne and Pimm’s (an English gin-based summer drink) is served from 9am in the morning!  A member from the Royal Family usually visits on the first day. Queen Elizabeth II, the present monarch, is a great supporter ‘of the greatest flower show on earth’; even more so this year thanks to the involvement of her grandson Harry, who designed one of the gardens.

I am lucky enough to know a few of the exhibiting garden designers and I always manage to get a ticket and learn something new about gardening. This year my friend Freddie got me a ticket. As responsible grown ups we decided not to drink champagne before 10.30 (!). So in a true Chelsea Flower Show style we started with gossiping, catching up with news of
old and new friends. After a good coffee I was ready to face the gardens. Like any art form, I have learned the language of garden designing, trying to appreciate what makes a good garden or what makes banal or predictable use of plants and flowers. Chelsea Flower Show gives you the chance to broaden your mind, you really see it all! You have the chance to see original use of water fountains, colours, trees and installations of sculptures like you have never seen before. The gardens can be very large or very small. I would love to have some of them in my back garden. In front of some of the gardens there was a big crowd and I wondered what the attraction was. In some cases there was a big celebrity name behind the design or a famous sponsor. In the case of Prince Harry’s garden, I could not even approach the garden as there were so many people. On the other hand, some gardens had security guards protecting them so no one could approach them; in one case there was a really rare frankincense tree, in another garden there was a bonsai which the garden designer went to pick up personally in Japan and shipped back with a first class ticket. In yet another, there was an orchid which was guarded by 2 people.

Countries can present a garden and this year Best Show Garden at the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show was awarded to Trailfinders Australian Garden presented by Fleming's. The gardens compete for recognition. There is a committee of judges who can award gold, silver-gilt or silver medal. There are so many rules and regulations. For instance one of the rules is that gnomes are not allowed in any garden. This year marks an exception where one garden was allowed gnomes, I suppose it is a chance every 100 years...and the judges are so strict, as soon as they notice an imperfection or a discrepancy they disqualify the garden or demote it.

My friend Freddie was only awarded Silver last year because two stones in the pavement were not meeting as they should have or something peculiar like that! This year he got Gold! You don’t win anything actually, but you can say you have a gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  

The Great Pavilion dominates at the centre of the show; inside you can admire old varieties of flowers and plants as well as new species. It is a real feast for the eyes and for the nose.  This year in order to celebrate the 100^th anniversary one could admire reproductions of old photographs of the Chelsea Flower Show at the beginning of last century - a real treat. You could see fantastic dresses and hats. 

I really enjoyed myself this year. I have only one only regret:  I didn’t see the gnome.

Written by Ivette Laviola

www.rhs.org.uk