If you are visiting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this season, Jean Vernon offers some things not to miss.
Sensational Gardens
Most people go to RHS Chelsea to be inspired by the gardens. This year there is a new category of gardens called All About Plants. These gardens champion the positive impact of plants. There is also a row of Balcony and Container Gardens showcasing ways of using compact spaces to their full potential and designed for urban living. Each and every plot offers ideas to take home, must-have plants as well as innovative design ideas and latest trends that could be used to transform your own garden. There are 38 different garden installations, large and small throughout the showground. Use your catalogue and map to find them all and don’t miss the Sanctuary Gardens that embrace the healing benefits that gardens offer to all who spend time enveloped in their beauty.
Heavenly Houseplants
One of the WOW factors of the autumnal 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower show was the House Plant Studios. The incredible diversity of the plants, their form and structure and the different ways to display them with drama and flamboyance, or subtly stunning scenarios was breathtaking. The brief is to dress each studio so that it represents any room in the home, so be ready for anything as long as it’s fun, funky and fabulous.
Floral fresh and floriferous
The Great Pavilion at RHS Chelsea is a melting pot of fabulous flowers, foliage and horticultural expertise. Where else would you find spring flowering plants alongside prairie beauties, early flowering bulbs and woodland wonders? Just how the nurseries manage to hold back or bring on their horticultural wonders is a secret they rarely divulge. If you have a fancy for a new collection, a fresh border or a cluster of triffids to brighten your plot you will find all that and more under the Great Pavilion canopies. Some of the world’s finest nurseries and plants will on display from world experts. It’s a great opportunity to get expert advice and ask those burning questions from the people that really grow.
Shop until you drop
I’ve always fancied doing a supermarket trolley dash at RHS Chelsea Flower Show; can you imagine the fun you could have??
I think it would be quite easy to spend a few hundred thousand pounds if you ever had that budget to spare. But for the rest of us, even just a ticket to this incredible extravaganza is a fairly chunky sum of money. So if you are going, make sure you make some memories, do your virtual shopping spree, but buy something that can and will remind you of your special day out. You don’t have to spend thousands; you could buy some gardening gloves, a special tool or even some seeds to grow for your garden.
Take lots of photos
Chelsea flower show is an amazing photo opportunity. From the fabulous gardens to the extraordinary plants, there’s something for everyone. If you forget your notebook, use your phone to record the things that you like and the stand that they are on. The information boards are really helpful and will allow you to look things up when you get home. If the plant isn’t labeled you can get advice online to its identity if you can’t find someone to ask on the day. A photo stream is a great memory aid and will help you relive your wonderful day out at the greatest flower show on earth.
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