For five days in May, the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, are home to the world’s most famous flower show and pre-eminent horticultural event - the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Eden Project's garden 'The Key' is a garden with a story to tell. It has been created in collaboration with people who have experienced exclusion, finding themselves homeless, in prison or otherwise struggling with life. The garden begins with a journey through dense planting in sombre tones of red and purple. Sinuous paths are thickly mulched with thousands of second-hand keys, symbolising both imprisonment and release. At the end, however, is an open, inviting space, sheltered by a bright, modern structure of recycled timber and glass. The edible plants surrounding this area, as well as many of the other plants in the garden, have been grown in prisons and hostels around the country, and the planting is a celebration of the social nature of horticulture.
Leeds City Council's HESCO Garden is an American-style rain garden, with a design around the management of excess water in the garden. Leeds recreates a stone cottage in the shelter of a wooded, rocky bluff, complete with a typically rainy day - pulses of water running from the cottage roof through storm water planters and down into the garden.The bowl-shaped design directs surface water down into a main pond flanked by shallow overflow pools. Steel mesh gabions of reclaimed, locally-sourced stone from civil engineering sponsor HESCO are densely planted with ivy, making living walls that further absorb water.
The Perfume Garden by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins is an olfactory journey through time. They have recreated a perfume that was originally manufactured for Queen Elizabeth 1 and combined it with more modern ingredients. Every plant in the garden has a function in the creation of scent and visitors can try the recreated perfume for themselves.
Alongside the larger show gardens, there are the urban and courtyard gardens so, plenty to choose from if you want some design inspiration.
In The Great Pavillionyou will find spectacular displays from Britain's nurseries and growers. In the continuous learning section, scientific and educational exhibits tackle the theme of gardening with climate change and provide a fascinating insight into what’s in store.
The Floral Design Marquee highlights the best in flower arranging. The Marquee hosts floristry, floral arrangement and the junior gallery and, of course, you will be able to buy
hundreds of gardening products, gifts and accessories from many of the leading gardening and horticultural suppliers.
Just like plants in the Great Pavilion, many new gardening products make their debut at the show.
Chelsea Flower Show runs from 19th - 23rd May and you can find out more about the show at the Chelsea Flower Show website.
|
|
