Chelsea Flower Show 2013 Part 1

After years of turning down invitations to the Chelsea Flower Show, I finally decided to go and see what the fuss about was for myself.  It might be me getting older but a day out surrounded by flowers seemed like a fabulous idea.

I went with one of my besties for whom it was also the first time.

After the turnstiles, we saw so many heads. I had a little panic and wondered if we should retreat after seeing how crowded it was. 

But I will categorically swear that I have never been surrounded by a more polite and civic minded lot in all my life! That many people and not one scuffle, one misplaced elbow, or a muffled sigh.  Everyone was so well mannered and I am now officially a huge fan of gardeners!

I will be showing you my own pictures but I will also link it to the Royal Horticultural Society's website of each respective garden for you to see better pictures and explore further if you wish.

This Windows through Time Garden 
was the first of the show gardens we saw.  

As it was by the entrance, it was busy and hard to take proper pictures but it did win gold so do please click on link!

I am by no means an expert in the matters of gardening. 

I just like what I like.

Yes, very nice.

Love an outdoor fireplace.

Now the bottom garden was the Coutts Seeability Garden.

Nice enough but it did nothing for me and then I find it only won Silver Gilt. So maybe instinctively we all sort of know about nature?

I got completely distracted by these garden cabins.  

If I had the space I would love one in what would most likely 

be my neglected garden.

After some window shopping, we saw a garden that needed more than a cursory glance. It was Wastelands by Kate Gould Gardens.

It was an urban garden that was meant to previously be an industrial space.  The grates and concrete are a vestige of its former life but spruced up with humble and varied height planting.  ( I have been watching Alan Titchmarsh on the telly darlings. Can you tell?)

Via the RHC website

But my favourite detail and touch of up-cycling was this bathtub cut in half to serve as a garden chair. 

Now this is the type of garden where you need to know the genesis of the idea otherwise you scratch your head.

It's the Stoke on Trent's Story of Transformation garden.

It only won silver but I thought it was lovely with its vertical planting, balance of flowers and shrubs, and water features.  So I was back to thinking I should shut up about my opinions.

Just as an FYI - the structure on the left is a homage to its pottery and kiln heritage of Stoke on Trent.

The following garden was a very unique one called "After the Fire".

As the name indicated, it was simulating a garden after having been in a fire and symbolizing regeneration of nature.

The following was the BrandAlley garden.

I quite liked the interspersed oversized urns and the curvy path.

It was obvious but I didn't expect so many stores to be exhibiting.

Standards were so high that even barbecue sellers had 

the most amazing planters!

I wasn't convinced by these sculptures.

Below was the most charming garden called the 

Mindfulness Garden that won gold.

Judging by the crowd in front of this garden, it just might be one of the more popular ones in the show.

It says, "Learn to be silent - let your quiet mind listen and absorb in silence - you will see benefits in all things." 

Went for an afternoon snack and saw this ad.

I wanted to take this home - this is sort of my slogan.

Saw a few bargains. This garden hut was on sale.

Oooh, what a bargain! Half price and all.

Saw a few ideas for my "garden".  This vertical ceramic planter 

was interesting and feasible for urban areas.

This is for the Aussies!

Not only gold but also best show garden!

Please don't call me unpatriotic but it was a bit boring to my untrained and uneducated eye.

But what do I know.

The pod thingy was kinda cool.

Only VIP's were allowed to enter and also it was extra crowded being the best in show.

The garden designer was there and was nice to see him as he has had so much press and seems very bubbly.

Of course another reason why the area was packed could have been because the BBC and its gardening star Alan Titchmarsh was filming all the Chelsea flower show broadcasts next to the garden.

The flower sculpture below was done by Marc Quinn.  He is the famed sculptor who moulded Kate Moss into clay and had the honor of putting his work on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square.

He said that it had something to do with - you guessed it - nature.

To read about it further, click here.

The Stop the Garden below rather suited the late afternoon.
I thought it should have gotten gold instead of silver.

I have a feeling that if I had a garden that it would look like this but without the trees or the lawn, just the mulchy bit.

This garden evoked an interesting reaction from gardening newbies like my friend and I.  At first we saw it from this angle and were surprised it won a Gold.  

I thought it might have won because it was a Brewer Dolphin garden and it is a brand name in the gardening world.

But the more and more we saw it and walked by it, 

it completely grew on us.

So now, I am thinking if I have enough space then 

this might be a garden I might copy.

Even companies took the opportunity to do some clever marketing by having a stand at the show.

Liz Earle had a little herbal patch showcasing the plants it uses in its products.

I must show you my personal favourite 
of all the show gardens.

It is the gold medal winning East Village Garden.

It had all the elements I like in a garden.

A curved path, a water feature, and a varied height of plants and color from shrubs as opposed to only flowers.

The lilies and irises didn't hurt either.

The biggest question mark for me was this garden called 
the Telegraph Garden.

To my uneducated eye, all I saw was unfinished woodwork and and over cramped hedges.  There wasn't even enough room to walk around inside it even if you were allowed in!

If I didn't know better, it looked like someone ran out of money 
to finish lacquering the wood because 
all the money went into trimming the shrubs.

This was the Laurent-Perrier Garden that also won gold.

The Arthritis UK Garden won both gold and 

the People's Choice Awards for show gardens.

Last but not least, the garden that got the most headlines.

This was the B&Q Sentebale Forget-me-not Garden.

You may think this garden got most of its publicity due to the royal patronage of Prince Harry in conjunction with his work with one of his charities working with the people of Lesotho.

The press was saying it was about grief and of course that was a great segue leading back to the memory of Princess Di.

But actually the real news headliner was the use of an ornament that has not been allowed in the last hundred years of the show.
What is that in the distance?

Gnomes?
I thought they were real elves because gnomes are sooooo not 
Royal Horticultural Society!!!

So it was only appropriate that someone who is an actual blue blood break this tradition and start making gnomes fashionable again!

 I apologize to those garden experts out there with my lack of knowledge but in any case this is for those who were unable to make the show. :)
I will be doing Part 2 shortly that will show the artisan gardens and all the goodies that were inside the Pavilion.
Thanks for joining me so far!