Abingdon Horticultural Society chairman and beekeeper, David Bingley buzzes around Chelsea to find the highlights of this year’s Chelsea flower show for Oxfordshire gardeners
If you're lucky enough to be going from Oxfordshire to the world’s greatest flower show, be sure to take your sunglasses for the vibrant colours and this year’s unusually high temperatures in SW3.
The show at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea contains gardens and displays drawing inspiration from around the world and has attracted established and new young garden designers.
The effects of old and modern conflicts are being remembered by the horticultural world as the show marks the centenary of the First World War.
Along the Main Avenue, the must-see show gardens include No Man’s Land created by Charlotte Rowe. This stunning design has three distinct zones with specific features and associated planting related to the World War One battlefields.
Close by, but poles apart, is the Tranquillity garden by the first-time Chelsea designer Matthew Childs. The design highlights calmness, but contains boldness in the patinated copper archways and distinctive planting scheme.
The symmetry of the design is enhanced by the backdrop of the mature garden trees, giving the design that extra dimension.
Turning on to the Royal Hospital Way avenue is a garden from one of the youngest designers to present a show garden. David Rich, 23, and his brother Harry have constructed Vital Earth, The Night Sky Garden, with meteor rocks, copper disc stars and a spiralling Milky Way planting scheme in shades of blue, white and purple leads to a spiral staircase to a night sky observatory.
Princess Beatrice with her friend Holly Branson during a visit
Behind the bandstand, which includes seats for weary gardeners to relax for a few minutes, are the not-to-be-missed Artisan gardens. Along the Serpentine Walk, each of these smaller plots contains a detailed story accompanied by tremendous workmanship and planting skills. Look out for the tour of the Yorkshire Garden celebrating the year when the Tour de France rolls into the county. Ishihara Kazuyuki’s garden design is based on the Japanese fable of Togenkyo, a place of beauty to help people forget their troubles. For many people, their own garden helps them do just that.
Don’t miss the Potters Garden. Abandoned in 1914, it celebrates the power of gardens to evolve and renew.
The Great Pavilion will inspire you with its tremendous variety of stands. Horticulturalists from around the UK and Europe use their stands to advertise their skills as growers with their meticulous plant displays. Granada, Thailand, Barbados and Bermuda each have magnificent floral displays.
A Sailor's Valentine garden
The story behind the floral depiction of A Sailor’s Valentine from Barbados is especially interesting.
You cannot fail to miss the stunning Birmingham display and the Hillier Nurseries monument garden.
Look out for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Plant of the year 2014 and the young florists’ designs of a floral wedding dress – they are stunning. Other highlights include a Peter Rabbit-inspired herb garden.
Fifty years of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition is being supported in the main pavilion, highlighting community gardens, allotments and representatives from young growers from schools and colleges. Alan Titchmarsh is supporting the Britain in Bloom golden anniversary, showcasing his own 50 years in horticulture with From the Moors to the Sea.
The avenues adjacent to the show gardens contain the trade stands, garden equipment suppliers and this year’s garden ‘must haves’.
It was good to see the Kubota Garden machinery manufacturer from Thame at the show, exhibiting their robust mowers and small estate tractors.
No-one goes home from Chelsea empty handed or without renewed enthusiasm for their garden – however large or small.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes place at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, until Saturday. Gates open at 8am. Saturday features a sell-off starting at 4pm.
Call 0844 338 7546 or go to www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea
Ticket prices range from £23 to £68 and must be booked in advance
Two Chelsea Pensioners take in the sights
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