The countdown has begun to the year’s horticultural high point – the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, starting next week and sure to capture the hearts and minds of gardeners all over the country.
The world’s most famous flower show is set to be another cracker this year. Among star names on Main Avenue are top designers Sarah Price, Jo Thompson and TV’s Chris Beardshaw. There’s a whole new category, the Space to Grow gardens, offering take-home ideas for you to recreate in your own garden. And in another first, Ranelagh Gardens is staying open to the public well into the evening on Friday for ‘Chelsea Late’, featuring live music and entertainment as well as the chance to see the gardens in twilight.
Ten show gardens will strut their stuff on main avenue. Among the highlights are Sarah Price’s creation for show sponsor M&G, described as a sensual garden of water, earth, light and shadow. The Lemon Tree Trust Garden, from debut Chelsea designer Tom Massey, is a communal garden for refugees in Iraq; Hay Hwang has created a futuristic ‘Eco-City’ Garden complete with vertical forests; and the Trailfinders garden is inspired by a South African wine estate, designed by another first-timer, Jonathan Snow.
The Great Pavilion is once again a paradise for plant lovers, right at the heart of RHS Chelsea. Over 90 exhibits from the world’s best nurseries, growers and florists will cover every type of plant you can think of, from orchids and carnivorous plants to roses, clematis, summer bulbs and alpines.
The RHS Feel Good Garden, designed by RHS/BBC People’s Choice Award winner Matt Keightley, highlights how gardening can make you feel happier and healthier, and this year’s Plant of the Year will be unveiled from the season’s new introductions.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from 22-26 May; for more details visit www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea.