Charming Chelsea Flowers

Well again, I am very behind with my blogging but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to record this year's visit to Chelsea Flower Show last month.  It's been lovely to look back over these snaps and reflect on how very lucky we were, really the only week of decent (and indeed it was glorious) weather we've had.  I was late in deciding to go because of the bad weather, so I was only able to get an evening ticket which afforded me a quick dash round the show.  Luckily, I have been a few times so I have a good idea of what I want to see though I was gutted when I watched the tv coverage to see I'd missed the gorgeous work hut created by Kaffe Fassett.  No, I didn't manage to nab some groovy transport like this to get me to the flower show, it was just the train and the special flower show bus!

In we go then, dodging the ticket touts who are always after your ticket.

The grounds of the Old Chelsea Hospital make a wonderful backdrop though I'm sure not all visitors actually realise it is there, I know I didn't for a few years.

I was decidedly underwhelmed by the large show gardens this year.  Too much hard landscaping for me and not enough pretty planting.  Any plants tended to be the obligatory green/white/purple mix.  It's always difficult to get near enough to see them, you really just have to be patient - and determined.  I looked at most of them briefly and got fed up of seeing all the City types with their champagne flutes, invited by the sponsors, posing inside the gardens and getting in the way.  I paid to see gardens not people, thank you.  Oh dear, get off your soapbox, Hen.  


Here are a few snaps of some of the passable ones, anyway, people cropped out!

I was really looking forward to seeing this garden with the retro caravan but I'm afraid I didn't really love this one, either.  I most liked the curtains.  (It took me ages to get a shot without loads of people going in and out of the caravan, of course.)  I thought a lot of the planting was very wild looking this year, not in a pretty cottage garden sense, and didn't look much different from the weedy uncultivated patch at the bottom of my garden!

Good to see  a tribute to Her Majesty in her jubilee year.

The new area of "Fresh Gardens" was a massive disappointment.  They were all so very modern, loads of hard landscaping not enough plants (again).  Is this meant to be a garden?

Let's find something better, shall we?  I've probably given you the impression Chelsea was a big disappointment this year.  It really wasn't, even just wandering round, especially on such a glorious evening, is a pleasure.  Yes, the show gardens were not my cup of tea (they might be someone else's, of course) but the floral pavillion never disappoints.

Stunning peonies...

David Austin's new rose for this year, oh golly, I adore this but how many peachy/pinky many-petalled roses does a girl need?  Hmm, maybe just one more?

The delphiniums are always statuesque and superb.

Peter Beales' Roses stand always looks just gorgeous and smells heavenly, too.

The displays were certainly impressive...

I always really love these hyacinths and marvel at their perfection, mine are always floppy (I think they put slim wires inside?)  Again, they smell amazing.

Let's not forget that Chelsea is also about shopping.  ONE DAY, I will have my dream greenhouse!

Also, these bronze boxing hares, pretty please.  Don't they look beautiful amongst those meadow flowers.  This is the sort of "wild" I do like.

I was blown away by this lady's paintings which I'd not seen before.  So much detail, so beautiful, gorgeous colours.  Ohhh, I'd like one of those too?

Very much!

There was even a smattering of scrumptious vintage to keep me happy though the prices were somewhat out of my league.

Finally, as I rushed off to catch the last show bus, I found my favourite thing of the show.

I don't need to explain why, dear reader, do I?

If you get the chance, go go go, it's an opportunity not to be missed.  You can't please everyone, can you (and I'm pretty darned choosy!)