RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 Part 3 – Smaller Gardens & Shopping!

After arriving very early at the RHS Chelsea flower show, we headed straight to the show gardens.

We then had a quick coffee break before exploring the great pavilion.

Now after a rather long leisurely lunchbreak (feet had to recover), we’re ready for the rest. And my goodness there is still such a lot to see!

As the main food area is by the band stand, we strolled down Serpentine Walk and took in the ‘Container Gardens’ another new for Chelsea.

I think most of us know the benefits of containers, they bring in colour, then can be moved out of the way once it fades. Also ideal for growing plants that like different soil types. But best of all they’re portable so you can take your favourite plants if you move!

Container Gardens

Pop Street Garden – Designed by John McPherson

Well you couldn’t miss this garden! It’s clear to see that it really stood out. Bright cheerful colours, just what we all needed after a worldwide pandemic! I think this garden would certainly encourage younger gardeners too.

The Stolen Sole Garden – Designed by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi

Simple but very affective. The dark wall at the back was to represent the darker side of mental health issues. It really set off the lighter coloured planting in the scalloped shaped containers. They are to imitate Arca sea shells, and they made lovely natural containers.

A Tranquil Space In The City – Designed by Mika Misawa

I’m not a fan of Japanese gardens, but this modern take on one was more appealing to me. As the name suggests, it would be a very tranquil place to escape to.

The IBC Pocket Forest – Designer -Sara Edwards

We actually had one of these Intermediate bulk containers in our garden for a while, whilst we were landscaping. We thought we might use it to store water, but it never occurred to me to cut the top off and use it as a container! I wish I hadn’t passed it on now, what a clever idea.

The Hot Tin Roof Garden – Designed by Ellie Edkins

Personally my favourite container garden. I love the large corrugated iron containers, matching the panels on the building. The lush green plants give a real calming feel.

It’s representing a sea side garden, but designed for the city. I could definitely chill out here with an ice-cream.

Talking of ice-cream I’ve just seen an ice-cream stand, I just need to decide what flavour now!

Walking on with our cornets we arrived at the two artisan gardens. These tend to be more naturalistic, and use traditional skills, for example thatching and dry stone walling.

The Artisan Gardens

The Blue Diamond Forge Garden – Silver Medal – Best Artisan Garden

Designed by The Blue Diamond Group Team

This garden was a recreation of an old blacksmiths forge. The detail was astounding even managing to make the thatch on the roof look old.

Beautiful planting created a hot autumnal feel from Heleniums, Rudbeckia, Kniphofia, Sangisorba and digitalis. The use of dark foliage plants really contrasted, and made the colours stand out even more.

Guide Dogs’ 90th Anniversary Garden – Silver Medal

Designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathon Smith

The first thing to draw you to this garden was a young black lab guide dog, absolutely adorable.

It’s hard to believe that it’s 90 years since someone had the wonderful idea of using dogs to help guide people with sight loss. This garden celebrates the 90^th anniversary.

It very cleverly shows a figure cowering in a dark place, signifying how trapped blindness can make people feel. Then a lovely sculpture of a person with a guide dog stepping out confidently down a path. The garden is planted with bright coloured flowers, and you can hear water trickling from a shallow stream. There are edible plants mixed in, which includes fruit trees.

Turning right and heading back in the direction of the rest of the show, we came across the House plant studios.

What a fabulous idea, especially with the big resurgence of indoor plants. House plants are a good introduction to gardening and the first plants I looked after.

House Plant Studio

RHS Retail Wisley : The Office

Designed by RHS Retail Wisley

Aiming to create a relaxed environment to work in. Lushly planted with a plant wall hanging and good old terrariums – a mini plant world in a glass bowl.

N1 Garden Centre: Celebrate Autumn with House Plants – Gold & Best House Studio award

Designed by N1 Garden Centre

Celabrating the colours of autumn with yellows, browns and oranges. Featuring the stunning bird of paradise ‘Strelitzia reginae’ and other tropital plants.

Patch in Collaboration With The Edible Bus Stop: Pharmacy of House Plants – Silver-Gilt

Designed by The Edible Bus Stop

Such a clever idea, this mock up of a pharmacy was proving very popular. I think the idea is, that taking a plant home and nurturing it, is good for your mental health. I think all gardeners already know the mental benefits gained by gardening.

Conservatory Archives: Green Bathroom Retreat – Silver

Designed by Conservatory Archives

This studio shows how suitable bathrooms are for a number of houseplants. I thought everybody had plants in their bathroom.

Forest: Forest in your Home – Gold

Designed by Fran Bailey

I’m not sure about ‘forest’ it’s more like a jungle! If you don’t own a garden, but want to be, literally surrounded by plants, then this one was for you. Plants everywhere, draping from the ceiling and hanging from and walls, with a small space for a book shelf and a comfy chair.

Malvern Garden Buildings Ltd: The Green Room – Gold

Designed by Ian Drummond of Indoor Garden Design

Another brightly coloured garden, to catch your eye. It looked especially good lit up at night.

Giving the impression of hanging from a tree. This houseplant studio was full of plants that you’d find growing up in the trees, like orchids and air plants

 

Sanctuary Gardens – Meet the Celebs!

These gardens are as the name suggests, about helping you feel better, with the power of nature. These were my personal favourite gardens. And where we had the pleasure of watching Adam Frost and Arit Anderson filming

Finding Our Way: An NHS Tribute Garden – Silver – My favourite

Designer Naomi Ferrett-Cohen. Sponsor Gilead.

This garden was to celebrate ALL of the NHS staff, frontline and unseen. To highlight the amazing work they’ve done, providing care and support during the Covid19 pandemic.

Oh, how I love this garden! It’s my ‘best in show’.

From the wonderfully made wooden structure, that invites you into the garden. Forming a tunnel to walk through, and a private place to sit.

To the water feature, fed by a rill reminding me of the Alhambra in Granada. To the raised beds (I do like a raised bed) full of my favourite prairie style plants, which at this time of year are at their peak. The pink Echinacea, tall yellow Heleniums, orange Kniphofia, mauve Asters, all mixed in with grasses, heavenly. A true sanctuary!

The Calm of Bangkok – Silver-Gilt

Designed by Tawatchai Sakdikul and Ploytabtim Suksang

A proper city oasis. The sound from the water feature would drown out a lot of city noises – I love the sound of water.

The arbour used rope netting as a screen, and I think we would all like to sit under it in that hammock. It certainly seemed to attract the presenters, most of them were filmed in it through the week.

Luckily for us we caught the lovely Arit Anderson filming for BBC2 RHS Chelsea flower show programme.

Finnish Soul Garden – Silver-Gilt

Designer: Taina Suonio

Who wouldn’t want a garden with a working sauna and plunge pool? As those of you that have read our garden transformation series will know. My husband and I have dug a plunge pool (by hand), we just need the sauna now!

What could make this calming garden even better? Finding one of my garden hero’s filming there!

Mr Adam Frost, what a natural. Having a laugh with the film crew before effortlessly changing into the relaxed presenter we all know and love. Perfect day!

The Parsley Box Garden – Silver – People’s choice award

Designed by Alan Williams

As someone that’s created my own kitchen garden, I was guaranteed to love this sanctuary garden. A modern take on an ornamental kitchen garden of the past, with a proper outdoor kitchen (feeling inspired).

The outdoor seating area was surrounded by food and flowers all mixed together. I was pleased to see some crocosmia in this garden, I thought it would have been used more widely as it’s a stunning late season plant.

I think my favourite bit though was the amazing espalier pear tree, at one end of the garden.

Bible Society: The Psalm 23 Garden – Gold – Best Sanctuary Garden & Best Construction

Designed by Sarah Eberle

Simply stunning! This garden reminds me of the River Dee running through beautiful Llangollen in North Wales. As a child I would jump from one huge rock to the other. I’d have loved to have got my shoes off and hopped around this garden bare foot.

It was impossible to believe that this garden hadn’t existed a couple of weeks earlier. It definitely deserved its award of best construction, what a feat!

The Boodles Secret Garden – Silver-Gilt

Designed by Thomas Hoblyn

What an incredible structure. Made by furniture maker Jan Hendzel from sustainably sourced oak. And as they started to slice the wood up, the incredible find of an old musket shot, that was buried in the tree.

The lush green tropical planting of tree ferns and grasses, was lifted by white and blue flowers. The blue coming from one of the must have plants at Chelsea this year, Salvia ‘uliginosa’.

Demonstration

Walking on past the Sanctuary gardens, we came across another couple of celebs. Frances Tophill and Nicki Chapman. They were filming for the BBC, Frances was demonstrating how to make a small water feature in a galvanised tub.

Even a tiny water feature can bring in wildlife, so it’s very worthwhile.

Moving on past Frances and Nicki, we came to another new addition for Chelsea this year, the balcony gardens. A lovely idea showing just how creative you can be with the smallest garden spaces. 

Balcony Gardens

• The Landform Balcony Garden – Designed by Nicola Hale

• Green Sky Pocket Garden – Designed by James Smith

• Balcony of Blooms – Designed by Alexandra Noble

• Arcadia – Designed by Martha Krempel

• Sky Sanctuary – Designed by Michael Coley

I was particularly taken with this balcony. Firstly anywhere there’s a swing I’m happy, but I love the metal structures the swing was hanging from. The planting was mainly foliage, with just a little purple, set off by a large piece of artwork behind. I’d be happy living in a city with this relaxing green space.

Installations

There were some lovely floral installations dotted around the show, including:

Summer Slumber – The Giant RHS letters, by florist Larry Walshe

The London Gate was decorated by Tattie Rose Flowers

Where Hope Blooms – at Sloane House by Lavender Green Flowers

The Nature of Thyme at Bull Ring Gate and Roundabout by Jamjar Flowers

The Saatchi Gallery did their first Chelsea installation by artist Dan Rawlings.

This installation was designed to create dialogue about our interaction with nature and our dependency on industry.

The old transit van had a forest pierced into its metal sides, and was abandoned in an old building site. There was an old traffic light flickering on and off.

It certainly grabbed your attention!

James Doran-Webb Driftwood horse sculptures could be seen down most of Main Avenue. So incredibly lifelike!

Inspired by Greek Mythology, the installation tells the story of three of Poseidon’s off-spring, Kymopoleia, Bellus and Perseus, emerging from their water habitat to confront a new world outside.

Shopping – The Temptation!

Make no mistake, you could spend a lot of money here. And very possibly on things you didn’t even know you needed!

The exhibitors stands range from the enormous, obviously with a budget to suit. To the tiny ones with no more than a shed.

Some of the larger stands are so big, you could be forgiven for thinking they were gardens. This was the case for Gaze Burvill trade stand. As I approached I honestly thought it was one of the gardens. Not surprising really as it was designed by the talented Ann-Marie Powell, seen regularly on TV over the years.

We were so lucky with the weather and it was so nice to see everyone relaxing on the grass behind Jenny Pickford’s glass cartwheel.

I do tend to be drawn to greenhouses, although I am lucky enough to have a rather nice one of my own.

I loved this very modern, frameless one on Dobbies stand, very different. But also this more traditional one by Woodpecker Joinery. There’s just something about the smell in a greenhouse.

I found myself a swing on the Raw Studio stand! It was so comfy I could have sat there all day – if I didn’t have rather a lot to see! The clever bit, was that it folds flat for easy storage. By a British designer Nick Rawcliffe.

How about a small spherical summerhouse from Ornate Garden, only £8000, marvellous for following the sun around or avoiding the wind.

I think when our house renovations are done, I could really fancy one of these wooden lamp shades, by Macmaster Design shaped like flowers beautiful!

Or one of these stunning glass sculptures, by Carrie Anne Funnell, a real work of art.

Rust is a reoccurring theme at the show, from the fabulous sculptures by artist Penny Hardy, in the Bodmin Jail Garden.

To lots of rusty garden ornaments for sale on the smaller trade stands.

But my favourite was ‘Lemmy’, the highland bull made from rusty chains on the ArtFe by K Paxton Blacksmiths stand.

I have quite a lot of rusty chains, that had once formed the boundary of our property.

We found them whilst on our eight year journey of transforming our garden. I insisted on keeping them much to my husbands bewilderment. They have been moved around the garden several times now, and we have the same conversation each time. Husband – “Why are we keeping these?” Me – “I’m not sure but I’m going to make something with them”. Well now I have an idea!

So that is the end of my first (hopefully not last) visit to the RHS Chelsea flower show.

I’m off home now to soak my feet, plant the bulbs I bought in the great pavilion, replant my white persicarias with my pink ones, order some must have Salvia ‘uliginosas’ and draw up plans for my rusty chains!

Stay safe and happy gardening.