'Mmmmm, restorative'
No trip to south-west or central London is complete without a visit to Petersham Nurseries. Their stand at RHS Chelsea is about as glamorous as you would expect, says Toby Keel.
The stand is inspired by the conservatory of Petersham House, with this studio designed to be a 'retreat'. It's 'rooted in the restorative rhythm of the natural world' and is a place where 'conversations unfold and the mind settles'. Delightful.
Extremely perfect example of orchid wins RHS Order of Merit
Earlier in the day, Rosie Paterson caught up with Jacob James, founder and director of GrowTropicals, to discuss orchids. Jacob has turned up to RHS Chelsea with many delightful plants under his proverbial belt, but one in particular has caught the eye of the judges....
'That one, which is not on the desk at the moment because they're taking photos in the corner, that's Cymbidium faberi 'Guam'. That one won an Order of Merit, which is a really prestigious award for the RHS,' Jacob says.
'It's the first time they've ever issued one at Chelsea Flower Show, because normally it has to go to a meeting where they inspect it, but because they come from China, they made an exception and held an extraordinary meeting here to judge it. And that's to do with having a perfect example of the flower. That was this morning. Hot off the press, the certificates have only just been written.'
You can see this glorious plant, as well as more orchids than you can shake a stick at, at the GrowTropicals stand in the Great Pavilion.
Bit of shameless self-promotion incoming. A reminder that you can visit Country Life at stand PW215. Come see the Garden Lover's Library. You're reading a blog about RHS Chelsea, which means you probably like both reading and gardens. And probably libraries too.
We've asked some of Country Life's editorial team what they like about the stand. Have a read below.
Giles Kime, Interiors Editor: 'The collection of gardening book that George Saumarez Smith has put together specially for the Show, and which he is giving to his fiancée Jane when they get married this summer'
Mark Hedges, Editor: 'The fireplace where you can see on it — my degree was in geology — the fragments of fossils. They’re called crinoids. They’re very primitive sort of razor clams. And I think the blue-grey colour picks out the wall colour so well'
A reminder that you can read all about the stand by clicking here...
Where do all the gardens go?
It's only the first day, but it is a curious question. What happens to all the gardens after the show is finished? We've got the answers.
'Every year, people ask what happens to the gardens and plants at Chelsea,' says Toby Keel. 'This year, there’s a stand dedicated to showing the answer. Wayward Plants are the RHS’s partners in What Happens Next, with schools, hospitals and many more places ending up homing exhibits from the show.'
Peonies seem to be a lot of people's favourite plants (including, but not limited to, my ex-girlfriend). So I've dispatched Toby Keel to go and find some. He has returned with this display from Primrose Hill Peonies.
'Primrose Hill Peonies isn't a dance troupe from North London, but instead a Bedfordshire nursery growing RHS Gold Medal winning flowers — and also holding the "Plant Heritage National Collection for intersectional peony varieties" — or so it says in their flyer'
Thank you Toby.
My favourite flower, in case anyone was wondering, is a snowdrop. Specifically the 'grumpy' variety.
Chelsea in Three: Tom Allen
Comedian, singer and garden favourite Tom Allen stopped by the Country Life stand to answer vital questions, such as 'what is your favourite flower' and 'to gnome or not to gnome'.
Alan Titchmarsh and Frances Tophill spotted holding gnomes
To celebrate the playful tradition at the King's residence at Highgrove, Alan Titchmarsh CBE, Tom Allen, Frances Tophill, Bill Bailey and Angellica Bell appear with the gnomes they have painted to raise money for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. They are joined by Melissa Simpson, Head of Horticulture at The Kings Foundation, and garden contractor, Jake Catling from The Landscaping Consultants.
A reminder, the RHS usually bans gnomes at the Chelsea Flower Show, but has allowed them this year in order to raise money for the RHS' work with schools. Sir Brian May, Cate Blanchett and Dame Mary Berry have also painted gnomes, which will be auctioned off online from May 15–24.
Speaking of Tom Allen....
Behold, a giant washing machine
'This washing machine is 10ft tall and covered in flowers. Why is it here?' asks Toby Keel.
'It’s a stand created by Lucy Lewis of Sparsholt College, showcasing Washday Hues, which has been created to explore the historical relationship between fabrics and plants. Everything on the stand is used to dye fabrics a range of colours.'
Neat. Reminds me, I've got a giant pile of washing to do back at home. Maybe even more than a 10ft-tall machine can handle. There's just never enough time in the day you know? And then you have to hang it all up and fold it and put it all away and gosh it never ends....
I was worried that I might not have enough stuff to post about, but I honestly cannot type fast enough. I am not usually a coffee drinker, but I'm on my fourth cup already.
Chelsea in Three: Rosie Paterson
Next up to run the gauntlet of gnome-related nonsense is our Digital Content Director, Rosie Paterson.
'The garden is so different, on different levels, and so is Parkinson’s'
Some images and quotes now from Caroline Rassell, CEO of Parkinson's UK. The charity has created 'A Garden for Every Parkinson's Journey', which was inspired by the Parkinson's community, and designed to support the many symptoms of the disease.
'The garden has been pulled together by people who have Parkinson's, as well as our brilliant designer Arit Anderson, whose sister has Parkinson's, and every single section tells something about a symptom of Parkinson's,' says Caroline.
'So that beautiful handrail that you can see is there to help people if they become unsteady, because sometimes people with Parkinson's have problems walking, but also the water that's running through it acts as a prompt. Sometimes people with Parkinson's freeze, they literally can't move, and they need something that helps them start to move forward again and that the audible cue from the water is something that will help people if they freeze to then move forward again.
So the beauty of what you see is actually telling the story [of Parkinson’s].
Image credit: Florence Allen
Image credit: Florence Allen
We've got a rose that's been specifically designed for us called the Parkinson's resilience rose, and that's a scentless rose. One of the symptoms of Parkinson's is that you lose your sense of smell.
So again that represents something that people with Parkinson's will resonate with, and we're actually funding groundbreaking research to understand why people lose their sense of smell, and if that is something that we can address in any way.
Five pounds from every rose sale goes towards Parkinson's UK research. and yes, it's available to anybody who wants to buy this beautiful Harkness rose. And then there is a beautiful night garden, there's a shelter and underneath that there are white plants, where it's very calm and very tranquil, because again, one of the symptoms of Parkinson's is insomnia.
'The garden is so different on different levels, and so is Parkinson’s. Once you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s, and this as varied as everybody with Parkinson’s.'
Rosie Paterson: 'We have our first sighting of Alan Titchmarsh...'
For those that don't know, Alan Titchmarsh is the gardening equivalent of Punxsutawney Phil. Once he's been spotted within the grounds of the Royal Hospital, the Flower Show can officially begin.
As much as the Show Gardens are considered the real stars of RHS Chelsea, I am a man who has spent the majority of his life in cities. I have also found extreme joy in the ability of people to plant and create nature in the smallest of places. In short, I am a sicko for a well-stocked balcony.
Which is good, because RHS Chelsea has plenty of those. Viking UK, the river, ocean and expedition cruise company, has sponsored this delightful balcony garden, titled 'A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge'. Look how much stuff they've squeezed into such a small space.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Viking has sponsored a balcony garden (when you think about, cruise ships have quite a lot of balconies). The garden was designed by Katerina Kantalis for an imaginary, well-travelled retired couple with a passion for horticulture and the Arts. Not sure how imaginary that is, as I would consider most of our readers to be all of those things.
First reaction: 'It all feels very calm and peaceful and reflective'
Rosie Paterson, Digital Content Director at Country Life, has been walking around the grounds of the Royal Hospital this morning. Here are her initial thoughts from the show.
'Every year there's a lot of water, water features, pools, lazy river-style waterways, but unlike other years, there's nothing dramatic about the water this year. There's nothing really fast flowing, no waterfalls, or at least not as much as there has been in the past. It's very calm, very relaxing, lots of contemplative pools. The Natural Swimming Pool Company has a tradestand where they've built a miniature natural swimming pool.'
'It all feels very calm and peaceful and reflective, especially in the show gardens, I haven't come across any with hard edges to the planting.'
I am receiving the first whispers of Show Gardens from my army of roving reporters on the ground. Some initial thoughts coming imminently. Contain your excitement if you can.
First bit of news from the day (apart from the unveiling of Country Life's glorious stand) is that David Beckham has had a new rose designed for him. It is called the David Beckham Rose and the new variety was created by David Austin Roses. You can go and see it at David Austin's rose-filled garden (GPF075) and the rose is available to purchase now.
The David Beckham rose is an English shrub rose, and was created as a gift by Harper Beckham to her father for his 50th birthday. As well as being a 'symbol of enduring love', the rose also supports the King's Foundation, where Sir David serves as an ambassador. A donation of £2.50 from every sale will be given to the charity, which works to build sustainable communities and provide practical education programmes.
Gaze upon the rose of Sir David below...
First up, here's Country Life's Interiors Editor Giles Kime answering three quick-fire questions on his 'flower of the hour', lawns vs wildflower meadows and to gnome, or not to gnome.
If you see any typos, please forgive me, as I stayed up too late last night watching Aaron Rai win the USPGA Championship. First English winner of the tournament in 107 years! That's almost as long as Country Life has been around (129 years). That 69ft putt on the 17th was crazy. Congratulations to Aaron.
Right, now back to flowers and things of that nature. Prepare yourself for the first of our Chelsea in Three video series, which we'll posting periodically throughout the day....
If seeing the best of British design isn't reason enough to visit our stand, perhaps I could tempt you with some frankly absurd subscription offers? Honestly, as deals go, they don't come much more generous than this.
But wait! There's more!
The first 200 subscribers at Chelsea will receive a bottle of The Grange Classic Sparkling NV, worth £39. Rated 94 points by Decanter magazine, this premium sparkling wine from Hampshire was described in Country Life (that's us) as ‘the connoisseur’s choice’. Offer available with subscriptions for UK delivery only.
First things first....
Allow me to introduce you to the Country Life stand at this year's show. It's called the 'Garden Lover's Library' and it was designed, by hand, by George Saumarez Smith of ADAM Architecture. If you would like to visit, then please make your way to stand PW215, and we'd be delighted to see you.
'I love interiors that include things handed down over the years, with furniture and pictures that don’t quite go together and slightly clashing colour schemes,' says George. 'The defining element of English style is that things are a little bit imperfect.'
Featuring a plethora of vintage gardening books, stone by Somerset specialist Artorius Faber, plants from the gardener Jane Kennerley, wallcoverings by Watts 1874 and furniture by Munder Skiles, the space is a real symphony of British interior design.
If you'd like to find out more about the stand, you can do so by clicking here.
And, of course, we have pictures....
