The Chelsea Flower Show held annually in London’s Royal Hospital Grounds in Chelsea has gardens and displays to delight the senses and inspire your gardening. This Trug Master’s display from 2015 was one of my favorites that year.
The Chelsea Flower Show is held annually in May at the Royal Hospital Grounds on the banks of the River Thames. It is a treat for the senses and an inspiration to the thousands of people who visit each year. I have been lucky enough to visit many times. I have delved back into my archives to bring you a few of my favorites from over the years with explanations of why I like them.
Chelsea Flower Show 2015 – I Appreciated the Rusticated Outbuildings
2015 brought some wonderful craftsmanship with delightfully rusticated outbuildings. The Trugmaster’s Workshop was my favorite, closely followed by the forge.
Inside the Great Pavillion at Chelsea
I always appreciate a cup of tea. This display was inside the Great Pavillion – a huge tent-like structure that would hold 52 double-decker London buses – if there weren’t flowers in there.
The sweet pea display is a must-visit for me – imagine the scent.
The Auricula Theatre was a stunning stand with flowers grown to perfection shown against a black background.
Delphiniums always make me drool. In this display, they are paired with brightly-colored begonias.
Chelsea 2016 – I Loved the Informal Displays and Herb Garden
2016’s show had lots of informality in the garden designs. Flowing informal paths led to unexpected centerpieces. Plant-packed flower beds with themed plantings educated the show visitors about unique ecosystems.
The alkaline streams that flower through chalky areas of Britain are some of the rarest in the world. This garden showcased the need for the preservation of these streams while highlighting the unique flora and fauna in a fun and funky way.
Chalk streams are a rare environment. This exhibit uses art to represent some of the microorganisms found in the streams.
Cleve West designed this stunning naturalistic garden based on his home area of England – called Exmoor.
Jekka McVicar’s delightful herb garden was an idyllic representation of why we should all grow herbs.
Chelsea 2017 – Fantastic Sensory Gardens for BBC Radio 2 – 50th Anniversary
The British radio station BBC 2 logo made of flowers.
The British radio station BBC 2 celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of sensory gardens. These were my favorites at the 2017 Chelsea Flower Show. There was a sound garden with underground vibrations that came up through your feet and were shown as rippling circles in the steel water tanks. There was a garden of edibles, a scent garden, and a fantastic colorful cutting garden by Sarah Raven and Tricia Gould.
James Alexander Sinclair’s Sound Garden with vibrations shown and felt in the ground and water troughs.
The colorful cutting garden with narrow paths and a rickety-looking shed was my favorite Chelsea garden in 2017.
A large vase of cut purple Allium and pink poppies in a bright blue pot caught my eye.
Another photo of the lovely cutting garden with a cardoon front left, dark-flowered cosmos, pink poppies, red lupins, and more.
One of the smaller gardens had fantastic dry stone walls and towering white foxgloves. An obvious Jenny Rose favorite.
Often the smaller Chelsea gardens give me the most ideas. These little spaces I find to be relatable and innovative.
The Seedlip non-alcoholic distilled drink company made this fun arrangement of copper pipes and orangy flowers like Geum.
Next month – more from past Chelsea Flower Shows
I will continue to talk about ideas and observations from previous Chelsea Flower Shows next month.
Jenny Rose Carey reclining in a Dutch Garden full of daffodils.
Bye for now Gardening Friends – until next month
Cheers Jenny Rose Carey
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