Is it just me, or did the colours of an autumnal Chelsea Flower Show seem more vibrant than ever? There was a real sense of joy not just from the visitors, but also in the exuberant rainbows of seasonal planting. Those who suspected that holding the Show in the autumn for the first time, would mean an overload of dahlias, were proved wrong. In fact, there were many popular plants repeated throughout gardens – Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Persicaria, Asters, bog sage and an abundance of grasses. It’s usually due to the fact that a lot of plants are sourced from a handful of nurseries, who will have advised on what was looking particularly promising this year.
Exuberant and joyful
Texture was everywhere with wispy naturalistic planting juxtaposed next to steam-bent wooden structures, pipes and paving. Sustainable, pollinator-attracting, planet-friendly gardening was a big theme again. Exuberant and joyful colour permeated all of the designs.
Personally I had a feeling that there might be one area that I was really drawn to and kept revisiting throughout the day; interestingly, it turned out to be the Balcony Gardens. The continuation of the ‘Greening Grey Britain’ theme of a few years ago proved popular, with visitors taking inspiration from the inventive container-gardening ideas for small urban spaces.
As a garden photographer, my particular thrill of an autumnal show was having the opportunity for the golden light of sunset – something that during the May show is only just happening as it is time to leave. It wasn’t just golden hour; the timing allowed for an additional dusk & after-dark period. This, in turn, enabled designers to showcase ideas for lighting; the gardens transformed into a space for an evening retreat of calm and restoration. It all turned out to be, I think, exactly the uplifting breath of fresh air that visitors needed to see.
Sanctuary Gardens
One of several Sanctuary Gardens on display, the ‘Finding Our Way : NHS Tribute Garden’ by Naomi Ferrett-Cohen was appropriately a jewel-coloured rainbow of planting alongside the soothing and constant notes of gently running water.
On the right, below: Alan William’s ‘Parsley Box Garden’ made use of complementary colours, with the bright eyes of Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ and rich purple Salvia ‘Amistad’ a zingy combination.
Show Gardens
Tell me it’s autumn without telling me it’s autumn… Asters in the urban industrial M&G garden, designed by Harris Bugg Studio, and packed with late-flowering perennials.
The Yeo Valley Organic Garden, flourishing with Persicaria and Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstonne’, was hugely popular. The distinctive egg-shaped oak hide attracted attention. The garden was a haven of pollinator-friendly plants, encouraging biodiversity. There was woodland that looked as if it had been in situ for decades. As a result, Tom Massey‘s design earned a Gold medal and the People’s Choice Award for Best Show Garden.
Another Gold Medal win and Best Show Garden went to the Guangzhou China Garden, again rich with bog sage (Salvia uliginosa) and the drifting green textures of sedges and ferns. It was designed to address the urgent issue of climate change, to encourage green areas as a social space for people to gather – as well as ones which would attract wildlife.
Psalm 23 Garden
Multi award-winning designer Sarah Eberle worked with the Bible Society to bring together a Sanctuary Garden on the theme of Psalm 23, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’. Sarah drew on her Dartmoor roots and scattered granite boulders and drystone walls through her design, winning another Gold medal in the process. It marked the launch of a campaign to encourage communities to build their own sanctuary gardens on the same themes of restoration and solace, following the trials of the past year. Gardeners World presenter Frances Tophill took a moment of reflection while enjoying the music of the running stream alongside. This lovely garden is being relocated to a brand new hospice on the site of the Winchester General Hospital.
Below is the Thomas Hoblyn-designed ‘Secret Garden’ for Boodles, another nod to the ‘inner sanctuary’ and rich with once again with the bog sage (Salvia uliginosa), tree ferns and plentiful wooden texture that contorted into gently uniform waves.
Gaze Burvill trade stand
Ann-Marie Powell‘s exuberant planting for the Gaze Burvill Chelsea Flower Show trade stand was set off with floral arrangements by Arthur Parkinson and vintage glassware from Lamb & Newt.
On a personal note, I particularly enjoyed visiting this area, not just to enjoy the handcrafted furniture, but to spot my photographs (from some very hot days over the summer!) on the cover and inside the Gaze Burvill brochure…
Below are some snippets from the Wilstone trade stand, who completely drew me in with their Mediterranean colours and textures!
This naturalistic planting beneath another impressive timber structure was the Florence Nightingale Garden, designed by Robert Myers as an imagined courtyard area for a new hospital.
Combining European and Asian planting, 60° East: A Garden Between Continents evoked the landscape of the Ural Mountains with cascading water, willow, pine and rock. It reminded me very much of the ever-popular Rock Garden at RHS Wisley.
Arit Anderson‘s ‘Garden of Hope’ design for the BBC The One Show will now be relocated to Mother-and-Baby Unit Rosewood, part of Kent and Medway NHS Social Care Partnership Trust, providing a safe and hopeful sanctuary for new mothers and their babies.
Stylist Selina Lake worked with greenhouse manufacture Alitex to produce a floral, vintage haven under glass and in their courtyard garden design. It featured more vintage accessories from one of my favourite suppliers, Lamb & Newt.
More garden texture below featuring the blacksmith artwork of Kev Paxton from ArtFE.
Balcony Gardens
Here are a few of the Chelsea Flower Show balcony gardens which were thronging with visitors – this one, featuring a graphic rainbow print from Burnt Peach, is the Green Sky Pocket Garden. It made use of all available space, from vertical herb planting to low-growing varieties in amongst the paving slabs; a lush green antidote to grey urban living.
I was really taken with the Landform Balcony Garden, designed by Nicola Hale and inspired by Milan’s Bosco Verticale. It was everything you’d want to come home to after a busy day – honeyed sunlight streaming through the frosted glass, bespoke artwork by Catherine Purves, a calming water feature and pollinator-friendly plants (even a cheeky Bombay Sapphire on the table!). The climbing Trachelospermum jasminoides would keep its colour in the winter and add delicious scent throughout summer. Complementary colours from Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen, Aster ‘Little Carlow’ and my favourite Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’, along with lots of herbs for picking, made it absolute sensory heaven.
The Show at dusk
Moving onto dusk, the Chelsea Flower Show gardens took on a whole new atmosphere as the evening lighting switched on…
And guess what? It’s only 8 months until the next one!
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