Chelsea

Last Thursday we visited the Chelsea Flower Show.    And what an exciting day it was.   An outing that Brian, Susanne and I had been greatly looking forward to.   

The weather predictions for the day showed that it was going to be a very hot day, although the ground mist covered the sun in the morning and it was a trifle cool.    We set off early and caught the 7.30 train, which was of course crowded with commuters on their way to work.

We decided to take the underground to Sloane Square, to give Brian an experience of the early morning rush on the tube.   And he was not disappointed, the underground was heaving with people and delays due to signal problems on the line.   

After a few twists and turns, and a slight wrong direction problem, we eventually arrived at the main gates at Chelsea.   Still early too.

A restorative cup of coffee, very delicious, was required.    Sadly there were no seats, so we sat on the edge of a platform.

And then it was off to view the gardens.   It is amazing how the exhibitors manage to transform a parkland, which consists of mainly grass and paths, into a garden wonderland, with flowers, shrubs and trees which look like they have been there for years.

This was the garden from Provence, which won a gold medal.    Simply divine.   But then the people standing five deep in front of it also thought it was wonderful.    You needed to be tall, or very pushy, in order to get a view of the garden.  We all held up our cameras to get the perfect picture.

My apologies, I have forgotten the name of this garden, but it was also lovely and it won a gold award.

The floral display for Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee celebrations.   Also beautiful.

The tin caravan in the background.   This garden was organised by the Caravan Club of course.    A fussy garden, but still very appealing and obviously deserved its silver (I think).

This garden was very simple, but elegant.  The large trees in front were magnificent.   In fact most of the trees displayed had interesting bark on them.   This garden also won an award.

Another garden with very simple lines plus holes in the walls.   The trees at the back are always in the park.

Now all Australians will complain because I cannot remember this Australian TV Gardner's name.  Full of bluster and talk, but he seemed friendly.    In the photograph he was talking to a group of Australians on tour.   The Australian garden was styled on the outdoor living style seen in the show homes in Australia.   Very simple lines, but comfortable and promotes outdoor living in a very comfortable manner.

There were two of garden sculptures based on QR codes, made out of plastic and set against ivy.   Very effective and stunning.    I would like a small one for my back garden.    Hope you read this Walter.

The large gardens were magnificent, but I really liked the smaller gardens as they were designed in simple but interesting ways.   Of course as most of us have small gardens in the UK, they are achievable as well.

Lunch, home made egg and bacon pie, was eaten while we sat on a crowded little hill top.   Space was at a premium by this stage.    After lunch and a rest we went to look at the flower displays in the main tent.    I took such a lot of photographs but unfortunately I can only include a few in this blog.   The abundant colour in the tent was overwhelming.    How do people grow such amazing flowers?   And such perfection too.

The lupins in this picture were of an amazing array of colour.   Of course they won a gold award.

The plain ordinary chrysanthemums looked magnificent.   I thought the photo below was of the chrysanthemums but I think they are daisies, which also looked magnificent too.   The whole tent was a flower bonanza.  We were almost made speechless with the sheer magnificence of it all.

I must not forgot the garden sculptures.   I wish I had some money to spend on them.   The ones below were made of glass.

The day turned out to be extremely hot, but after the cold, wet weather I am not complaining one little bit.  I was a little taken aback, however, by the huge crowds, although I had been warned.   By twelve o'clock there was hardly room to move, and certainly no room to sit down, even on the grassy banks at the side of the show.   There was certainly no place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a cold drink.   A very popular world event, which is held over just a few days.   Hence the crowds.

So at 3 p.m. we left, feeling extremely happy that we had visited the Chelsea Flower Show.