Chelsea flower show 09

[Paddy Tobin]

Mary has just told me that the "People's Choice" of favourite garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, something determined by vox populi at the show, was the plasticine garden.

As a school teacher I take great heartening from this announcement: with such ignorance there is a guaranteed need for education in the world and future employment opportunities for teachers.

From a horticultural viewpoint: those canvassed were people with a keen interest in gardening - they paid dearly to go to the show - and this is their level of appreciation of gardening!

Paddy

[Carol Shaw]

Paddy I despair, I really do... I also wonder just how much real interest in gardening a lot of the people who go to Chelsea have. I know it is one of the places on the London social calendar. I also know that a lot of the folk who go to Gardening Scotland, which starts on 29 May, will not be there because they are interested in plants and gardening 

[David Shaw]

You can't please all of the people all of the time. Carol and I blog on another gardening site where there has been some very positive comments of the TV coverage of Chelsea. As we don't have a television I can stay on the fence!

[Maggi Young]

Mary has just told me that the "People's Choice" of favourite garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, something determined by vox populi at the show, was the plasticine garden.

As a school teacher I take great heartening from this announcement: with such ignorance there is a guaranteed need for education in the world and future employment opportunities for teachers.

From a horticultural viewpoint: those canvassed were people with a keen interest in gardening - they paid dearly to go to the show - and this is their level of appreciation of gardening!

Paddy

http://www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/shows/chelsea2009/peopleschoice.asp
 The plasticine garden was the"people's choice " as favourite Small Garden.
 The favourite overall garden was the Cancer Research Garden , see here....http://www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/shows/chelsea2009/show/cancerresearch.asp
   with flowers, seats and even some grass: but the grass is actually Leptinella squalida!

[Carol Shaw]

 The favourite overall garden was the Cancer Research Garden , see here....http://www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/shows/chelsea2009/show/cancerresearch.asp
   with flowers, seats and even some grass: but the grass is actually Leptinella squalida!

What a  relief... and now I can take a look at some of the other gardens too... thanks Maggi 

[Lesley Cox]

I sympathise with your comments here Paddy and I suspect many may have voted for the plasticine because it was, apparently, the effort of Top Gear man James May (did he actually make the flowers etc, or hire some bunch of kindergarten kids to do it for him?). However, I also suspect that many may have voted for it because it was "different" from the same old same old that is the "norm" at the big shows nowadays; the large pots, mirrors, steel sculptures, concrete paving and artwork, with precious few actual plants at all. At least there were flowers, even if unreal ones. I may have voted for it too.

[Calvin Becker]

Thanks Ian & Ian for great photos of so many exhibits! Glad that there were plenty of shots of the South African exhibit. Were the Durban Botanical Gardens exhibiting this year? Having worked on the Kirstenbosch exhibit as part of the team last year, it's been a bit disappointing to have to try study for exams and not be at the show again but your photos have really done it justice!

[mark smyth]

Durban Botanics didnt get any coverage on TV

[vivienr]

Durban Botanics didnt get any coverage on TV

The City of Durban had a display in the pavilion which was a 'floral depiction of the Moses Mabhida stadium' which will host next year's football World Cup. See Ian's pictures in the bottom half of post #14, the ones with the patterns in orange and yellow gerberas.

[Maggi Young]

So they did, Vivien! My apologies for my previous posting ( nowremoved) which stated there was no exhibit from Durban. I checked the Chelasea Handbook,  under "botanics", Durban" and  found nothing... never thought to check "city" !!

[Maggi Young]

Here are the  City of Durban pix.....

[DaveM]

Just catching up after what was a very busy week for me. Our visit to Chelsea now seems an age away and it was great to catch up via the wonderful selection of images from Ian and Ian - thanks guys, a wonderful reminder. Last Monday's visit was my first for more than 10 years and it was a great pleasure to have been able to enjoy the show in the company of Joint Rock colleagues.

For me the Floral Pavilion (or whatever it's called) is the heart of Chelsea. The gardens somehow don't interest me much. So I spent much of my time revelling in the amazing array of plants. So, I thought I'd share with you all some of my favourites, trying to pick things that have not been shown in the other posts.

So here goes with the first lot:

1 + 2 Some hyacinths - especially for Luit......
3 to 6  Iris selection

[DaveM]

Second batch:

1, 2:  Aquilegia
3, 4, 5: Sarracenias - almost as striking as the wonderful arisaemas on John Amand's stand.
6: Scilla peruviana

[DaveM]

Third batch - a miscellany

1. Auricula house
2. A judgely huddle
3. The wheel of vegetables
4 to 6. World of bulbs.........

[DaveM]

And the final batch for tonight (more tomorrow perhaps...)

This is the "I wish they wouldn't" section.......

1. Daffs are fabulous, but for me this gets a serious thumbs down   
2. variegated Fritillaria imperialis - ugh!!!!

3. Ah, that's better Narcissus 'Pheasant's Eye'