Chelsea Flower Show 2011

Thursday last the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show went like this: wet, dry, wet, dry, wet, wet, wet. 

The weather didn’t spoil it for us though. It just added to the fun, particularly when intermittent rainstorms would send slurries of punters into the pavilion for an impromptu Pimm’s and brollies mash-up. It has to be the perfect place for inspiration, and if I had a pound for every time I heard the words ‘the rain will be good for the garden’, the Pimm’s would have been on me.

The show comprises of 17 large gardens, 8 smaller urban gardens and the new category of 7 artisan gardens. By the time we got to the artisan gardens, I was beginning to doubt flip-flops as my choice of footwear, but at an average price of £180,000 each, we started in better weather with the large show gardens adjacent to the Pavilion, catching the urban gardens scattered in between.

white peonies and purple fennel

Regardless of the garden, wondering around the 89^th show, it wasn’t individual plants that stood out but combinations that caught my eye. Each and every one boasted borders well put together, be it through the use of strong structural planting, or something seemingly wilder. 

Tilia Cordata

Purple fennel and sage were used as fillers in a number of gardens, often in combination with white flowers such as blousy peonies, and Tilia Cordata (Pleached lime) was absolutely fabulous in the M&G Garden. But don’t despair… if you haven’t 12 years to train the branches in baroque style, Bunny Guinness sourced her trees from a nursery in Elveden.

crushed shell paths

Tourism Malaysia Garden

The Urban category always offers plenty of ideas for city gardens that have lack of space and shade. I finally succumbed to water-feature envy, not with the Tourism Malaysia Garden but with Adam Frost’s The Land’s End Across the Pond Garden, which had water cascading over a large panel of dark polished concrete. Probably more achievable than The Monaco Garden plank and pool combo...

Designer Olivia Kirk had used dark slate for the walls of The Power of Nature Garden, as had Kate Gould of The Magistrates’ Garden. the slate was pretty thin, so got me thinking about how tiled walls could be an option when I set about defining spaces. Slate should not be used to pave a sunny spot as it can get mighty hot and melt the soul of your boots. Not that this was going to be a problem on Thursday. With the heavy rain setting in we headed to the Pavilion.

Carex Obnupta (sedge)

Brizia Media 'Golden Bee'

With borders in mind, my criteria of judgement was anything that would look good against a matt black fence and work well with white climbing roses and herbs. Pavilion highlights for me included Carex Obnupta (a species of sedge) and native quaking-grass Briza Media ‘Golden Bee’, both at the Knoll Gardens stand.

Actea Simplex Atropurpurea 'Brunnette'

Orlaya gradiflora

Then there was Actea Simplex Atropurpurea ‘Brunette’ at the Harveys’ stand. I kept on confusing this with Cimicifuga racemosa ‘Brunette’ which is not a bad thing, as they are both attractive specimens although I have an inkling one might flower yellow later, which would be a no-no for me (I have banned yellow from the garden, or am at least trying to). The two were often planted with white flowers such as Convallaria majalis - lily of the valley, Alium ‘Mount Everest’, Disporopsis pernyl (an evergreen with graceful white flowers followed by black berries), Orlaya gradiflora (photographed above), Astrantia major ‘Buckland’ and Anemone leveillei.

There were some celebrities in the Pavilion, although by name only. ‘Ian Hislop’ was a single dalia, which the bees will like, whilst the carnivorous and rather rubbery Nepenthes ‘Helen’, named after Helen Mirren, made mother and I chuckle. No rose for her then.

Acer 'Seiryu' planted with Libertia Formosa

Hosta 'Pearl Lake'

There were an abundance of large acers on various stands. The limey Acer dissectum ‘Seiryu’ was surrounded on one side with Libertia Formosa. It put me in mind of my acer in border 3 that I shall now be keeping. Nearby Hosta ‘Pearl Lake’ was a beautiful green grey and Tulbaghia ‘Pallida’, although not photographed, another plant to note.

Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford'

Eriophorum Angustifolium (bog-cotton)

Ligularia ‘Britt –Marie Crawford’ is a dead-cert, deep as it is with the colour of liquorish. Eriophorum Angustifolium (common bog-cotton) was entirely covetable, although as it requires a waterside spot, it shall not be coming to Muswell Hill, with me anyway.

Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'

'Black Tuscany' kale 

Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ is however guaranteed a place in my beds thanks to the wonderful Bulldog Forge stand, with its glorious rows of ‘Black Tuscany’ kale and ‘Kalibos’ cabbage. I now know that the soft lamb-tongued plants that have popped up in the planters at home are in fact Stachys byzantine. They have since been potted up and shall be definitely used in the borders to come. Joy to spot the white pom-poms of Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ having bought one a month back that has sadly finished flowering.

The South Africa stand translated well through the camera lens, although, like the Thai stand in the pavilion, neither had anything for my garden.

Papaver 'Peony Black'

Paeonia 'Koshino Yuki'

Aquilegia vulgaris 'White Barlow'

Chamaemelum 'Treneague' (Lawn Chamomile)

Santolina chamaecyparissus (Cotton Lavender)

Good for ground cover were Chamaemelum ‘Treneague’ (Lawn Chamomile) and Santolina chamaecyparissus (Cotton Lavender), both at the incredibly impressive Hooksgreen Herb stand.

'Tall Story' Modern Shrub 1984

And finally, there were only a few white roses that I took note of, such as ‘Pauls Himalayan Musk’ and 'Tall Story'. The majority were in soft pastel shades so on goes search for white climbers and ramblers. Hoping I might find ‘Glamis’ on the David Austen stand, I was informed that whilst they do supply it, it isn’t a very good one. How strange that they would stock something that they then advise you not to plant.


In any case, if you missed the show then don't miss the coverage on the BBC iplayer, even if it is only to catch Andy Surgeon enthusing about Alchemilla mollis ‘Ladies Mantle’ and the holy grails of the horticultural world, such as the one achieved this year: Petunia ‘Black Velvet’ is 'just released' and ‘set to ‘revolutionise the bedding plant market’. I was up till the early hours of the morning. I think I fell asleep watching Simon Lycett arrange a bouquet of sweat pea interspersed with mint, whilst telling us that Kate’s bouquet comprised of lily of the valley, sweet William, hyacinths and that we should all move towards buying British.