Chelsea Flower Show 2016 - the Plews View

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 – another year, another Chelsea

Once the start of the London Season, the RHS show is still an important part of the social calendar for many, and the Chelsea Flower Show 2016 has been no exception. We saw plenty of hats and outfits to give the colourful flowers in the show gardens a run for their money…

But the visual and olfactory overload of the Great Pavilion blooms was still the winner.

Chelsea Flower Show 2016 – the Plews View – the Great Pavilion

So much to see, I often think the Great Pavilion is a show in itself! There are flowers aplenty, but it’s not just about the flora, there are other displays, including:-

one on low allergy gardens and suitable plants; I recognised these flowers from a low allergy garden planting scheme Plews has designed.

one by Coventry University on how gardening makes gardeners healthy and why, by examining the muscles used when the correct gardening and digging techniques are used.

The RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year

Is all about the flowers and we enjoyed seeing (and smelling) all the shortlisted contenders. Clematis chiisanensis Amber was really pretty, and a plant I’d like in my garden.

There was also a Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’ in celebration of the centenary of the authors birth. Again a very delicate coloured flower.

And then there were stands and exhibits filled with rhododendrons, dahlias, heuchera, fuchsias, lilies, herbs…

Chelsea Flower Show 2016 – the Plews View – the Gardens

The gardens are divided into different categories.

The show gardens are the big showstoppers; the ones everyone wants to see and which are situated on the main thoroughfares.
The artisan gardens are the smaller gardens within easy hearing distance of the music at the bandstand.
The fresh gardens are generally more ‘concept’ orientated; a garden to explain an idea or theme rather than a garden design inspired by a theme.

Show Gardens

Lots of stone, scree and drought tolerant planting in quite a few of the gardens this year. Which is slightly ironic given the excessive winter rains. But there was lush planting too.

The L’Occitane garden met all of this criteria, with a design that took you straight to Provence and the hot Mediterranean climate.

Many of the juxtapositions of plants against boulders could be translated into a planting scheme against a brick or stone wall in the garden.

The Modern Apothecary garden was naturally one close to my heart. Herbs, step over apple trees, flowering medicinal and edible plants – what was not to like?

Yorkshire – God’s Own Country – well really that’s says it all! This garden brought York Cathedral to Chelsea Flower Show 2016; the overall effect was divine. Not only were the posts topped by gargoyles, but a bell rope was used between the posts; I love those little touches, it’s what makes a garden design sing.

Plus…

Artisan Gardens

The Viking Cruises garden transported us off to a relaxing trip in the Mekong, a reminder how your garden can be a different world to your workplace.

The wooden statues disappearing through walls in the Meningitis garden were an inspirational idea to show the children’s journey of coping with their condition.

Plus…

Fresh Gardens

I loved the orchid Simon Miller, a new hardy hybrid.

The Modern Slavery garden was richly planted making it a good garden as well as the realisation of a concept.

Plus…

The RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year

The shortlisted contenders include a new weeding tool, a very sculptural garden bench and the winner, which was a mobile app to control your garden irrigation system.

There was also a pot with a built in copper band for slug and snail control;

which must have worked as the only snail we saw was this one…

This is the Plews view of ideas from the Chelsea Flower Show 2016 and we were looking both for our own pleasure but more importantly for ideas that could be adapted for our clients’ gardens. We came away with lots of ideas and fresh inspiration, and even squeezed in a bit of retail – for clients and ourselves.