The World Vision garden, designed by John Warland and Howard Miller.
There is always something at the Chelsea Flower Show to make your heart beat a little quicker, to make you stop and beam with pleasure. It’s incredible to think that the show gardens are so transitory: they are built and planted over three weeks, admired by millions of people over one week and then deconstructed. They disappear and it’s as if they were never there. The effort (and money) involved in their creation is whopping but the results are often quite breath-taking and inspiring.
We were extremely lucky with the weather yesterday and I took a LOT of photos. I won’t bore you with all 250-ish of them(!) but here’s a small selection of a few of the floriferous sights from the gardens that quickened my pulse.
The beautiful, romantic planting of the M&G garden, ‘The Retreat’, designed by Jo Thompson. That purple spiky flower is Lysimachia atropupurea ‘Beaujolais’. Domes of clipped yew, crisp hard landscaping and frothy planting with grasses and perennials – green with pops of colour – in the Cloudy Bay garden, designed by brothers David and Harry Rich.The sharp shapes, crisp edges and sumptuous planting (foxgloves, geraniums, irises, euphorbias, aquilegias, geums) of the Homebase garden, ‘Urban Retreat’, designed by Adam Frost. This also had a garden room with rooftop garden, complete with a beehive, and a secret, shady area with a lush planting of hostas and ferns.A close-up from the Telegraph garden, designed by Marcus Barnett and inspired by the Dutch De Stijl movement. I loved the Carpinus betulus trimmed into cubes and the rich planting next to the water.Also on the Telegraph garden, a striking, multi-stemmed Osmanthus x burkwoodii underplanted with Irish moss. Apparently it started flowering yesterday morning when the sun came out. One of the most genius and beautiful water features I’ve seen – a self-filling pond. The water rises very slowly and then suddenly, as though a plug has been yanked from the middle, it wooshes and swirls away in under 10 seconds. Very clever. It was on the Husqvarna and Gardena garden, ‘The Time in Between’, designed by Charlie Albone.I spied this planting on a trade stand (for greenhouses) and had to photograph the gorgeous colour combination of the lupins, irises, purple-podded peas, aquilegia and Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpurea’.Another glorious planting combination, this time on the Royal Bank of Canada garden designed by Matthew Wilson. It features drought-tolerant and sun-loving plants, super-curvy benches and a water feature that stores water (below).
More purple planting (are you sensing a theme here?!) on Chris Beardshaw’s ‘Healthy Cities’ garden for Morgan Stanley. This garden will be relocated to east London after the show where it will be part of a community project.
Moss balls. I waited for quite a while to get this photo without the shadow of a man’s head!
My favourite smaller garden, designed by Fernando Gonzalez. I love the way the planting stands out against the flowing white stone (Jesmonite). According to the leaflet it was inspired by the Chinese landscape of mountains and river valleys.
In other news… My daughter is home from her school French trip (hooray!). Oh, I have missed her constant chatter and sunny disposition. Eldest son is due back at school from Spain just before midnight. It will be lovely to have a full house again. I’m off to make their beds and bake homecoming cake. Here’s wishing you a corker of a bank holiday weekend.
So glad your daughter is back and wow!! What a treat for us all tonight to have front row seats to the show! I saw some amazing combinations up there that I will be bookmarking! I love the strong use of design elements in the garden! Makes each space feel so unique! Happy weekend to you friend! Nicole xo
HI Sam, I’m so glad you found my blog and introduced me to your lovely one too! We share our love of the sea,gardening, family and dogs! I haven’ t managed to get to Chelsea yet although we have been to Hampton Court Flower shop. I too love the water in the first picture, the combination of purple plants and that sunken pool. Your garden looks huge, I too shall enjoy seeing how it develops. Sarah x
Your pictures are really good but it’s your writing that brings them to life. You’ve highlighted some wonderful gardens. I’d love to go one year, it must be incredibly inspiring. xx
If i haven’t said so before (I get very lost in Blogland) I really enjoy your blog with its clear layout and excellent pictures and see that we visit many of the same ones too.
I loved the pool with floating gardens perhaps one for you, with a climb out for species that need it . Good to hear the children enjoyed their time away and are safely home. Hope the garden progress is ok and not too much for you lots of love Joy x
Garden visiting, looking at what is through the garden gate, especially those open for National Garden Scheme, with just an occasional foray here and there.
acoastalplot 
Beautiful pictures Sam. Looking forward to your earthquake blog!! Sally xx
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Thank you Sally. Ha ha, yes, the earth did move here!
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The pictures are beautiful – thank you!
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Wow, it looks as though it was totally amazing!!!! So glad you had such a great time. Thank you for taking us along with you on a virtual visit! xx
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Lovely photos. I could practically eat the M&G garden – it looks so delicious.
Also, white foxgloves, I’m totally stealing that idea.
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So glad your daughter is back and wow!! What a treat for us all tonight to have front row seats to the show! I saw some amazing combinations up there that I will be bookmarking! I love the strong use of design elements in the garden! Makes each space feel so unique! Happy weekend to you friend! Nicole xo
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HI Sam, I’m so glad you found my blog and introduced me to your lovely one too! We share our love of the sea,gardening, family and dogs! I haven’ t managed to get to Chelsea yet although we have been to Hampton Court Flower shop. I too love the water in the first picture, the combination of purple plants and that sunken pool. Your garden looks huge, I too shall enjoy seeing how it develops. Sarah x
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What gorgeous pictures, Chelsea’s somewhere I’d love to visit one day. It looks like you had a fanastic time. CJ xx
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Your pictures are really good but it’s your writing that brings them to life. You’ve highlighted some wonderful gardens. I’d love to go one year, it must be incredibly inspiring. xx
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If i haven’t said so before (I get very lost in Blogland) I really enjoy your blog with its clear layout and excellent pictures and see that we visit many of the same ones too.
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I loved the pool with floating gardens perhaps one for you, with a climb out for species that need it . Good to hear the children enjoyed their time away and are safely home. Hope the garden progress is ok and not too much for you lots of love Joy x
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