In September 2012 I walked
part of the Great Wall of China in support of Dementia UK, Admiral Nurses.
I recall my experiences, in words with photos, in the ebook 'Scaling the Dragon's Back' which is
available from Amazon for Kindle at the new price of $2.99 or £1.99, that's less that the cost of a cup of coffee.
Or, help to develop the growth of the Admiral Nursing service, make a direct donation to Dementia UK.
And so to Chelsea...
Thursday
was a good day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (CFS). The weather was kind, it was warm, the sun
shone and there was no rain – all day.
This was in total contrast to my last visit when it was dull, cold and
very wet, it poured down with rain for most of the day. The sunny weather brought out the crowds and
showed the gardens at their best. I
agreed with another CFS attendee I met on my journey at Kings Cross rail
station home “it had been a very good day
although at times there were too many people.”
The crowds, 35,000 people attended, did made the gardens difficult
to view and appreciate fully.
 |
| The Beauty of Islam Garden |
The garden which made the most impact on me was The Beauty of Islam garden designed by Kamelia Bin Zaal. I liked the geometry of it, the archways, calligraphy, water and the plants which were brought together in a contemporary design.
 |
| The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Garden |
I was very moved by designer Ruth Willmott Breakthrough Breast Cancer Garden. The design perfectly capturing the message of hope research breakthroughs make. The water pools in the garden ripple every 10 minutes which in the UK is how regularly a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. A sobering and shocking statistic remembered in the beauty of the garden.
 | |
| Sentebale, Prince Harry's Garden |
A Gold winning garden, Sentebale – Hope in Vulnerability, referred to by everyone at the show as Prince Harry’s garden transported me back to the Africa of my memory, so the garden designer, Matt Keightley , idea worked. The garden is a wonderfully fitting way to remember the good work being done to help and support those adolescents in Lesotho’s living with HIV.
Friends accompanying me at CFS both agreed on the Chatsworth Garden designed by Dan Pearson as their favourite show garden, agreeing with the judges who not only awarded a Gold medal but voted it ‘Best Show Garden.’ What was amazing about this garden was how natural the design appeared, even down to the lichen on the rocks. And to think it will be transported back to Chatsworth and replicated there.
With
all of the gardens I am left to wonder how all of those exhibiting manage to
get their plants whether flowers, grasses or plants perfect at just the right
time.
 |
| The Potting Shed |
 | |
| A framed auricula |
 | |
| An iris |
 |
| Driftwood Sculpture |
 | |
| The Barn Owl |
According
to the BBC 150,000 people will visit the show over the 6 days consuming 10,000
portions of fish and chips, drinking 9,000 glasses of champagne and 6,500 glasses
of Pimms. The event is superbly organised but again, as is typical it seems at any
event attracting large crowds, there is never enough seating with the queues at
restaurants and refreshment stalls detracting a little from the enjoyment of
the day. Paying £59 for a ticket I think
people can expect to find a seat to rest their tired legs and aching feet over
lunch or a coffee. The standard of food I
found to be more than adequate especially considering the thousands attending
the event who have to be catered for. I
did observe one lady complain that the burger she had purchased was cold in the
middle. She was immediately offered
another burger but instead demanded a refund.
The money was returned without question which I thought rather generous
of the caterer as the lady had eaten most of the burger.
On
my journey home I suddenly remembered I forgot to buy a watering can!
Did
you visit CFS this year? If so, which
was your favourite garden? Your lasting
memory?
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