You want greenery in the capital? Forget Hyde Park, forget Kensington Gardens and head instead for Chelsea. The grounds around the Royal Hospital - home to our Chelsea Pensioners - come alive in May with a gardening cast of thousands.Yet this oasis is at the heart of central London. And this week it is awash with floral gems and breathtaking displays from all over the world - including, of course, Shropshire.
As well as the flowers, there are celebrities by the dozen, as everyone wants to see and be seen at the Chelsea Flower Show. The most famous visitor of all is the Queen, and her afternoon visit on yesterday’s rainy debut day included a viewing of the David Austin garden, which is now in its 25th Chelsea year.
There were also early visitors to the Thomas Telford Toll House garden, all of them stepping carefully over the heap of manure on the path which had been collected in the interests of authenticity - courtesy of a passing horse.
Claire Austin holds the national iris collection and had a magnificent display of blooms on show - along with a glorious range of peonies. Claire has won the gardening writers Book of the Year prize for her literary heavyweight on irises.
While this year her father, rose grower David, has named a rose for Claire, and another new one in the collection, which marks the Albrighton nurseryman’s silver jubilee at Chelsea, is the Princess Alexandra of Kent, unveiled last night by the princess.
Michael Marriott has himself been at the show with David Austin roses for 22 of those years. And another 2007 variety, Port Sunlight, marks Michael’s recent marathon replanting of the Port Sunlight village’s rose garden with 3,500 English roses.
Cardiff City Council drew crowds with a ‘Tardis’ telephone box. Were we to be delighted by the Timelord leaping from it? Sadly not; both David Tennant and his assistant were on holiday. So we had to make do with charming designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. Not the same for real fans though, is it?
Elsewhere, the chap selling authentic Chelsea FC seats in cast iron and mahogany, rescued from Stamford Bridge and restored, should be on to a good thing after last weekend’s Cup Final. As I was listening to his sales patter that only 138 remained, media celebrity Piers Morgan thought I was selling them. Accusingly he said: “I’m an Arsenal season ticket holder so this is like a horror show.”
You get all sorts at Chelsea!
Picture: Claire Austin, from Claire Austin Hardy Plants, Edgebolton, with her display.
By Shirley Tart
One Comment
I hope they all knew that tickets have to be purchased in advance!