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Brewin Dolphin Garden, Cleve West, Joe Swift, Lysimachia 'Beaujolais', M&G Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2104
© 2014 Ian Curley
Of all the RHS flower shows it is Chelsea where the gardens feature the most prominently. For some people they receive too much attention with reams of copy in the newspapers and the seemingly endless dissecting on TV. I have to admit that I do find certain elements of the coverage veers towards navel gazing and pretentiousness but I think this is inevitable when garden designers are discussing their contemporaries. It’s not just gardening which is guilty of this. Take a look at some of the food programmes on the TV at the moment and you’ll see the strange phenomenon whereby chefs are achieving a god-like status. And does anyone actually manage to sit through more than 10 minutes of any of those awards ceremonies without feeling nauseous? For me though, the gardens make Chelsea special.
The show gardens along Main Avenue are the starry element to the event. These are the haute couture of the gardening world. For most of us they are fantasy gardens but not for everybody. The Nancy Dell’Olio lookalike who stood next to me as we both looked towards The Telegraph Garden proceeded to tell the retinue around her that her own garden would look pretty much exactly like this by the end of the summer. It’s easy to dismiss these gardens as purely window dressing just as many do with catwalk fashion but just as the clothes we wear are influenced by the top fashion designers, their ideas filtering down to the high street, so do the trends, designs and plants used in the show gardens. I do shudder at the thought of how much money is spent on the large gardens but Chelsea has become a shop window for the best in British garden design.
I think the controversy that’s sparked every year when the medals are announced is fantastic. Why did so-and-so get a silver-gilt and not a gold, particularly when what’s-he-called got Best in Show? If the judges award more than 5 golds they’re being too generous, any less and they’re being too strict. I feel desperately for anyone who receives a silver or, even worse, a bronze. All that hard work and then you have to put on the brave face and say the medal doesn’t matter because the public love it. In reality we all know that if you go to all the trouble of putting yourself forward to design a garden you want silver-gilt at the very least. Or is that just my competitive streak talking?
Patrick Collins’ ‘A Garden for First Touch at St George’s’ – Chelsea 2014 © 2014 Ian Curley
I thought there was a lot to like about this year’s Chelsea gardens. Patrick Collins’ ‘A Garden for First Touch at St. George’s Hospital’ used the old rock bank and I loved the contrast his garden, built on a slope, provided to the relative flatness of the other show gardens. The planting was stunning, as was the use of the rusty steel, and it was one of the gardens which I felt offered realistic inspiration to your average gardener.
Matthew Childs’ Brewin Dolphin Garden received a silver-gilt but I really can’t see why he didn’t get a gold. Beautiful planting, stunning features and a joy to look at.
Cleve West’s M&G Garden. I love it from this angle. © 2014 Ian Curley
I’m a huge fan of Cleve West and was hugely looking forward to seeing his Persian inspired garden for M&G. Strangely though the garden didn’t have the impact I thought it would. It was beautifully executed and had fabulous planting but the front part of the garden which represented the dry, arid areas of the Iranian landscape slightly jarred. The odd thing was when I got home and looked through Wellyman’s photos it all seemed to work. Wellyman and I both came to the conclusion that the garden worked as a whole when viewed from certain points but not others.
The Rich brothers and their ‘A Night Sky Garden’ – Chelsea 2014′ © 2014 Ian Curley
The Rich brothers designed a fantastic artisan garden last year so I was looking forward to seeing their first show garden and I wasn’t disappointed. They take their inspiration from the landscape around their home in the Brecon Beacons, a place I know well. I loved the natural planting, the lack of bling and the idea that the garden will be used after Chelsea at an autistic centre in Cardiff.
The Telegraph Garden – Chelsea 2014 – I like the shot of colour here from Gladiolus byzantinus. © 2014 Ian Curley
The Telegraph Garden just didn’t do it for me, it was just too slick for my liking. Everyone seemed so taken with the pristine lawn but it just looked so green it could have been fake. Aren’t these types of lawns a little old-fashioned now anyway – a monoculture needing way too much attention, often of the chemical kind, and offering no real benefits to our native wildlife? Of all the gardens it felt the most corporate, the one which would appeal most to a city banker. It’s the type of garden I’d like to see less of at Chelsea. The geometric layout of Luciano Giubbilei’s Laurent Perrier Garden didn’t appeal but the planting was superb. A cool palette of creams, lemons and greens provided a nice contrast to the berry colours of reds and purples in evidence elsewhere.
Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’ – Chelsea 2014 © 2014 Ian Curley
And that takes me to a point that has slightly niggled me for the last few years. The similarity in planting really can’t be a coincidence. Last year you couldn’t get stirred for cow parsley. Now I love a bit of frothy planting but I wouldn’t expect to see it on every garden. This year it was the turn of irises, aquilegia and Lysimachia ‘Beaujolais’. I know it’s spring and there are certain plants which are at their best now but the fact that the same plants, in the same colours turn up on different gardens is just a bit odd. Perhaps not so odd when you see that the gardens which shared the similar planting were all supplied by the same plant nursery. In the past it has been dismissed as ‘great minds think alike’ but, at last, Joe Swift suggested last night on the TV that it might well have something to do with nurseries presenting the designers with plants that will be at their peak for Chelsea week. The plum and claret colours I saw this year were really inspirational and I’m already thinking about ways I can incorporate them into my cut flower patch but perhaps for the gardens to be truly distinctive the issue of plant suppliers needs to be addressed.
wellywoman 
Very interesting point about the nurseries pushing various plants! Is that anchusa Loddon Blue in your photo? That is a plant that was ubiquitous and Chelsea in about 2004 – I know cos I got the name of it off someone on a show garden and have grown it ever since. In fact the colours this year remind me of the 2004 Chelsea – it all goes around I guess.
It’s bugged me that it’s never been acknowledged that if the gardens get the plants from the same place that might explain the similar planting. I know what it’s like trying to time plants to perform for a particular day so if you’re presented with trays of irises just about to flower you’ll take them but it does me a lack of variety which is a pity. Ian was reading something on Sarah Raven’s website about cirsium which said how it had been popular at Chelsea about 10 years ago and who can forget the alliums which used to be everywhere. It is anchusa. It’s a stunner isn’t it?
Very interesting comments – I agree with the similarity of plants on the show gardens but then it seems that they all get their plants from Crocus so no wonder there are similarities perhaps!
Thanks Jackie. Oddly Crocus seem to have supplied only one garden this year. It’s Hortus Loci which supplied 4 gardens. Same result though.
I too enjoyed the Patrick Collins garden especially the fact that it’s the first slope I’ve seen in a Chelsea garden and the planting was good. I loved the plants in Cleeve West’s design but I really didn’t like the material used for the hard landscaping. But it may have been authentic to the original concept-was it limestone? I have to admit that I always enjoy the really slick designs such as the Telegraph. But I absolutely couldn’t live with such a garden-too tense making-I would resent as much as a leaf landing on it. But they are usually good reminders that clipped box looks best when really carefully and regularly clipped. The planting at Chelsea may follow similar patterns in each garden simply because lime green and claret red and shrill purple work well together and are in season. Whatever I thought Chelsea this year was fascinating and inspiring even though I’ve only watched it on the box.
Your comment about the tense gardens made me chuckle. There were quite a few people tasked on Monday with the seemingly endless task of sweeping up leaves and clearing ponds so they looked their pristine best. I prefer my own garden to be a little more rustic. That way leaves, weeds and spilt compost don’t stand out like a sore thumb. ;)The fountain on Cleve’s garden was made from Bath limestone not sure about the rest.
A most enjoyable, and interesting, post although I have to say that these big gardens rarely do much for me and I much prefer the small ones. xx
Again, it’s good to hear your views, especially about the nurseries supplying more than one designer. I loved the Telegraph Garden when I first saw it, but then I would never be able to keep it in such a pristine condition, I would have to employ someone to sweep and clip and titivate to keep it so immaculate!
I think your article about Chelsea blows a welcome waft of fresh air over the hype and hyperbole. Let’s face it Chelsea Flower Show is all very old fashioned and fast becoming irrelevant.
Here in the real world, we are talking about climate change, about heritage plants, about ecology and sustainability. But designers don’t get browny points for any of these issues.
Acutely manicured grass in the Telegraph garden is conspicuous consumerism. What about wildness, indigenous species and bug-life?
Some of the gardens are pretty and some show skill and plantsman-ship.
But I agree with you. Hasn’t it all got just a little bit silly? And doesn’t the hype overshadow dedicated exhibitors who pay through the nose to exhibit and may not benefit from all this publicity?
Hi Wendy, Thanks for your comment. It’s interesting to hear what others think about Chelsea. There was some evidence of sustainability and ecology in the gardens designed by Hugo Bugg and the Rich brothers and I loved both of them. The naturalistic planting that has been popular for a few years now I think does influence what we put in our gardens. The bees of Chelsea were certainly having a good feed. For me I want to see variety at Chelsea. I don’t expect there to not be gardens which are fancy and bling. They don’t appeal to me but they do appeal to some. I just hope in future years there’s a balance of different ideas, designs and plants rather than the tendency to focus on the high end design. I think it would be interesting to see what designers do get marks for. Perhaps the RHS could look at including elements about sustainability if they don’t already do so. The publicity element is interesting. I was told a few years ago by someone who had exhibited at Chelsea that despite it being quite a bit of money was the most useful to her in terms of business. In fact it was better than all the other places she exhibited at put together. So at least seems others do benefit from the pull of Chelsea.
Thought provoking post WW, I think it is a pity that often several gardens have the same plant supplier, this doesn’t give small independant growers the chance to show their plants which would be good in the show gardens as well as inside. Your comment about haute couture is correct but that is rarely boring even if you think it silly! There are some cutting edge designers around now making clever, interesting and usable gardens but often the show gardens are none of those things. When I go to Chelsea I go for the gardens; and although I enjoy and find useful seeing all the different nurseries it isn’t the most important thing for me. Maybe the brief each year should be tighter but all the designers having to follow a brief; then we could compare how they interpretted it differently
I think haute couture has its place. Yes it can sometimes be silly but there’s nothing wrong with silly – it’s theatre after all and about creating something dramatic. I agree the designs could be a bit more relatable and usable. There was much to take inspiration from though as I’ll write about in tomorrow’s post. 🙂
Interesting article WW. It is always nice to read an account of Chelsea from a knowledgeable plantsperson rather than media journo.
Despite being on the other side of the globe I always follow what goes on at Chelsea as I am a keen gardener and also moonlighting garden designer.
I’m hoping to get to Chelsea for the first time in 2017 – we’re planning on being in France around that time and I told my husband that nothing is going to stop me going to Chelsea if I’m in that part of the world around that time of year!
I suppose most of the Chelsea show gardens can be taken in the same context as catwalk fashion – not always practical and financially out of reach for most of us but they do provide direction and inspiration for high street garden design and trends for the rest of us.
Probably the main gripe for me is that a lot of the planting looks the same. Not just the actual plants but the planting design/grouping/species used.
I don’t have a problem with the designs not being useable or realistic so long as everyday gardeners can drawn inspiration from the design and reinterpret parts of it into their own plot.
I also don’t have much of a problem with the fact that some gardens obviously cost an absolute bomb – if companies want to shell out a bomb so be it. However I would hate to think that most/all of the garden is thrown out once Chelsea ends.
On that note – do they recycle the plants or materials afterwards?
Thank Goodness they didn’t have a repeat or copy of that vile Australian garden by Fleming’s from last year. That was botanical cultural cringe at its worst. Absolutely revolting – how it got Best in Show is completely beyond me, even when you look past the exotic novelty it may have held for judges. What was that stupid orange metal thing again??
Hi Danielle, Some of the gardens are reused. The only I know will be this year is the Rich Brothers’ A Night Sky Garden which will be reconstructed at an autistic centre in Cardiff. But I’m sure others will be. The plants often go back to the nurseries. Crocus which supplied the Laurent Perrier Garden have a sell off at their nursery which is open to the public. I know the RHS are trying to improve the sustainability of the show.
I hope you get to Chelsea in 2016 or 2017. It’s fabulous to see it in reality and I’m sure you’ll love it.
:0 The Australian garden was odd. It didn’t appeal to me either but I know a few who did love it, I think partly because it was SO different from other show gardens and it provided a real contrast.
It’s interesting how we all have different favourites, isn’t it? I have to say that The Telegraph Garden is one of my favourites, but I agree with you about the Rich brother’s Night Sky Garden and I also loved A Garden For First Touch at St.George’s. I wonder if your opinion of certain gardens would change if you’d only seen coverage on tv like I have, or if my opinions would change if I’d seen the gardens in person. I suppose you only get to see what you’re shown when you’re watching on tv whereas you can get up close and personal if you’re there.
It’s good that we’ve all got different tastes- life would be boring otherwise 😉 Strangely you probably see more watching the TV coverage. Even on press day you can rarely get access to the actual gardens and even though it’s quieter you have to contend with lots of photographers and the TV crews. I definitely think opinions of the gardens would be different if you could wander through them and appreciate them fully.
I’m very impressed with Ian’s photography skills, he takes a very nice snap! I’ve also enjoyed reading your very honest feedback about the show; on Tuesday, I overhead several groups commenting on the similarity of planting so it’s something the public are aware of. Personally, I think it’s designers wanting to demonstrate their awareness of planting for bio-diversity, not drawing too heavily on previous years and the nurseries having a limited palette of what will survive close planting and temperature extremes in May! I managed to see the First Touch garden and thought it was wonderful; I also saw the Night sky garden and would have liked to wander around as it was a very thoughtful concept. I’ll definitely be revisiting those two on Saturday and will let you know what I think of Cleve’s garden! xx
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the gardens. I’m sure it’s a nightmare getting plants to look their best for Chelsea so inevitably some gardens will end up with very similar planting. Have a fab day tomorrow. Take a look at the dresses embellished with flowers in the Great Pavilion – they’re part of the Chelsea Florist Competition – they’re incredible. x
I am still working my way through the Chelsea TV coverage, but I was fascinated to read that my own feelings about the relative merits of the Telegraph garden and the Night Sky garden were echoed by somebody who has been there. And I am very intrigued about the nursery – naming no names… They do make a lot of money through selling plants “as used in the gold medal winning Chelsea Show Garden”… I find some of the planting in the show gardens mesmerising, and certainly get ideas from seeing it, though working out what the plants are is hard as so few gardens publish the planting lists, I’m sure this used to happen more. But I think what I would really love to be able to do is spend a day in the Great Pavilion, looking at all those wonderful plants and talking to the experts about how to grow them well. I will be getting seed for the lysimachia, and hunting down the anchusa, but I agree that it would be great if there wasn’t quite the same sense of so many gardens using the same planting palette. More new blood might help, and please can we have some more women?!
If it’s the nursery I’m thinking you’re thinking of (small spring flowering bulb one) they actually only did one show this year – the Laurent Perrier one. It was Hortus loci who supplied 4 of the gardens. It must be a nightmare trying to get plants ready for a show. I have very limited experience of what it was like last year and I think plants should be added to the list of never work with children or animals, certainly in the context of getting them to perform for a particular time. So I suppose it’s inevitable to some extent that certain plants all look good and are therefore snapped up by the designers. There are some plant lists online and there were some available on the Monday. I have some if you’d like me to send them on to you? The Great Pavilion is amazing and I wish I had spent more time there. I like how there were quite a few new faces this year and young ones too. Good that the sponsors were willing to take a risk and that they don’t just want the more familiar faces. I agree it would be good to see more women. I’m tempted by an artisan garden but have enough on at the moment and where would you start? 😉 Have a lovely weekend. Rain tomorrow for us but looks like Sunday and Monday should be nice.
Really enjoyed this walk through the show, thanks!
Thank you. 🙂
nice photos 🙂
Quite a debate here! I confess to being completely hooked by Chelsea, regarding it as the pinnacle of horticulture, and the show gardens are the icing on the cake! While I agree that they are often very idealised and unrealistic, it constantly amazes me what incredible gardens these designers can create – the imagination and expertise to combine plants and hard materials to create such beautiful works of art. The designer part of me just loves them, but the gardener side says that in reality, they are not for me and I would much prefer a plantsman’s garden.
I am a huge fan of Luciano Giubbelei’s gardens and I agree that this is one of my favourites – well worthy of “best in show”. I love his formality. I have seen several of his gardens in magazines over the years, and his designs seem to be becoming softer, still with the same strong lines, but with the addition of soft planting and restrained colour palettes. In fact, I think it was only in his Chelsea show garden of 2009, that he started to use flowers at all, previously relying solely on evergreens to provide structure in his very contemporary, formal gardens. I did like the fact that his colour scheme this year was one of the few that veered away from the colour trend.
Which brings me to your point of the planting trends. I have noticed this over the years, often remarking on the year’s trends, but assumed that this was because the designers were trying to direct garden fashion. The thought of the suppliers being the factor in the matter, dictating what was available, had not occurred to me. While I accept that there is a limit to what is naturally available at this time of year, should not be a stumbling block. After all, look at the lengths growers go to have daffodils and dahlias flowering in time for Chelsea.
Oh dear – I have gone on a bit! But I’ve enjoyed the chat! 😉
Luciano’s garden did stand out because of his colour palette. I think the sheer volume of plants being grown for just Chelsea is so huge it probably does make it difficult to have lots of variety. One grower said he’d grown 20,000 plants just for Chelsea. It’s quite mind-boggling!!!
Interesting to come to this after having watched hours of Chelsea coverage (just couldnt get there this year) and find my preferences echo yours. I was much more interested in the artisan gardens and find the repeated use of strong rectangular shapes in quite a few of the designs not to my taste. My favourite of the large gardens was Cleve West’s and I really admired what the Rich brothers had done. I am in sympathy with Wendy about sustainability and the undesirability of the perfect lawn. I would love to see sustainability being included in the judging criteria. What a difference that would make to the marking!
Hello – I too didn’t like the Telegraph garden and liked the look, from the TV, of the NIght Sky garden. Designers are encouraged to put lots of lighting into their gardens, however thought needs to be given to keep it down so it doesn’t make the sky even more orange. I can see the stars from my garden as we don’t have street lights – I realise I am lucky.
I’d love to know what clematis that was that you put as the first picture. I have planted something that is a bit pinker but similar shape – Duchess of Albany.
Thanks for your reviews of Chelsea.
Jane
and there was I thinking that each garden had their chosen plants grown especially for them if not by them. Disillusioned but still love watching Chelsea on the telly, never been there. I know what you made about the interviews though.