Chelsea Flower Show
A look at some of the gardens at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show.
The Chelsea Flower Show was first held in 1862 and this year, runs through Saturday, May 28. More than 600 exhibitors are at the show, and the Queen (Elizabeth II), the Queen on the big screen (Helen Mirren), Gwyneth Paltrow, and lots of other celebrities have already stopped by this year's sold-out show. Reports are that garden centers feel the recession starting to lift and that the biggest trend for 2011 is growing vegetables. For complete coverage, stop by the Telegraph's site, which has extensive coverage of the show and the prize winners.
Here are a few photos from Andrea Jones, showing a snippet of the scene at the Chelsea Flower Show.
At left: Basildon Bond, a stationery company, had a garden designed by William Quarmby. Irises and grasses grew in front of a wall made of waterproof paper, with a seating area where people could write letters with provided stationery.
The B&Q Garden by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins was a tower of vertical planting including a green wall of herbs with window boxes of tomatoes and nasturiums and won a Gold Medal at the show. (B&Q sells home and garden supplies, similar to the Home Depot in America.)
Another part of the gold medal-winning B&Q Garden, by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins, had a tower hotel for pollinating insects filled with recycled materials.
The M&G Investments Garden, designed by Bunny Guiness, is based on kitchen gardens with edible plants, with raised beds with herbs, cardoons and lavender, as well as citrus trees in pots, underplanted with French lavender. The raised vegetable beds include Knautia and purple cabbages. This won a silver-gilt medal at the show.
