Chelsea Flower Show wows crowds again
I was thrilled to be at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show again in England, especially on press day when I relished the opportunity to preview this gardening extravaganza.
It attracts the world’s greatest: the greatest designers, the greatest growers, and the greatest products related to plants and gardens. This 104th edition didn’t fail to astonish, despite a blip caused by sponsorship concerns due to the Brexit fiasco. Usually numbering in the teens, this year saw only eight large show gardens. Regardless, it remains the Olympics of gardening, a crowd pulling event running for five days that always sell out faster than a rock concert.
The large gardens average 10 metres wide and 22 metres deep and can soak up as much as a million dollars in building costs. The process could be described quite literally as digging a hole and tossing in money, and yet these are not simply gardens, but living works of art that transcend the typical perception of what a garden is.
Even before viewing, it’s essential to learn of the concepts behind the designs, something I too easily skip in my eagerness to compose my own photographic interpretations.
Winner of a gold medal and Best in Show, the garden by designer James Basson perhaps initially puzzled many a visitor. Despite being described by the chair of the judging panel as “faultless and outstanding in terms of both construction and attention to detail,” one might have asked, where’s the garden?
Beneath a cliff face of limestone, serried ranks of perfect blocks marched to a tower of limestone. Partway up and at the top, trees had gained a foothold, not unlike the way ancient cedars have on our own Niagara escarpment. Between the cubes of limestone, there were no harsh, bright splashes of colour; that would have distracted. Rather, growing there were wisps of plants that if left untended would eventually envelop the sculpted stonework.
It was not supposed to be a pretty garden; rather it was described by its creator as stark and monumentally brutal, with an ecological message. The concept came from a visit by Basson to a partially abandoned Maltese quarry where local flora, evergreens and ground cover had begun to reclaim the workings, illustrating how humans and nature interact. Garden or concept, it was as Basson intended — thought provoking.
For a traditional garden, Chris Beardshaw’s design more clearly met the expectations of many.
It was judged, however, to be worthy only of a silver gilt medal, a decision the public clearly disagreed with as they voted it winner of the People’s Choice Award.
They, and I, loved the way Beardshaw successfully combined a woodland setting with a richly textured planting of perennials, inspired by the fractal geometry found in music, art, and nature. Through this masterpiece, a meandering pathway led to a magnificent loggia of stone and timber.
Another crowd favourite was The Silk Road Garden, designed to represent the ancient trade routes between the east and west. A dramatic red bridge linked the lush plantings of the garden. Among them were bright azaleas and other plants that were long ago brought via the Silk Road to find homes in our own gardens.
Besides the large show gardens, the smaller ones in the Fresh Garden and Artisan Garden categories were especially delightful.
The Gosho No Niwa garden by Ishihara Kazuyuki, inspired by the Kyoto residence of Japanese emperors, was absolutely immaculate. A temple-like structure with Japanese maples, a rushing waterfall, and Kazuyuki’s trademark magic with mosses was spellbinding.
I could go on, and on, and on. Better to check out my own photographic impressions at: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm1JBq18.
Just to show that we have amazing gardens in Canada, from June 2 to 8, the Princess Cinema in Waterloo is showing “The Gardener,” a documentary about the late influential gardener and horticulturalist Frank Cabot and his personal quest for perfection at Les Quatre Vents, his 20-acre English style garden and summer estate.