This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Chelsea 2017
fidgetbones
Posts: 17,617
From what we saw on Sunday, hubby thought I was going to be in fashion. The naturalistic look ( the yorkshire garden) seemed to be in . Then the best in show went to a pile of stones, looking more like a graveyard than a garden. I liked that no better than what looked like a war memorial slab last year. Are we going in two opposite directions? real gardens for gardeners and the sculpture park look, all with hidden meanings, for the celebs and the powers that be?
0
Posts
I haven't watched it yet. Sounds like I'm going to agree with you when I do, Fidget
I like the look of that Maltese Quarry. I like that Chelsea allows designers to do something different, and even convey cheesy messages; it would be dull with just loads of variations on what you could realistically achieve in a typical garden (and no 'controversies'!) When I was at college the students built a 'volcano' at Chelsea, with red flowers cascading down it 'like lava'. I thought "what a load of b***cks!" but someone liked it enough to buy the whole thing and have it transported to their garden after the show... so it just shows, we all have different tastes I guess!
Uh but last years best in show was hideous... I'll give you that one...
I seem to remember it is called the Chelsea FLOWER show. Some of the gardens seem to be lacking a few flowers.
Garden designers work for clients all over the world ... some do not want or cannot have lush greenery and flowers ... Chelsea is a chance for designers to showcase what can be done in more difficult environments.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Quite a lot of them look to me like they are mostly weeds. Yes, I know, "weeds are plants". I get a bit fed up with the big name designers eulogising the fragility of wildflowers. You try and get some of those fragile flowers out of your borders . I suppose the fact that they mostly have very short flowering seasons isn't a problem because for most it's now so the fact they look rather dull for the other 51 weeks of the year doesn't trouble Chelsea.
I always watch it hoping for inspiration but rarely find it there. Last year I liked Chris Beardshaw's garden for GOSH, Jekka's herb garden and the red lupins in the BBC studio.
This year I like the Japanese garden but the rest all look rather dull so far. There are a few of the smaller ones they've mentioned but not really shown so far on the 8pm programme
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I've watched several episodes on iPlayer.... I'm not sure, perhaps I missed it, but have they discussed a plant yet at all?... mentioned a Latin name?....
I went yesterday.
Bit disappointed. Really noticed the reduced (8 only) big show gardens, gaps seemed to be filled by trade stands and a RHS overly huge photography stand, not really up to Main Avenue expectations. Felt like I'd done Main Avenue in minutes.
Loved Chris Beardshaws as always, shouldve got gold.
Shame Adam Frost wasn't there, hopefully we'll see more of him on GW.
Thinking I won't bother next year, will do just Hampton C instead-cheaper and just as good - Chelsea numbers will plummet if they do same next year.
ps-Best in Show? Compared with previous years? Words fail me.
Same here, the best in show was not my choice. It ain't gardening to me but others may say different. The Japanese designers garden got a gold and looked a more conventional design opposed to the one that won best in show. The Yorkshire garden with a boat confused me as well . As someone has already stated its called RHS Chelsea Flower Show but to look at some of the gardens, you would not believe it
So it's not just me, then! "Best in Show" - hmmmmm. A touch of the emperor's new clothes, methinks. Rather like some very modern art. Or music. The cognoscenti extol the virtues. Lesser mortals scratch their heads and gravitate to more pleasing arrangements, with more ideas that can usefully be copied/adapted.
PS perhaps we will one day have a horticultural equivalent of John Cage - he of the 4'33" "music" of silence. And all of the above will wonder that no-one ever thought of it before. I'm up for giving it a go! All I need is a sponsor with more money than sense, maybe.