RHS Chelsea Flower Show Part 2 – The Planting

I returned to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last week to experience four days of planting. The garden had altered dramatically since I was last at SW3, even though I had only been away for a couple of days! A fortress of plant trolleys guarded the developing design. Two-deep and surrounding the two open sides of the garden, uniformed rows of solider-like plants were ready and waiting to create wildlife friendly borders.

Come rain or shine a small team of people worked tirelessly to recreate Adam’s vision of the planting. To begin with I found it hard to imagine how the completed scheme would look, but suddenly the puzzle pieces all locked together and the drifts of tall spires naturally flowed between borders. The bees began taking full advantage of the beautiful blooms, especially the nodding bonnets of the Aquilegia and the striking bursts of orange Geums. The garden has three distinct areas of planting. At the front of the garden three long rectangular beds overflow with bright, soft herbaceous plants. On the roof of the architectural Bauhaus building square corten planters are filled with wildflower turf, a perfect place for a cedar-wood beehive. Finally, at the back of garden is the jungle, where lush Tree Ferns, Hostas and Euphorbias weave their way between smooth concrete stepping-stones. I love this secret area, which takes complete advantage of a shady aspect enclosed by tall Yew hedges.

As the design drew closer to completion we had to dance our way around the garden (and one another) trying not to get the concrete or cedar dirty. Our efforts at trying to keep the walkways clean and mud-free were dampened on Thursday, when torrential rain poured down on the show ground all day. Cups of tea became hand warmers, as well as fuel to keep us going and I realised how lucky we have been to have so many dry days.

The areas of turf were one of the last things to be completed. All the Chelsea gardens have pristine lawns, which are laid around the perimeter of the design, like putting a frame around a painting. Although, I have noticed that Adam’s garden is one of the only ones on Main Avenue to have a ‘proper’ lawn included with in the design. Perhaps lawns are not very fashionable anymore, however there is nothing nicer than spreading a blanket on the grass on a hot day and lying in the sun. The fresh blades of grass are like the punctuation between the overflowing borders and the crisp pools of water and I think they both soften and accentuate the framework of concrete copings.

I have spent over 130 hours on site, with a diet consisting mostly of tea and takeaways. I knew that I would learn lots of new skills, especially having never experienced a garden being constructed before. Although, I had no idea about the variety of different things I would get to do. There are definitely lots of less obvious things that I have gained too, including an awful lot of patience and a keen new eye for attention to detail. I have heard a lot of people saying that it is not a competition between you and your neighbour; it is a competition with yourself. They are completely right. When you are soaked through to your skin with little sleep, probably smelling pretty unattractive and covered in more dirt than just one shower will wash off, you need to dig deep and find your own momentum to keep going.