Post Chelsea

Cayman Islands Tourist Board Garden


I understand that the RHS awarded James May a special plasticine medal as a gesture because he couldn't be considered for any other type of medal - the garden did not contain any "real" flowers - I think that was quite nice. Whatever you think of the garden it certainly caused a stir and in many respects that is good because we need to be stimulated and even sometimes shocked. One lady was positively apoplectic when she saw it but the kids just loved it and perhaps they are more of a realistic critic in this case.

I really did like Kate Gould's garden - Kate, founded her company Helios in 1998 and her Eco Chic garden was one of only 3 Gold's in the Urban Gardens class. Her design was clever - to examine the potential of the hundreds of under-used inner-city spaces too often overlooked or simply concreted over by developers. The garden was entirely made from a recycled palette and it really was outstanding. She cleverly used shade-tolerant plants, dramatic green walls and permeable surfaces and positively demonstrated that recycling can be beautiful and indeed chic. The garden really deserved to win best in class.

I liked the Cayman Islands Tourist Board volcanic garden which again was something different and unusual this year. The picture above doesn't really do it justice but hopefully it gives a flavour.

Chic and modernist tended to win out at Chelsea this year - there was less fuss and bother somehow, but there were less gardens. Next year might be tricky as the sponsors of gardens tend to do so a year in advance, and as the economic climate is still less than healthy this could have a really detrimental effect on those designers hoping to get commissions for 2010, only time will tell.

Some gardening pundits are saying that Chelsea 2009 is low key - well perhaps so in some ways it is but in other ways it has given the chance to newer and younger designers to shine a bit more, such as James Wong and David Cumbero with their Canary Islands Spa Garden (pictured) and that is no bad thing. There are also less Gold medals this year but again there are less gardens, so the proportion of Gold to gardens is probably still about right.

I don't think anything earth shattering comes out of Chelsea 2009 but there is more realism and remember if you get fed up tending those roses and pulling those weeds there is always Plasticine.