Blooming Chelsea

This is some of what I saw at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show. I'm going to include a few of my observations in an article I'm writing for the next Gardening Australia Magazine so this can be seen as the photographic backdrop.

I have to of course include an image of our garden, the combined effort of The Times (who publish the monthly Eureka science magazine) and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to "showcase the significance of plants in science and society". It's a little subtle, but the species were selected because they not only look good together but they also have some utility to humans. And the structure at the back is inspired by plant cells. The designer was Marcus Barnett.

I must also of course include the Gold winning entry by Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Their 'Australian Garden', designed by Jim Foggerty, was a microcosm of the fabulous garden of the same name at Cranbourne.

And for completeness, the Best in Show, Cleve West's Daily Telegraph garden...

But for me the action really happens inside the tent. Here are just a few of the gorgeous floral attractions, plus the Cape flora dispaly from South Africa at the start of this posting. Every display in the Pavillion tent was a winner for me!