I binged watched quite a lot of the coverage over the last two days (it was raining!). In the spirit of it being a show, I really enjoyed it, but as ever, was frustrated by the lack of focus on the plants. It is the Chelsea FLOWER show after all. The camera would glide past something wonderful and I want to shout stop, wait, what was that?!
Knowledgeable gardeners such as Carol Klein are given so little time that an ‘in depth’ look at euphorbias, for example, featured a meagre three and one of those only in passing.
Yet we get extended interviews and walkabouts with witless slebs that contribute nothing and take up valuable airtime.
A show garden is being explored and all the focus is on the story, the sculpture and the hard landscaping. Yes they are critical and integral parts of the garden design, but skimming over the plants with nary a mention leaves me feeling short-changed.
Those are criticisms of the coverage rather than the gardens themselves, many of which I found interesting, beautiful, intriguing and occasionally challenging.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Indeed as Nollie says it’s the Chelsea Flower Show not TheChelsea Garden show ,I don’t care about gardens made for whatever charity . Instead of a garden ,give the charity the thousands of£££s spent making it ,and please just show us the Flowers!!!!
@Hostafan1 I have met him, he is highly intelligent, charismatic, romantic . He planted a Musa in a friends garden as part of a Gardener's World programme. Monty Don.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I'm saying nothing, apart from the fact that I think a lot of people don't understand the word 'show'...
Very unkind comment about Joe Swift
Simply my honest opinion.
You may dislike him, but he's merely the presenter in that instance, and is stating what's in the script. I'm not getting into a debate about it though
The snarky comment is complaining about it being called a flower show. That's it bl**dy title!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I’m not being snarky ( whatever that means) I’m just purely saying that if it’s called a flower show ,can we please see flowers . I know it’s nobody’s fault except the BBC who have no clue about anything . For goodness sake , I tuned in this afternoon only to see a Blue Peter ex presenter painting on clay or whatever pots and showing us all how to do it . That’s not what I want to see either .Gardens are whatever you want them to be ,but plants are my reason to get out of bed ,now I’m so unabled . Please just show me flowers !
The show is about far more than flowers though -in the same way that Agricultural Shows are about far more than agriculture Seemed to be plenty of flowers on the programme last night, from what I saw.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You wouldn't have liked the Great Pavilion much @bcpathome - there were more (imo fabulous) hosta stands than I expected, with only one or two plants of many starting to flower. Quite a lot of ferns as well. Maybe that's why it's called the Great Pavilion not the Floral Marquee! Should we assume you're not a fan of there being show gardens either, as it's not a garden show but a flower show? 😉
One thing I meant to say yesterday was that the community garden with the terrazzo table was not the vast space it looks on TV but really quite small. If it wasn't for that table I wouldn't have recognised it as the same garden! I liked it a lot better IRL.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Correct L G . I did like my visit a few years ago to the GWorld show at Birmingham, that had a floral marquee and it was just wonderful. Perhaps if the BBC showed that ,I would feel more satisfied. But I don’t think The Chelsea Flower Show is quite my thing if we have to see gardens and so much chitter chatter as well to so called celebrities who know about as much about gardening as I do ,probably less .
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Knowledgeable gardeners such as Carol Klein are given so little time that an ‘in depth’ look at euphorbias, for example, featured a meagre three and one of those only in passing.
Yet we get extended interviews and walkabouts with witless slebs that contribute nothing and take up valuable airtime.
A show garden is being explored and all the focus is on the story, the sculpture and the hard landscaping. Yes they are critical and integral parts of the garden design, but skimming over the plants with nary a mention leaves me feeling short-changed.
Those are criticisms of the coverage rather than the gardens themselves, many of which I found interesting, beautiful, intriguing and occasionally challenging.
Monty Don.
The snarky comment is complaining about it being called a flower show. That's it bl**dy title!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Seemed to be plenty of flowers on the programme last night, from what I saw.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
One thing I meant to say yesterday was that the community garden with the terrazzo table was not the vast space it looks on TV but really quite small. If it wasn't for that table I wouldn't have recognised it as the same garden! I liked it a lot better IRL.