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Chelsea photos 2017
Liriodendron
Posts: 8,328
Just kicking this off...
Paeony from the Silk Road garden.
More of mine this afternoon - please feel free to add yours!
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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Right. Hopefully there might be a few different "angles" on the gardens etc, as we post the photos of what caught our eye.
There was lots of coverage of the big show gardens, but here's my "2 penn'orth". Feel free to disagree with my opinions!
1. M&G Garden (James Basson - "Best in Show" though not universally popular)
You couldn't get close enough to the planting to examine the plants in detail, which was a pity.
2. Welcome to Yorkshire garden (Tracey Foster)
I liked the "wild" planting. Not sure about the overall design and bobbing buoys though.
3. Royal Bank of Canada garden (Charlotte Harris)
A very peaceful design with plenty of wild flowers woven in; the hard landscaping was harmonious too.
Not the only garden to feature pine trees...
4. Breaking Ground (Andrew Wilson & Gavin McWilliam)
Another garden evoking mixed reactions. I heard several people agreeing they didn't fancy filling their gardens with what amounted to scaffolding... the garden had its points, though: I'm a sucker for a nice reflective bit of water. And the purple-based planting scheme (lots of salvia) was ok.
5. The Morgan Stanley Garden (Chris Beardshaw; winner of People's Choice award)
Definitely my sort of garden. Lovely lush planting you could imagine living with; an attractive building; nice multi-stemmed field maples; simple topiary; strong design.
6. Covent Garden (Lee Bestall)
I liked the combination of the arches with wooden furniture, simple hard landscaping and relatively subtle plant combinations.
7. RHS Greening Grey Britain garden (Nigel Dunnett)
This wasn't a "judged" garden - more there to give ideas for ways of improving the urban environment. I liked the insect houses:
There were plenty of bees around the flowers too. Lots of natives and single flowers.
8. Silk Road Garden
Thanks for sharing those pictures Liri
I haven't been watching Chelsea as I always think it is gardens for people who aren't gardeners but I've only been once and might be being a snob
Predictably for me I like the Yorkshire and Morgan Stanley gardens above, I like lots of flowers all crammed together in a cottagey look.?
Bother. Ran out of space.
8. Silk road garden (Laurie Chetwood & Patrick Collins)
Those extraordinary red and pink "fins" were something else! But the planting was sumptuous; gorgeous plants originating from China.
9. Linklaters Garden for Maggie's (Darren Hawkes)
You had to queue round the block to see this garden, which you could view briefly (if you were taller than me!) through an open gate, or at leisure from a walkway above. I understood the concept of all that dark grey concrete - putting back together a life broken by a cancer diagnosis - but can't help feeling that in such a circumstance I'd prefer to look at more greenery...
That's it for the big gardens. More photos of the small ones when I've potted on some geums!
Thanks Victoria S.
This was my second visit to Chelsea. Yes, I'm sure you're right about people going to be seen and drink Pimms - there was certainly plenty of that going on
- but there were plenty of ideas for ordinary gardeners, I felt, and lots to make me smile. In the Pavilion there was a huge variety of plants, including vegetables, and a lot of small family nurseries exhibiting, which was lovely. I have a notebook full of plant ideas. It's probably a good thing you can't buy plants at Chelsea... 
Glad you had fun
Great pics Liri - a great day out for real gardeners, I'd agree. Good fun people watching too
Here's some from me - in small batches, because the forum is very unstable loading photos for me these days
Sarah Eberle's Barcelona garden
the War graves commission one
More of the war graves one
.....oops 2nd one is upside down
Last edited: 28 May 2017 17:12:19
Toby in the poets garden - probably my favourite small one
the horse charity one - some of the horseshoes were from "famous" horses
Simply stunning