Horticulture Highlights in The Great Pavilion: Chelsea Flower Show 2011
Based upon The Temple of the Dawn – Wat Arun – located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River – the Fantastic Thailand display had the WOW-factor one comes to expect from arguably the world’s greatest flower show:
Fantastic Thailand Pagodas © Alice Joyce
RHS Chelsea. The creation of Nong Nooch Tropical Botanic Garden, the exhibit won Gold.
Fantastic Thailand elephants © Alice Joyce
A sacred site and iconic Bangkok landmark, the temple complex on-view revealed the cultural iconography of a vivid Thai landscape in the boldest hues;
Fantastic Thailand Dragon © Alice Joyce
dragons, elephants and shadow puppets demonstrating a floral arranging style that turned heads with a wondrous attention to detail. Petals and leaves from more than 100,000 blooms were used in this extravagantly exotic highlight, emerging at Chelsea in The Great Pavilion.
David Austin’s Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’ © Alice Joyce
David Austin Roses introduced 5 new varieties, but an earlier introduction caught my eye! My notes are incomplete, however, it’s likely ‘Munstead Wood.’ Love the old rose form and heavenly fragrance I expect from Austin’s English Roses.
Chelsea 2011: Zandra Rhodes & Friends © Alice Joyce
Enlivening the David Austin exhibit, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and friends brought their energy to the lavish formal rose garden display. A new David Austin Roses 2011 introduction: ‘Lady Salisbury’ is pictured below.
Lady Salisbury Photo: Austin Roses
If you’re drawn to color in the gardenscape – and I wonder if a gardener exists who is not to some degree obsessed with the shades and hues making up the garden scheme at home, then surely Chelsea dazzles with the very best in horticulture on exhibit; plant selections of every sort.
Allium nectarscordum – 2011 Pavilion © Alice Joyce
Along with the sublime Meconopsis punicea in the Kevock Garden Plants exhibit, an allium stole my heart, and took pride of place in a variety of major show gardens: Allium nectarscordum.
The show sets the stage for dreams of plantings one might be able to bring together at home, be it in balcony containers or on a suburban plot. The skillfully balanced, atmospheric combinations of forms, textures and subtle to brilliant hues on view have a powerful effect. Although, design ideas might not be equally inspiring. The Urban Gardens certainly present aspects to ponder, if the scale and fantasy aspects of show gardens are beyond the reach of most of us.
Waitrose Display © Alice Joyce
Fruits, Veggies & Blooms In Color Coordinated Sections of the Waitrose display.
Chelsea 2011 Waitrose Display © Alice Joyce
Sharing only a few of the exhibits celebrating color, along with grow-your-own produce. And if now, you might be inclined to purchase from a Waitrose store.
Waitrose Display: Chelsea 2011 © Alice Joyce
Raymond Evison’s exhbit, as you’d expect, featured head-turning Clematis cultivars.
Chelsea Clematis Josephine Raymond Evison Photo © Alice Joyce
Evison Clematis and Interflora FTDA received Gold.
Interflora ‘A Sense of Perspective’ Display Photo © Alice Joyce
Interflora’s ‘A Sense of Perspective‘ exhibit designed by David Denyer called upon a gorgeous palette of plant material to create a contemporary composition in a gradation of hues.
‘A Sense of Perspective’ designed by David Denyer Photo © Alice Joyce
How do you even edit photos like these for a post, where every one is equal or a little better than the next. This show must be a most incredible experience. I have been seeing images from so many bloggers that have attended, and am seeing something new each time.