RHS Flower Shows 2021

BenCotto · September 2021

One group - so often overlooked - I would applaud were the litter pickers. The site was immaculate.

Athelas · September 2021

Had a great time at the Chelsea Flower Show. So much to see! I agree with the article posted by @Alan Clark2 in Liverpool that the outdoor gardens were fairly muted and not the 'autumn WOW' spectacles with an explosion of dahlias, chrysanthemums, fruits and vegetables one might expect, although there was some of that going on in the Great Pavilion.

Here are photos of the gardens that I took — I'll upload the photos of plants and random things in another post.

Finding Our Way: An NHS Tribute Garden

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/te/yrkqndq8a01s.jpg

Delays Expected, an artist's garden for Saatchi Gallery

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/sw/5cwl7uxjerxa.jpg

Bodmin Jail: 60° East – A Garden Between Continents

The Trailfinders’ 50th Anniversary Garden: Nepal

Guangzhou China: Guangzhou Garden

The Florence Nightingale Garden

Sanctuary garden: The Parsley Box

Sanctuary garden: Bible Society: The Psalm 23 Garden

Balcony garden: Arcadia

Container garden: The Stolen Soul

Container garden: Pop Street

Container garden: A Tranquil Space in the City

Fire · September 2021

Onobrychis viciifolia - completely new to me. Good to see it on the show. I'll be adding it to the sandy pavement plot next year, for sure. A drought-tolerant bee drug. A legume like vetch. Very high in nectar, like borage or purple tansy.

Fire · September 2021

This is Bunny's take on Chelsea. She has designed nine gardens there and been a Chelsea judge in her career and I always appreciate her insider insights, especially on the background details. She often disagrees with the judging.

She mentions that this year's Yeo Valley garden is the first time in Chelsea history that there has been a fully organic garden shown, as certified by the Soil Assoc. Which is a bit of a surprise.

Lizzie27 · September 2021

Many thanks for that link @Fire, I enjoyed it very much - I missed most of the BBC coverage.

AnniD · September 2021

Thanks so much for posting that @Fire.
In some ways l felt l got more information, more insight and a different perspective of the gardens than in a whole week of BBC coverage.
Definitely something to be said for filming before the crowds arrive.

Fire · September 2021

BBC coverage will be on iplayer for ages.

I like that Bunny can be quite frank and doesn't pull punches - like saying this time that the judges are entirely wrongheaded and missing the point. It helps that she knows all the RHS people, the designers and growers.

She also doesn't seem to hold grudges and isn't bitter or sour, just enthusiastic (and successful) with a subject she loves. She admits her mistakes, oversights and ignorance very freely, which is entirely endearing.

Athelas · September 2021

Great video @Fire, thanks for that -- far less fluff than the BBC videos. Some more photos from the show below.

Medicinal plants on display from Thistle and Sprout Flowers

Beehive display based on traditional beekeeping methods used in the Middle East — the tubes are made of mud and other local materials, with handwoven covers made from natural fibres

Ocean Plastic Pots — RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2021