It’s extraordinary. You're never more than three feet from a Dame, and unintentionally bumping into national treasures is par for the course. For example, while attempting to take a photo of one of the stunning Japanese inspired balcony gardens, a man nearby stepped aside to give me an unobstructed view. When I thanked him, I did a double take. It was only Queen legend Sir Brian May. Of course it is. It’s so Chelsea.
Celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Mary Berry, Kate Garraway and Amy Dowden amble through the gardens alongside well-heeled RHS members and guests. Naturally, there is Pimm’s on tap and rows of champagne flutes stand at the ready. Main Avenue is a river of women in floral maxi dresses and men wearing linen suits and Fedoras. In amongst the pastel, Chelsea Pensioners unmistakable in their scarlet uniforms and rows of medals, trundle past on mobility scooters.
It’s hard not to get swept up in it all at the Chelsea Flower Show - especially because the BBC’s near-continuous coverage means there are camera set-ups everywhere. If you’re an avid viewer, you might even catch a glimpse of me accidentally wandering into shot behind hosts Angellica Bell and Nicky Chapman.
One of my first stops was Gardeners’ World host Monty Don’s dog-friendly garden - and the man himself just happened to be there with his loyal Golden Retriever and muse, Ned. The garden is lush with deep burgundy lupins, splashes of tangerine geums, wine-coloured poppies, and frothy fennel.
A trickling stream is littered with tennis balls, while pathways cut through the borders inviting our canine friends to scamper around. It really is quite lovely. (Though it did leave me wondering - what would a garden designed for cats look like? A big gravel pit with a swingball in the centre, catnip borders and a strict one-in-one-out policy.)
But I’m not here to spot stars, honestly. As an obsessive gardener, I’m genuinely here for the plants. Inside the Flower Pavilion, there are more than a hundred displays of perfect specimens. Four foot tall alliums stand proud, hostas and delphinums without any holes chomped through by snails. (What is the secret?)
Even the humble chrysanthemum is elevated to star status with choice blooms arranged into huge domes. Visitors can travel across the globe in just a few steps. One stand featured unapologetically theatrical South African protea blooms resembling oversized artichokes that look like they might eat you alive given a chance. Next display along celebrated the flora of Antigua with palms and pineapple plants.
As for the show gardens, one standout for me was The Glasshouse Garden. A unashamedly flamboyant flouncy creation supporting a charity that empowers female prisoners through horticulture. It’s less a garden and more a living bouquet. Masses of pink and lilac roses, Nicotiana ‘Tinkerbell’, with its lime-green petals and rust-toned undersides, and papery poppies with deep burgundy centres.
After the show, it will be relocated to HMP Downview in Banstead, where it will offer the inmates some joy. It can’t help but make you smile. In complete contrast, the Pathway garden with its calming colour palate and simple planting captured my amateur horticulture’s eye. Grasses with fluffy seed tops bob in the breeze. Angelica, ferns, geraniums and irises fill the borders. More achievable than most show gardens, and for a good cause as it will brighten up a centre for the homeless in Plymouth.
My notebook full of indecipherable scribbles, I walked away with some ambitious ideas for my own modest plot. Now, where’s my trowel.
