Postcard from the Chelsea Flower Show 2023

Hot foot from completing the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. this week I have been spending long days in the sun at the Chelsea Flower Show. My task has been to help the Royal Horticultural Society in promoting their Feature Garden, which celebrates community gardening and all its positive effects especially in bringing together gardeners of different cultures, traditions and backgrounds.

The RHS Feature Garden was designed by Manoj Malde who made good use of it as the setting for his wedding on Monday and, in doing this, making history being the first marriage ceremony held at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

In the picture I am sat behind the floral displays created by Simon Lycett, florist to the Royals, at the spot where Manoj's wedding took place.

This flamboyant garden mainly featured resilient, drought resistant planting and was able to present a more relaxed style than would have been the case if it had not been a Feature Garden when no medal is sought rather than one chasing a medal.

Talking of medals, Sparsholt College, where I studied then taught for the best part of a decade, not only achieved a Gold medal but also attained the prestigious Best Discovery Exhibit. Great news in the year Sparsholt celebrated 25 years of glowing Chelsea success with a garden mixing ornamentals with planting more familiar in the hedgerow.

Sparsholt even had space to show off the Plant of the Year, Agapanthus BLACK JACK alongside hazelnut, Good King Henry and edible flowers. Overall though, the key theme of reconnecting with nature for food and biodiversity shone through second to none.

In July I'll be at the RHS Hampton Court Show on the next RHS Feature Garden, so more on that later.

Harry Mycock chairs the Friends of St Giles Gill Park

Left to right: Rustic charm detail from the Sparsholt exhibit; a section of the Stoke exhibit; and RHS plant of the year Agapanthus BLACK JACK, as featured on the Sparsholt exhibit.