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Royal Hospital Chelsea
Until Aug 31 2010
Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Rd, London, SW3 4SR
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By Sara O’Reilly

Posted: Mon May 12 2008
The green-fingered folk who show at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show are likely to have been working towards this five-day event for the past 15 months so it’s hardly surprising that the ‘show time’ ambience when it opens is palpable, especially in the vast floral marquees, where the air is moist, the scents are heady and the displays are never anything short of spectacular. For 2008 the standout trends in the 40 show gardens look set to be vertical planting and gardens designed to be enjoyed at night, both of which make good sense for Londoners who work long hours and often garden in tiny spaces.

A garden by Haruku Seki, inspired by the architectural features of the Katsura Imperial Villa in Tokyo, will feature a pond designed to reflect the moon, to be viewed from a raised platform. In other show gardens, the emphasis will be on plants that attract nocturnal wildlife and those that release their fragrance after the sun’s gone down.

First time exhibitor Pip Probert’s ‘Green Living’ garden will demonstrate how planting a mix of varieties of Allium, Clematis, Euphorbia, Lavendula and Salvia to create a living wall in a small urban space can provide welcome soundproofing as well as a pleasing view.

Other highlights to look out for include an installation (pictured), situated in a simulation of an abandoned archaeological dig, by the Chinese artist Shao Fan. It will take the form of a Chinese landscape incorporating ancient plants used for generations in traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

And then there’s Ratty’s Refuge, designed by the River and Rowing Museum in Henley to mark the hundredth anniversary of the publication of Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’. It will show how to create a garden that could make a difference to the survival of the water vole, Britain’s fastest declining mammal.

The latest in greenhouses, conservatories, tools and garden furniture will be showcased and there will be a programme of interactive talks by garden designers including Arabella Lennox-Boyd, Andy Sturgeon and Tom Stuart-Smith.

After the show, Ratty’s Refuge is to be rebuilt at the River and Rowing Museum’s riverside location. The components of some of the other gardens, though, will be up for grabs – which is why some canny gardeners forgo the chance to see the displays at their freshest on the early days and choose instead to visit on the final afternoon, when the sell-off begins at 4pm.
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