Chelsea Flower Show kicks off in London

The Royal Horticultural Society’s annual flagship event, the Chelsea Flower Show kicked off on Tuesday morning. Widely regarded as the top flower and garden show in the world a medal at this festival which runs this week at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea can send a career to that of a superstar in the Horticultural world.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s annual flagship event, the Chelsea Flower Show kicked off on this morning. Widely regarded as the top flower and garden show in the world a medal at this festival which runs this week at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea can send a career to that of a superstar in the Horticultural world.

This year 4 Gold Medals were awarded to the Show Gardens on Main Avenue, 3 to the Artisan Gardens and 5 in the Space to Grow category.

Mark Gregory of Landform Consultants achieved a deserved Gold for the ‘Welcome to Yorkshire Garden’. Inspired by the county’s proud history of industry as well as its stunning natural environment, what Mark created was like a small piece of Yorkshire in the middle of London SW3 and it was remarkable.

No stranger to Ireland, Mark has been a judge at the Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park since the original show and will be there again in two weeks time: “We have 11 days to deconstruct Chelsea and then it’s straight over to Bloom. I love the show in Dublin and I have really enjoyed seeing it increase in standard over the years to be a show now with an international reputation."

M&G Chelsea flower show garden designed by Mark Gregory Landform consultants Ltd, Chelsea 2019 UK. Photo: Rachel Warne

The Greenfingers Charity Garden was awarded Silver Gilt, a level between Silver and Gold for their creation which is a lush green space providing a peaceful, uplifting space where life-limited children and their friends and family can come together for play and relaxation.

A Gold Medal at Chelsea is certainly something to be extremely proud of and can be used to build a highly successful career but of course, there can only ever be one Best in Show award. The Best Show Garden on the Main Avenue this year was awarded to The M&G Garden.

Designed by Andy Sturgeon and sponsored by M&G Investments, this garden celebrates nature's extraordinary ability to regenerate and colonise all kinds of spaces. It features a very diverse range of pioneering plant species from around the world, all of which are able to grow and thrive in the British and Irish climate.

Young trees and soft woodland planting of contrasting textures are enhanced by massive sculptures representing ancient rock formations fashioned from 50 tonnes of sustainable burnt oak.

M&G Chelsea flower show garden designed by Mark Gregory Landform consultants Ltd, Chelsea 2019 UK

The regenerative theme of new life and growth is carried through with a series of small pools and clear streams trickling through the garden.

Best Artisan Garden at Chelsea 2019 went to the Family Monsters Garden designed by Alistair Bayford.

If this were a Fashion Show, then Main Avenue would be the catwalk at London Fashion Week and the Great Pavilion would be where the all the dressmakers and those behind the scenes come together. In the Great Pavilion, which is where nurseries get to show off their exhibits 57 Gold Medals were awarded and the RHS Award for Best New Plant 2019 went to Sedum ‘Atlantis’ RHS. Best New Product went to Hotbin compost bins - warm, aerobic composters which will turn your green waste to usable compost in 30-90 days.

Meanwhile, one garden drawing a lot of attention is the Facebook ‘Beyond the Screen’ creation - inspired by the 1.5 million people in Britain alone who are part of garden and gardening related groups on Facebook. Social media has become increasingly important for gardeners in Britain and Ireland with more than 20% of us now using it as a main source of gardening advice.

A visitor smells a rose as the doors open to the public at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. (Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Facebook's vice president of northern Europe, Steve Hatch, explained his motivation for creating Facebook's first show garden: "This garden is a celebration of the people who come together in the online world through Facebook groups and create real change in the real world."

The result is superb. Designed by landscape architect, Joe Perkins, ‘Beyond the Screen’ has a coastal theme and uses water and the ocean to represent the interconnectivity between our online and offline lives. Many of the plants used have specially adapted leaves that conserve water and resist the salt-laden leaves that come with coastal gardens. It was the deserving winner of Best in Show in the Space to Grow category.