Chelsea Flower Show 2010 build-up and Press Day
I’m incredibly fortunate in being able to spend a couple of days at the Chelsea Flower Show each year. I love the atmosphere during build-up with its mix of nerves, exhaustion, adrenaline and steely determination to create perfection against tough odds.
This year, not surprisingly, it’s been the weather that has been the main topic of conversation. I was reminded of a book I used to read to my children when they were young, where an alien is describing Earth to his own people and he says that there are four types of weather – “too hot, too cold, too wet and too windy”. Having struggled with the cold to get plants into flower in time for Chelsea, many gardens then struggled to keep the sun from destroying them. As you can see from the photos below, all sorts of methods were used to give some protection!
The 40 year old pine being protected above is in the ‘Kebony naturally Norway’ garden, but even James Wong’s tropical plants (below) were not immune to the heat.
However, it’s not all tough – Mark Gregory and Adam Frost decided to give their pond in the Children’s Society Garden a final clean-up from the inside!
Press Day itself is always a bit of a spectacle – lots of celebs, champagne and general merriment. I was honoured to shake hands with punk poet John Cooper Clarke, who read some of his poetry and a bit of Candide in Tom Hoblyn’s Foreign & Colonial Investment’s Garden -
while Jamie Oliver made my breakfast in the Children’s Society Garden (very good it was too!)
I’ll post some photos (and thoughts) on the gardens tomorrow, but I’ll leave you tonight with my tip for Best in Show – which is the Daily Telegraph garden designed by Andy Sturgeon (seen in the garden, below, with Alan Titchmarsh). Perfect proportions, a lovely play between light and dark, shadows and sun; and Andy’s trademark bold planting – gorgeous.
Adrenaline has an ‘e’ Amanda . . . . .
Enjoyed the Ch’sea blogs
Colin & Anne
takes a medical man to put me right!
What did you think of Chelsea?
Absolutely excellent photographs – better than the official Chelsea versions (particularly the AS garden). Have enjoyed quickly scanning your blogs and other photos – Dorset beach, winter fields wonderful sketches & seeing a design approach from a fellow CAD landscape designer too. Having used 10 landscape architects to produce a multiplicity of schemes then reduced to 3 with the same workload after we introduced CAD I should have mixed views ! but its so versatile and allows the design process to move flowingly on without any tedium ! I like to allow a period of ‘due reflection ‘ within the process. of course it wins when any design changes are required. You know how sometimes you see a new scheme and immediately know whats going to look great and work – and within a day its done ! cheers Amanda
Thank you John!
I always hand-render my plans so they still retain a fresh hand-drawn look, and allude to my previous existence as an illustrator! Best of both worlds! But when it comes to 3d views I’ve had mixed feelings from clients, friends and colleages. Some suggest I should sketch out all views by hand as this is a skill other designers don’t necessarily have, and is therefore appreciated; others like the fact that with CAD you can make it look really close to the client’s own house. I guess it comes down to whether clarity of design and concept (CAD) is more important than the mood you will be creating with the garden, for which, perhaps, a hand-drawn sketch is more appropriate.
Perhaps its only us creatives who can appreciate a mood style image (hand drawn) – as we have it in our heads anyway ? The CAD rendered images do a pretty good job now I have to say. As a water colourist I loved producing images for clients along those lines however it never ceases to surprise me when people cannot see or visualise the drawings – as it it is second nature to us. CAD is impressive and I think as it is perhaps more tangible (and possibly simpler for others to comprehend) it is the way to go ? Ugh ! Some and some as you suggest is a good compromise.
Of course it goes against our highly held principles & ideals – I wonder if our aspirations for someone else’s garden are only realised by the clients after a few months or even years after completion once they have sat and worked in it for themselves and understand it.
Perhaps we are too idealistic ! But we have to be ! Aren’t we lucky to be able to carry out such wonderful creative works and see the tangible results giving others so much pleasure ?
PS I have to tell you I have the most brilliant load of Bee Orchids springing through my lawn this year – they first arrived about 5 years ago – about a week later this year than usual. I love native orchids (and Mediterranean ones of course!) but how strange they should crop up in my place – lovely ! Keep up the good work Amanda