Anticipation is in the air around London's Sloane Square. All of Chelsea is in bloom, as the estate agents, tailors, bookshops and hotels lining the route to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the site of the annual Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, pay homage to the event with elaborate floral displays in their windows.
If Londoners this week refer to Chelsea, it’s likely they are referencing the world’s premier horticultural event, a particularly popular fixture on the English social calendar since its debut in 1912. But the event’s legacy is about so much more than excellence in cultivating plants and celebrating that most English of preoccupations – gardening. Winning a RHS gold medal is the very highest accolade for any garden designer, and Chelsea show gardens are the haute couture of horticulture.
An experienced panel of judges grade garden entries as gold, silver-gilt, silver and bronze, according to a series of set criteria. No award is given to submissions not reaching the minimum standard required for bronze. Landscape designer Kamelia Bin Zaal was awarded silver-gilt last year for her first show garden at Chelsea, becoming the first Emirati to receive the international honour.
Judges look at how the designer has interpreted the brief, the originality of the design and the practicality of the layout and aesthetics. Quality of construction and build, as well as execution and suitability of planting plans, are also factors in the judging.
See more: Highlights from the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show – in pictures
There are 17 show gardens at Chelsea this year, as well 13 smaller gardens in two separate categories, “Fresh” and “Artisan” gardens. Irish celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin’s creation, titled British Eccentrics, is probably the quirkiest entry among this year’s show gardens. At first glance, it appears to adhere to established classical lines and forms, with a long rectangular pool, edged with lavender pots and tall conical tree specimens, behind a pair of iron gates – a quintessentially English garden. Then trees revolve, flower beds move and the garden becomes a playground of another kind. Gavin worked with a technical college on the designs for the garden’s moving parts, while drawing on the disciplines of plantsmen, blacksmiths and architects to realise his design.
Gavin commented on the difficulty of getting plants to be at their zenith in time for the show, saying that he generally ordered twice as many plants as needed to ensure that the display was at optimum for Chelsea week. Exhibitors at Chelsea have been known to cool plants that are coming on too fast, or use hair dryers to open blooms, all to achieve the look the judges seek.
A magnificent green arch has been created at the entrance of the show by Shane Connolly, the designer responsible for the floral displays at the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The imposing gateway is decorated with seasonal English roses, clematis and foxgloves, to honour Queen Elizabeth II on her 90th birthday.
A green carpet (a long expanse of living turf) was rolled out to the gate on Monday afternoon, timed for the arrival of the Queen and other senior British royals, who included Prince Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.
Perhaps the most impressive installation on site is an Australian import made from crocheted blooms, designed to commemorate fallen First World War soldiers, titled the 5,000 Poppies Project (although this number falls far short of the number of flowers now in situ). Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight, from Melbourne, set in motion an initiative that has resulted in 26,000 crocheted poppies being flown to Chelsea – an estimated load of 35 cubic metres, which is about half the cargo capacity of an A380 Airbus.
Thousands of people around the world have made and contributed poppies to the project, which was conceived before the Tower of London’s ceramic poppies installation two years ago.
The Royal Hospital, home to the scarlet-coated Chelsea pensioners, who are all retired service personnel, provides a fitting backdrop to the installation, curated by landscape designer Phillip Johnson. After the show’s end this year, the poppies will be taken on a world tour.
The RHS was founded in 1804 to “inspire passion and excellence in the science, art and practice of horticulture”, and held its first flower shows in 1820. From its early meetings in small rooms off Piccadilly, the organisation has grown to become the world’s largest gardening charity.
Yet time hasn’t stood still for this most traditional of British institutions. Technology and gadgets, to support the visitor experience as well as the gardener, abound at this year’s event. Attendees can scan the show’s catalogue with a free app, Blippar, to receive added-value content about show gardens, including planting lists and behind-the-scenes interviews with designers. This creates a more immersive experience for visitors, according to Ian Reynolds, the RHS’s social-media manager, who’s helping to position the organisation “not just on the ground, but also in the digital space”.
The LG Smart Garden, designed by Hay Joung Hwang, “incorporates technology to showcase how the ever-evolving connected world can assist with our enjoyment of the most natural of gardens” and demonstrates how technology can be integrated into the function of the garden, in much the same way that it supports home-interior automation.
Taking art outside is another key trend at this year’s show, and sculptural forms crafted from plants and water are to be found everywhere, appearing in show gardens as well as individual exhibits. Contemporary sculptor Simon Gudgeon is showcasing an ethereal water feature, Celeste, which was inspired by observing and working with Ksenia Ovsyanick, a principal ballerina with the English National Ballet. Formed by a lattice work of 1,000 bronze leaves, the artwork brings the fluidity and beauty of the ballet to an outdoor setting.
David Harber, an Oxfordshire-based designer known for his exterior art, is also present. His commissions have included a number of public and private projects across the UAE and Middle East. His sculptural work can be seen at Zabeel Park, and he is just completing a large piece for Jeddah airport.
Harber originally only produced sundials, but his business has evolved, and he now works on a range of pieces, including water features and art, 80 per cent of which are for exterior spaces. “We utilise CorTen, a rusting and weather resistant steel, which is very resilient,” he explains. “For the Middle East, which is such a harsh environment, we use marine-grade or duplex stainless steel, bronze or glass. We need to know it will still look alright in 10 years’ time.”
The striking, life-size bird and animal driftwood sculptures of James Doran-Webb make a statement display at the entrance to the show. Doran-Webb’s workshop is based in Cebu in the Philippines, from where he has collected driftwood for the past 30 years. “It’s magic wood. What you see has all been dead for 50 or 60 years, and has such weather-resistant properties; it’s very oily and very dense,” he explains.
Horses are a particular favourite of the artist, who explains that his display at Chelsea is the culmination of a year’s work. An equestrian piece set on two types of marble, titled My Kingdom, is priced at Dh135,000, currently the highest-valued piece in his collection.
Meanwhile, artist and farmer Andy Gage has created handcrafted fireballs that can be lit by fire or LEDs. He has shipped several of his pieces to the Middle East – one of his customers likes to take theirs on night-time trips to the desert. Though it weighs 70 to 80 kilograms, manoeuvring the piece is not a problem – it rolls.
Another Middle Eastern client requested a fireball with Arabic calligraphy. Being unfamiliar with the language, Cage took on the commission with a number of caveats, and worked from photographs sent to him, which he then drew by hand on to the steel. He checked back at each stage to ensure that all read correctly before commencing cutting. Gage works with steel hemispheres that he welds together, then plasma cuts his designs into the piece. The balls cost from about Dh5,000 upwards, depending on the size and complexity of the design.
Chelsea draws to a close tomorrow. Many of the plants from the show gardens will be sold off to members of the public, as work begins on dismantling the gardens and returning the Royal Hospital back to its permanent residents. It makes for a rather strange and wonderful sight – visitors leaving the grounds, carrying their plants along the streets of Chelsea, creating a moving, walking garden as they gradually disperse.
homes@thenational.ae
