Close-up of Laura Leong’s Best in Show-winning entry


CHELSEA 2013 R


HS Chelsea Flower Show … the pinnacle of garden design, every type of garden ornament you could ever want …


and a fair few you probably wouldn’t. The permutations on how to display gardening gloves never fails to impress whilst the price of designer gardening boots often makes the eyes water … although boots to the stars supplier Dubarry did have some very fine floral displays so we forgave them. On press day TV and film personalities rubbed shoulders with royalty whilst exhibitors held their nerve to see if all their hard work paid off as the judges, often seen wearing panamas and always carrying clipboards, did their rounds before scurrying off into huddles to share their views and count the points.


Yellow jacketed TV crews from around the world scoured the grounds for interesting strands, Alan Titchmarsh and his team brought us daily reports (this year with far too many scathing attacks of floristry for our liking) and every newspaper worth its salt ran a gardening spread as Chelsea fever took over … albeit in a


But for 32 florists Chelsea was something


completely different as they competed to win a world renowned Chelsea Medal. The culmination of hundreds of hours of work … often done in the confines of a cramped hotel room as they put the finishing touches to their designs, this was their chance to become THE Chelsea florists of the year and all the publicity and possibilities that go with the title. Selected from regional heats run by the British Florist Association and held at wholesalers around the UK, the finalists; 16 young florists and 16 slightly older ones - they all look far too young to call Senior - were asked to create a Never Ending Circle based on their interpretation of a 100 years of Chelsea and all the history, emotions and memories that entailed.


The result? A cornucopia of craft, flowers and a heck of a lot of patience that produced some stunning creations. So enjoy the next 14 pages, revel in the detail and join us in saying well done to everyone involved.


>> F&wb Summer 2013 29


lightly more refined way than the home games up the road.


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