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100 Years of garden inspiration… the Chelsea Flower Show Story and photos by Veronica Sliva Part one of a two part story.


The Chelsea flower show. A


s a young and enthusiastic gardener (perhaps “obsessed” is more accurate), I didn’t get to


travel much or visit faraway gardens. Instead,


for inspiration I subscribed


to gardening magazines, including several English publications. Thanks to those magazines, I dreamed of seeing the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chel- sea Flower Show in London, England. Chelsea, held annually at the end of May, is the crème de la crème of the world’s garden festivals.


It


is where


garden design trends are launched, where new plants are introduced and where garden lovers are intoxicated and immersed in everything horticultural. I had to wait until mid-life, but even- tually I set off on my first visit to the world’s greatest garden festival (I have been many times since). That first time the show gardens were


a magnet for me. They oozed inspiration one by one. Being able to view different garden styles side-by-side made it easy to hone in on my preferences, helping me to figure out what was “me.” Up until then, I liked everything I saw and my garden at home reflected this. It was a bit of a hodgepodge (I’m afraid I am predisposed to hodgepodge, but at least now I know it). It’s true; we can’t grow everything the Brits can. But chances are if you fancy a particular colour combo or garden style, you can find


www.localgardener.net


An extravagent vegetable display located in the Great Pavillion.


A stand of heuchera (above) and a bulb display stand (right).


Winter 2014 • 29


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