Sometimes, the bizarre is so wonderful. Weird, wacky or tasteless, whatever anyone else thought about the plasticine garden at Chelsea this year – I was entranced!
Maybe that makes me a bit weird and wacky too. Life can be so serious sometimes. People banging on about the credit crunch, lack of money, loss of job with totally depressing news each time you turn on the telly.
The thing that kept me looking was the thought that while we have all been working and worrying, all those people, children, modellers and gardeners have been twiddling away with bits of coloured plastic creating a ludicrous but tantalising display of pure magic. No watering, weeding or wilting and even the bugs are friendly. Well done to James May and his team for putting the fun first in gardening!
Of course the "real" gardens are always going to be the stars and this year, although many of the larger exhibitors have had to pull out, there are always going to be the stalwarts.
The Daily Telegraph won the Best Show Garden. No-one can doubt its ingenuity of design, but for me, sorry, gardens just don't tick my box when they are full of stainless steel, granite and glass. For me those elements belong in the kitchen.
Give me the smaller courtyard gardens any day. A small patch, worthy of a Coronation Street back yard, can be transformed into a wonderland and it always takes my breath away to realise just how many plants you can get in a small place. Even weeds seem to look good!
The winner for the courtyard gardens was The Giles Landscapes "Fenland Alchemist" Garden. Now this is my type of garden, made from recycled and reclaimed materials and chock full of all my favourite wild flowers and weeds.
Every one of those plants could be put to use and I believe a garden should be used, for fun, practical purposes and of course to please the eye. This seemed to tick my boxes, I said I was weird!
Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins took the prize for the Most Creative award for their Perfume garden themed on the perfumes that Queen Elizabeth 1 had created for her, their origins and their journey through their time of creativity. Good history and fascinating facts.
Such a lot of the theming was, of course, about conservation. The Future nature garden sponsored by Yorkshire Water showed ingenious ways of planting to avoid your garden falling foul of a drought and, of course, to conserve water.
Key features of the garden included: a green roof to help reduce surface water runoff as well as enhancing biodiversity; storm water planters and pools to retain water from the roof; a living tower holding drought-resistant plants; butterfly mounds and insect towers stocked with colourful but drought-resistant planting that provide wildlife habitats in a brownfield environment. Well thought out and some good tips to follow.
The Eden Project garden provided some thought-provoking elements with most of the flowers having been grown by people who are homeless or out of work. The idea is that this would teach them new life skills and open up opportunities for work.
The pavilions never fail to stun visitors - such is the impact as you enter. The most wonderful perfume from myriads of flowers. Colours are almost an assault on your eyes and the sheer talent on display really does need to be seen to be appreciated.
Of course the whole point of my visit to Chelsea was to capture the moment for Bloms Bulbs of Bedford. Our own county's family-run business that seems to unfailingly win gold every year for their showcase of bulbs that are literally second to none.
They didn't disappoint us this year another Gold – their 59th. They have been exhibiting since 1948 and this year showcased the fabulous new variety Grand Perfection – a bit like themselves, really.
Most of these gardens, when dismantled at the end of this world-famous flower festival will be recycled yet again and the elements put to good use elsewhere.
Good for you, Chelsea, and thank you once again for a thought- provoking, fun filled, cheerful (and useful) show.
It is hard to find that bit of extra money for a ticket in this climate but if you can, treat yourself, do go, you won't regret it and it is like a day's holiday in many different places at once. Value for money – definitely. Value for your soul – absolutely!
Chelsea Flower Show 