Inspiring & Motivating
The Chelsea Flower Show showcases the latest in garden style
Study and Photography by Catriona Tudor Erler
 The Chelsea Flower Show in London, England, is the place to go for
creative, inspirational ideas for the garden. Whether you are looking for
design ideas, want to know what’s the latest and greatest in new plant
introductions, or are in the market for a garden ornament, accessory or
tool, you’ll find what you’re looking for at the show.
One of the show’s main themes this year is environmentally
responsible gardening, which is a big issue at Smith Mountain Lake
where we want to protect our pristine water and setting. One garden
exhibit will include green initiatives such as solar-paneled sculptures
that produce electricity. In another display garden, all the hard surfaces
will be permeable to allow rainwater to penetrate the soil. Fetzer Winery
in California will feature a garden using green power, a wastewater
recycling system, and local, sustainable materials. You can bet that each
of these cutting-edge gardens will be alluringly beautiful as well.
Retired couples might get an idea or two from Diarmuid Gavin’s
exhibit, a garden designed, “for an active and artistic mature couple.”
Gavin is considered the maverick of the gardening world, so his display
garden is sure to make viewers think about their own backyards.
This remarkable show will take place May 22-26 on the grounds
of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London. Acres of lawn behind the
hospital building, which was designed by Christopher Wren, are
covered by an enormous marquee. Inside are fabulous exhibits of
plants: banks of orchids, waves of hyacinths and other bulbs, as well
as drought-tolerant plants such as irises, ornamental grasses, lavender,
and rosemary. Many will be displayed in garden settings, giving
viewers inspiration for how to use them effectively in their own garden
designs. If there is a plant genus that interests you, the odds are good
there will be a display of them on hand, with lots of different species
and hybrids combined with artistry to make a compelling picture.
Outside are the display gardens, ranging from small postage-stamp
sized plots, roof and patio gardens, as well as designs meant for larger
spaces. Although the spaces for these display gardens are small (most
suburban lots boast more growing space than is allotted to each exhibit),
the clever designs are full of illusions to make them feel much larger.
Ingenious designers even manage to fit in features that generally are
thought of as appropriate only in estate-size spaces.
Examples of traditional garden features such as pergolas, gazebos,
and arbors abound at the Chelsea Flower Show, but you’ll also see the
latest in garden style and innovation. Designers are using unexpected
materials such as stainless steel fountain catch basins that resemble
antenna dishes, colorful glass beads for garden mulch, and lots of
mirrors, glass, and acrylic.
Tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show must be purchased in advance.
The show is open to members of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
and their guests May 22-23. Tickets to the general public are available
for May 24-26. The show closes at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday. Sale of display
plants starts at 4 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit rhs.org.uk/chelsea/
tickets.asp. Travel and show information is sent with the tickets.

Catriona Tudor Erler is a freelance garden writer and photographer
who divides her time between Smith Mountain Lake and
Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the author of eight garden books,
including “The Frugal Gardener: How to Have More Garden for
Less Money,” and “Complete Home Landscaping.”