I’m on the early train to London, heading for Chelsea Flower Show. Pleased to see the forecast is much cooler than yesterday’s 30C – must have been unbearable. Still, if the Queen can take it…

My expectations of Chelsea are always low, and thus always exceeded. Something catches my eye or imagination, and the simple fact of a day out sends me home renewed. More later…

‘Later’ is here and I’m on the train home (superb service to the north west now, left Chelsea at 18.30, will be at home near Warrington by 9pm. Train takes well under 2 hours). Enough waffle about trains – what about the show?

Andy Sturgeon won best in show and for a while I couldn’t quite see why. The Leeds garden was far the most exciting exhibit and Roger Platt’s garden was superb in shape, planting and eye-candy beauty. But I think he wins on use of colour. There was an obvious pick up between the bronzey Irises and the metal screens, but also between some of the plants and the painted back wall. The whole thing had a mellow warmth to it. But then to add silver and lemon highlights with the Verbascums was a touch of real painterliness, like the sparkle in the corner of an eye in an old master. Using so many half- hardy shrubs after the winter we’ve had struck a slightly odd note, but he wasn’t to know that when the garden was planned. And all that fuss about the trees – the pines looked fine.

I still liked the Leeds canal garden best for sheer audacity and wow factor. My favourite small garden was Kate Gould’s ‘Joy Forever’. At first sight nailed on for a gold, but got a silver-gilt. Wonder if it was overplanted? Or perhaps she alluded to ‘not much time for maintenance’ in her brief as in her leaflet. It most certainly wasn’t low maintenance planting. (more in a mo…)

As to plants, I liked Tulipa Jan Reus, a stunning blood red which will look fab with my Carmival de Nice. I spotted some unusual obelisks for the square herbaceous borders. Others: Rosa Queen of Sweden, Digitalis heywoodii, Paeonia witmaniana, Rosa Chevy Chase and some stunning Arisaemas.

Hello to James AS, to whom I think I’ve now made amends for not saying hello at Chelsea last year. I was forgiven with a hug, which was lovely. :-). All power to your cacti…. My Mum made a beeline for Christine Walkden earlier in the day, shook her hand and got her knuckles crushed!

Much more I could say but I’ll sign off while I’ve still got juice in the trusty iPhone battery. That’s it, day off done, 8am start tomorrow at a client site to plant up new borders. Back to the nursery on Thursday and get set for the ling weekend. No let up this time of year!

Managed to miss the diamonds garden completely. Oh well.

May 25, 2010