One of my absolute favourite weeks of the year is here at last; Chelsea Flower Show! Years ago, London Fashion Week was one of the most important weeks of the year for me, but how times have changed! Whilst the beautiful gardens and blooms are my focus at the show, I do also love the fashion element of the show; I thoroughly enjoy planning my Chelsea outfits & getting to see the gorgeous outfits other ladies sport at the show. Read on for some of my favourite elements of the show this year, plus some outfit inspiration if you’re attending the show.
1 – Monty Don’s Dog Garden
Monty Don of BBC Gardeners’ World has teamed up with RHS and BBC Radio 2 to create a garden celebrating our love, here in the UK, of both dogs and gardens. This wonderful garden is bursting full of dog-friendly plants, and has a biodiverse lawn rich with daisies, dandelions and clover, which help to make the lawn more hardy against the wear-and-tear from dogs running around. Monty’s own dog Ned, as well as a few of Ned’s relatives were invited to visit the garden on the press day to give the space their doggy seal of approval!
2 – The Highgrove Stall
If you’re visiting the show this year, be sure to stop by the Highgrove stall. Much like The King’s permanent shop in Tetbury, the stall at Chelsea sells a range of beautiful gifts, food & drink, homeware and more. I’d recommend picking up some of the produce from the King’s own garden, such as honey, apple juice and rhubarb gin. All proceeds support the work of The King’s Foundation.
3 – The Avanade Intelligent Garden
Tom Massey & Je Ahn have designed an urban forest garden which aims to highlight the importance of urban trees in combatting climate change, and providing habitats for wildlife within cities. Unfortunately, around 30% of urban trees do not survive their first year, and therefore this garden is equipped with sensors to track the health of the trees, which is connected to an app allowing the trees to alert their custodians via AI if they are being over-watered, for example. Tom & Je have also grown a sustainable house out of mushrooms which I’d definitely recommend taking a look at.
4 – Bamford
The Bamford stand is certainly one of my absolute favourites this year at the show. It has been so thoughtfully designed; with stunning planting, a wonderful range of products, and there’s even a fully-functional bath which wafts the incredible scent of the geranium bath oil throughout the stall. If you’re feeling inspired to pick up any Bamford products, use code JOSIELDN10 for 10% off.
5 – David Austin’s Rose Garden
David Austin’s indoor rose garden is always one of the highlights of Chelsea Flower Show for me. Being surrounded by the delicate scents of the many varieties of rose is just heavenly. It’s also worth popping by to see the newest addition to the collection; The King’s Rose – a gorgeous pink & white striped shrub rose which has shot to the top of my own wishlist!
6 – Horatio’s Garden
Horatio’s Garden is an incredible charity providing gardens to spinal injury units across the UK, to brighten the days of patients dealing with spinal injuries. This year at Chelsea, Horatio’s Garden has a trade stand full of beautiful garden tools and homeware, including their new collection designed by Emma Bridgewater.
7 – Caley Bros Mushrooms
For something a bit different, be sure to check out the immersive display celebrating all things mushroom. The exhibit displays a woodland floor covered in moss and a wide variety of mushrooms thriving in their natural habitat. The stall aims to teach visitors about the importance of mycelial networks in our ecosystems, and about the health benefits of many mushroom varieties.
8 – Food by The Newt
Once again, one of our favourite hotels in the UK; The Newt in Somerset are providing catering for Chelsea Flower Show. The Newt’s food is always of the highest quality, using local and seasonal ingredients where possible. Be sure to pop by for their incredible breakfast buffet to grab a croissant and a coffee to refuel you during the show. The Newt have also partnered with their South African sister farm to bring a dazzling display of unusual succulents to their slice of the show.
9 – Claverton Cloche
If you watch my YouTube Channel, you will have probably spotted the Claverton Cloches dotted around my kitchen garden. Claverton Cloche produce Victorian-inspired garden cloches which are genuinely built to last a lifetime. Hand-crafted from cast iron and horticultural glass, once you invest in a Claverton Cloche, you should never have to replace it. Do pop by their stall to see their cloches displayed within stunning planting done by The Pig.
10 – London Square Chelsea Pensioners Garden
London Square has partnered with the Royal Hospital Chelsea to create an incredible garden for pensioners and veterans to come together to connect with others and to reflect on times of war. The garden features seating upholstered in Pensioners’ scarlet uniforms, and after the show, the garden will be relocated to the grounds of the Royal Hospital.
