the times | Tuesday May 24 2022 2GM 3
News
As royal carriages go, it’s not exactly
what Her Majesty is used to. But for a
tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, a
motorised buggy had to do.
The Queen, who has been suffering
from mobility problems, made a late
decision to attend the show, one of the
fixtures in her calendar. However, the
difficulties that ruled out her presence
at the state opening of parliament two
weeks ago meant that she could not
cope with a long walk around the Chel-
sea showground. Instead she took her
grand tour in a six-seater buggy as she
was given a running commentary by
the president of the Royal Horticultural
Society, Keith Weed.
As a Buckingham Palace spokes-
woman put it: “Adjustments have been
made for the Queen’s comfort.”
The buggy, which belongs to the
royal household, was driven by a Palace
chauffeur with a peaked cap and stern
expression.
Earlier this year the Queen took
delivery of a £62,000 golf buggy to help
her move around, The Sun reported.
Two more buggies were delivered to
Windsor Castle last month. Made by
the Danish firm Garia, they have six
seats and can reach speeds of 43mph.
Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said:
“It’s an extremely practical arrange-
ment that will allow the Queen to take
part in as many engagements as she is
able to do.”
The Queen, 96, who was wearing a
pink coat by Stewart Parvin, appeared
animated as she spoke to designers and
plant experts, even joking at one point
about the appalling weather in her cor-
onation year.
Juliet Sargeant, who spoke to her at
the BBC Blue Peter garden, said after-
wards: “[As] with anybody with mobil-
ity issues it’s just great to find a way to
do what you love. And, as we’ve been
told, she loves gardens and it’s a great
way for her to be able to pursue her
passion.”
The Queen has been seen in a buggy
twice before. In 2013, during the Coro-
nation Festival, the first commercial
event held inside Buckingham Palace’s
grounds, she was driven around in a
buggy as she viewed displays. In 2011
she and the Duke of Edinburgh toured
the grounds of Government House in
Canberra on a golf buggy.
During her tour of Chelsea she
stopped at the Hands Off Mangrove
garden by Grow2Know, which aims to
highlight deforestation and racial injus-tice. How long did it take to create, she
asked Danny Clarke, the co-designer.
“Two and a half years,” he replied.
“Covid helped!” she laughed.
At a display in memory of the broad-
caster and Chelsea regular Peter Sea-
brook, who was The Sun’s gardening
columnist for 45 years until his death in
January, the Queen was given a bunch
of lilac sweet peas named after Sea-
brook by Molli Christman, his former
apprentice. The Queen also spoke to
the renowned clematis grower Ray-
mond Evison. As she was introduced by
Weed, she said: “We wouldn’t have anyTIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE; PAUL GROVER; YUI MOK/PAclematis if it wasn’t for
him!”
Monty Don, the BBC
Gardeners’ World presenter, spoke
to the Queen about filming dur-
ing lockdown with remote
cameras and said: “It was
quite odd.” The Queen
replied: “I’m sure”.
They also talked about the
public turning to gardening
during the pandemic. She
said: “It’s probably very
therapeutic, digging.”
Dame Judi Denchalso attended yesterday, and was sup-
porting Woodland Heritage, a
charity that funds tree-
related projects. She said
that she converses
with her late family,
friends and col-
leagues by saying
“hello” to trees she
has planted in their
memory. Dench, 87, said
that she had planted a tree
for the actress Helen
McCrory, whose memorial
service took place on Friday.Show goes on thanks to the Majmobile
Valentine Low, Fariha Karim
T
here were hardy
perennials
wherever you
looked on preview
day at the Chelsea
Flower Show. A
Titchmarshia sempervirens
looking perky in the show
gardens, a Judidencha
elegantia popping up
between tree stumps
and a Lumlia godblessa
that looked absolutely
fabulous among the dahlingdahlias in the great
pavilion.
The sun wasn’t shining
but plenty of stars came
out. Grayson Perry was in
floral dungarees, perhaps
making an exhibition of
himself; Dame Esther
Rantzen appeared to have
come as the flag of Ukraine;
while Johnny Ball was
springing up all over the
place like the comfrey in
my garden. Every corner I
turned, there was the chap
who did maths on telly in
the 1980s. Around
lunchtime over-excited
rumour spread that Ainsley
Harriott had “saved a
woman from drowning”.
Not quite, but the TV chef
was having to attend to his
soggy sister, who hadstumbled into a pond in the
Bee Garden area.
For the first time in its 75
years, Gardeners’ Question
Time has taken a patch. As
well as beds filled with
some of the Radio 4 show’s
most popular requests, it
has a greenhouse of
memorabilia, including a
photograph of Bob
Flowerdew and Anne
Swithinbank naked save for
some well-placed fronds
from when they broadcast
at a naturist convention
in Orpington. There is
also a VW camper van
from which experts
will dispense advice.
Clothed, one trusts.
In the pavilion
were Alfie Boe,
Robert Winston and
Captain Tom Moore
hanging out with
Mary Berry, these all
being varieties of rose.
Apparently complaints
flooded in last year from
Yorkshire, where they can
be as prickly as any rose,Deborah James, the cancer
campaigner. “She said it
reminded her of ballet
slippers from her
childhood,” Francesca
White said. The company
will give £2.50 for each of
these roses it sells to
James’s Bowelbabe Fund.
Some gardens resorted to
desperate measures to
catch attention. A woman
parping a long Alpine horn
brought me to the Swiss
exhibition; Caribbean steel
drums promoted
mangroves. Both were
trumped by the massive
draw of Valerie Singleton
and Janet Ellis in the
Blue Peter garden.
I initially walked
past the most
important garden: the
one of wild edibles
designed by our own
Ann Treneman. It’s
opposite the booze
stands promoting
cider and rosé. They
should call it Laurie
Lee Corner.With so much to see
I nearly lost the plot
Celebrities were
out in force, but
one of our own
stole the show for
Patrick Kidd
After a late decision to attend the Chelsea Flower Show, the Queen was driven about with Keith Weed of the Royal Horticultural Society. Dame Judi Dench also attended and some outfits revelled in a floral theme
after a red one was named
after the late captain. As a
son of the West Riding it
should have been white, but
he had chosen it himself.
The new names on
display at the World of
Roses stand included a
magenta climber called
Highclere Castle and a
white rose with subtle pink
hue named after Dame