Amateur Gardening – 21 May 2019

28 AmAteurGArDeNING 11 mAY 2019

E

veryyearin May,Chelsea

feverhitsthegardening

world,fillingtheTvschedule

withcoverageof incredible

gardensandnumerouscelebrities.But

Chelseais notallaboutglamour:at the

heartof theeventaresometrulyshow-

stoppingplantsthatanyone can use to

transformtheirgardens.

It’seasytothinkofChelseaas

beingseveralstepsawayfromnormal

life.Therehavecertainlybeensome

whackyshowgardens:Diarmuid

Gavin’sIrishSkyGarden,thefirst

airbornegardenwitha podflyinghigh

abovetheshowground,orlastyear’s

49ft/15m-hightowertoshowcase

sustainable high-rise gardening, to

namejusttwo.eventhelessoutlandish

options,withtheirstreams,waterfalls

andstonesculptures,arehardto

imaginetryingathome.Butwithinthese

gardensareinvaluableplantingideas

andcolourcombinationsthatcanbe

recreated,albeitona smallerscale,

outsideourownbackdoors.

evenmoreusefulis Chelsea’sPlant

oftheyearcompetition,whichshines

a spotlightonplantsthatareunusual,

new,reliableandfoolproof.Since2010,

thecompetitionhasrecognisedshrubs,

flowers,climbersandtreesthatoffer

realvaluetogardeners.Thelistof

winners,runners-upandnominees

is prettyextensive,andweshouldall

be able to find room for at least one

ofthemin ourgardens– evenif

it’sin a potbesidethefrontdoor.

Whenit comestopickinga

winner,thejudgeshavethreecriteria:

innovation,excellenceandappeal,

whichmeansthosethatclaimthe

covetedtitleusuallyoffersomething

gardenershaven’tseenbefore,in

addition to being dependable.

Newandimproved

Winningplantsarelikelytohave

attributesthattheirpredecessors

lack.Takeanemone‘WildSwan’,for

instance.It’snotonlygoodforshade,

butit willalsoflowerforlongerthan

otherJapaneseanemones.Then

there’sDigitalis Illumination Pink, which

Notjustforshow:Idealfora shadyspot,2011’swinning

anemonewilllightupthegloomfrommayrightthrough

until September, and is as practical as it is pretty

Be inspired and

Plant a winner!

Chelsea’sPlantoftheyearcompetitionrecognisesreliabilityaswellasinnovation,

and provides some of the best options for our gardens, saysTamsin Hope Thomson