Looks like the flower festival in Chelsea
Chelsea is a festival of colors is an important and beautiful social event, which annually brings together gardeners, designers, stars of show business and politics.
What is significant festival at this time and how did the Royal horticultural society — in the material “Газеты.Ru”.
In the UK is the largest flower festival — flower show in Chelsea. This year’s high-profile show is much less common: only eight instead of the usual twelve or more. However, the lack of works of landscape designers to fully compensate the company that sells the elite greenhouses, sculptures, balls of fire and other garden utensils. Some trade stands, Chelsea can even be mistaken for one of the exposures. For visitors it’s not so bad — it’s not every day you get the opportunity to see the scheme of planting the highest quality at arm’s length.
The flower show in Chelsea is a different area in which the gardens, created in different genres: among them you can just walk around, watching as the masterful landscape designers use the forces of nature to create works of art, and also to steal ideas for your own garden. This year, the trend of moss, purple and blue lupines, pine trees and potted plants. And in the Grand pavilion (by area, it resembles two soccer fields, about 12 thousand sq m), the organizers have placed more than 500 green exhibits from around the world.
Flower winners
Traditionally, the festival participants compete for the title of best. This year the title of “Best garden of the show” got the project “M & G Garden” James Basson. The exposition tells about the vulnerability of natural landscapes and resources of Malta. Inspired by an abandoned Maltese quarry, Basson introduced the monumental blocks of limestone, planted with grasses, evergreen plants, perennials and ground cover that are unique to arid Mediterranean Islands. The garden is divided into several zones, each of which has its own ecology.
A special highlight was planted inside the carob tree is a species of plants under protection in Malta.
According to the designer, the main task of the project is to show people the need to take measures to preserve the fragile environment of our planet. Sustainable drainage, recycling and composting: all it is vital that Malta has retained its crisp and delicate landscapes.
Nominated for “Best fresh garden” got the project “city Life” Kate Gould. Her creation — an imaginary space in urban apartment block, showing how to use small gardens. Here are a number of private green spaces, built on three different levels using innovative materials.
The project involved the hardy, tropical and shade tolerant plants. Tiered gardens emphasize the importance of greening the inner city spaces that will not only be an object of admiration of citizens, but also will benefit the environment in General.
“The best garden created with his own hands” became “Wharf worker-garden, supported by Doncaster”. The project transforms an abandoned industrial space into a useful open area. To create a feeling of tranquility and well-being of the color palette is predominantly green, the design includes pine, larch, conifers and perennials arrays.
The Queen knows a lot about
The main guests of the festival were members of the Royal family. This time the arrival of the Queen of great Britain Elizabeth II has become the most discussed topic. It turned out that the monarch is well versed in the classification of plants — she even knows their Latin names.
One of the leading suppliers of horticultural products in the country, Chairman Robert Hillier Nurseries Hillier, was stunned by her sudden interest and deep knowledge of the subject.
“The Queen never showed their knowledge before. We met many times, but suddenly so interested in plants and gardening. Elizabeth II really likes to go to Chelsea, but last year it was not so quickened. It really has been gardening. It’s never too late!”, he shared his impressions from conversations with the Queen with the newspaper The Telegraph.
The age-old tradition
The tradition of the festival of colors, in Chelsea, there are already more than a century — the first flower show was held in 1862. Then it was called the Great spring show of the Royal horticultural society (RHS) and held in the garden society in Kensington. Here the event was held until 1888, until it was transferred to the heart of London the Temple gardens, situated between the Thames and fleet street. Originally the exhibition was only two tent, then they became five, some of which were held by well-known purveyors of plants and seeds.
In 1912, the show was forced to move from the Temple garden at the Royal hospital in Chelsea.
The venue proved so successful that in 1913 it hosted the premiere of “Chelsea Flower show”. At the beginning of the First world war, the festival still took place, but by 1917, his conduct has ceased. The tradition went back to the 1920-th years and continued until the outbreak of the Second World war, while the war Department did not require the land for anti-aircraft site. Interestingly, in 1927, a campaign to ban foreign exhibits, to reduce competition with British companies.
The organizers refused, citing the fact that “horticulture knows nothing of nationality.”
Two years after the end of the Second world war, the festival was able to resume, however, society started to soar doubt whether it is worth it to pursue: the participants were required to delay, as stocks of plants were low, staff was depleted and fuel for greenhouses can be obtained only with special permission. However, Lord Aberconway (then RHS President) and the RHS Council felt very strongly that the show should resume as soon as possible.
During its existence, the festival was faced with many problems.
So, in 1928, on the night before the opening ceremony of the festival was overtaken by a fierce storm: hail blocked drains tent, causing serious damage.
But after staff worked through the night, the show opened as usual.
In 1932, during the show dropped so much rain that it resulted in the complete destruction of the exhibition. In 2010, due to the long cold winters the plants do not have time to open up to the beginning of the festival, so some desperate producers have even resorted to using hair dryers to force the plant to bloom. In 2011, because of the heat, the festival has killed many plants, including Siberian iris, tulips, lupins and peonies. But wild orchids and roses felt great.
Until 2013, gnomes were banned for use in the compositions, but the participants often tried to carry out their smuggling. Expert on gardening and herbs Jekka McVicar told The Telegraph that for many years she took in their hands the happy gnome Borage, but carefully concealed it among the foliage.