What makes a winning garden at RHS Chelsea? Let the people decide!

Trailfinders Australian Garden designed by Phil Johnson won Best in Show and a Gold medal at Chelsea this year 

As RHS Chelsea opened its doors to the public for the third day of the centenary Flower Show, it appeared that all was not well among the horticultural fraternity when Christopher Bradley-Hole, creator of this year's Telegraph Garden, questioned the RHS judges' decision over the coveted Best in Show award presented to the Trailfinders Australian Garden. Readers may wish to read the full article here.  

The Telegraph Garden designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole won a Gold medal, but not Best in Show

The crowds this week at the world's most prestigious horticultural event are a testament to the popularity of the annual Chelsea Show and it will be interesting to see who they vote for in The People's Choice competition, organised by the RHS and actively promoted on its web site. If the queues to see the Trailfinders garden are an indication of public opinion, could it be that the Mr Bradley-Hole's recent comments about the "ugly" solar panels and the "unsubtle" planting are not shared by the hordes of visitors trying to get a close-up view of the Australian garden, which occupies a prime corner position at Chelsea this year.

The East Village Garden, designed by Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius won a gold

Christopher Bradley-Hole is certainly no newcomer to Chelsea and has an impressive track record of five Chelsea gold medals and two Best Show Gardens. The Telegraph Garden won a gold medal this year, so the designer had nothing to complain about. Other seasoned exhibitors and gold medalists included Brewin Dolphin, Homebase, Laurent Perrier, M&G and Royal Bank of Canada - who are all delighted with the results, as are newcomers to the show who won golds, including the East Village Garden (above), which was attracting much bigger crowds than the Telegraph garden opposite and Un Garreg (One Stone) in the Artisan section. 

The B&Q Sentebale Garden designed by Jinny Blom won a silver gilt medal

Gardens that attracted a lot of publicity before the opening of the show included the B&Q Sentebale Forget-Me-Not Garden (above), with its connection to Prince Harry's Lesotho charity; Stoke-on-Trent's story of Transformation and Stop the Spread (below) - all awarded silver gilt medals. Yet none of these complained about the judging at Chelsea this year! So if you've already been to the show, do let us know which garden you preferred - Trailfinders or The Telegraph.

Stop the Spread, designed by Jo Thompson, won a silver gilt medal

Small is beautiful at RHS Chelsea - don't miss the Artisan gardens!

An Alcove (Tokonoma) Garden - Best Artisan garden and Gold medal winner

If you're visiting Chelsea this week, make sure you visit the eight Artisan Gardens, hidden away in Serpentine Walk - a cluster of small gardens that will give you ideas for your patch at home and where you can get close enough to see the finer details of the planting. Overall winner is the Alcove Garden (above) designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara, which also won a Gold.

"Get Well Soon" - awarded a Silver medal (designed by Kati Crome and Maggie Hughes)

Right next door is "Get Well Soon", which won a silver medal. Sponsored by the National Botanic Garden of Wales and designed by Kati Crome and Maggie Hughes, this garden emphasises the ways in which plants can improve your health, and reflects many of the design features of the sponsor garden in Wales.

Motor Neurone Disease - A Hebridean Weaver's Garden - Gold medal winner

The Hebridean Weaver's Garden (above), designed by Jackie Setchfield and Martin Anderson to reflect the solitary life of an island inhabitant in the 1950s, trying to eke out a living from the land, also won a Gold medal. This is a delightful garden, that makes you realise just how far removed we are from island life in the heart of Chelsea during the Flower Show.

NSPCC Garden of Magical Childhood,  designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith

The NSPCC Garden of Magical Childhood, designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith, and winner of a Silver Gilt medal, reflects nostalgic concepts of our early years, with an enchanting tree house taking centre stage and a collection of vintage toys. Look out for all the pebbles in the wishing pond with their individual messages, inscribed by NSPCC supporters.

Um Garreg, designed by brothers Harry and David Rich, both first timers at Chelsea

Un Garreg (One Stone) also won a Gold medal - this garden, designed by Harry and David Rich - two brothers who are first timers at Chelsea, who've drawn on the Welsh landscape of Brecon where they grew up - is both simple and harmonious and would be easy to replicate at home, if you knew a good dry stone waller! 

Walkers' Pine Garden by Graham Bodle won a Silver medal

Walkers' Pine Garden, designed by Graham Bodle takes inspiration from some of Britain's great gardens including Rousham for the rill and Chatsworth for the gold leaf gilding on the obelisks, and shows just how much you can pack into a tiny space, with innovative planting and some interesting features. The wall sculpture celebrates RHS Chelsea's Centenary. 

Le Jardin De Yorkshire, designed by Alistair Baldwin Associates

Even simpler is the design of Le Jardin De Yorkshire, inspired by the county's successful bid to host the 2014 start of the Tour de France. The water feature at the front of the garden lists many of the villages and towns that cyclists will visit when they set off next year. This garden won a Silver Gilt medal for designer, Alistair Baldwin Associates.

The Herbert Smith Freehills Garden for WaterAid - a blaze of marigolds

The Herbert Smith Freehills Garden for WaterAid is inspired by the the work of the charity WaterAid in India - a blaze of colour, reflecting the benefits of access to clean water, improved hygiene and sanitation, even when water is scarce. Designed by Patricia Thirion and Janet Honour and winner of a Gold medal.

To see Gold Medal gardens in the Show Garden category at Chelsea this year, click here. 

Medal winners announced at RHS Chelsea Centenary Show - Australians awarded Best Show Garden

The Trailfinders Australian Garden by Fleming's wins Best Show Garden and a Gold medal at Chelsea 2013

The Australians have taken top prize at this year's RHS Chelsea with Trailfinders Australian Garden by Fleming's winning the coveted Best Show Garden and a Gold medal. If you're off to Chelsea this week, you'll love this innovative garden, designed by Phillip Johnson, which showcases native Australian plants, set within an urban setting, while demonstrating the possibilities of sustainable landscaping. 

The Arthriis Research UK Garden designed by Chris Beardshaw

To see the rest of the gold medal winners in the Show Garden category scroll down through the pictures below. They are The Arthritis Research UK Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw (above); the Brewin Dolphin Garden (below);  the Laurent-Perrier Garden; the East Village Garden (below); The Homebase Garden - "Sowing the Seeds of Change" in association with the Alzheimer's Society; The Wasteland; the M&G Centenary Garden; the RBC Blue Water Roof Garden and The Telegraph Garden, designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole.

The Brewin Dolphin Garden designed by Robert Myers

East Village Garden designed by Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius

Homebase Garden - "Sowing the Seeds of Change" designed by Adam Frost

The Wasteland designed by Kate Gould

The M&G Centenary Garden "Windows through Time" designed by Roger Platt

RBC Blue Water Roof Garden by Nigel Dunnett and The Landscape Agency

The Telegraph Garden designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole

There are 15 Show Gardens this year at Chelsea, as well as the Artisan and Fresh Gardens. Make sure you visit The SeeAbility Garden (below) - it was certainly one of my favourites, along with Le Jardin de Yorkshire, in the Artisan section and Jack Dunkley's Juxtaposition. I shall be featuring more gardens each day this week while RHS Chelsea 2013 is in full flower.

The SeeAbility Garden designed by Darren Hawkes, won a Silver-Gilt medal

Ready for RHS Chelsea 2013? Gnomes to make their first (and last) appearance at centenary show!

RHS Chelsea 2013 opens its doors to ticket holders on Tuesday, 21 May

This year's RHS Chelsea promises to be more closely scrutinised than ever by the media and, on the eve of the Centenary show, exhibitors and eager ticket holders are anxiously watching the weather forecast. It's not looking good for the first day, but later in the week there may be clearer skies. Good news for all those who managed to get tickets this year, since they sold out sooner than ever before.
     Gnomes are being allowed to make their debut at the show for the first and last time in this centenary year. In the past they came under a ban covering "brightly-coloured mythical creatures", but they will be there in force at Chelsea this week because they are playing an active role in the £1 million RHS Centenary Appeal, with more than 100 well-known personalities including Sir Elton John and Dames Hellen Mirren and Maggie Smith using their skills to decorate the little people, which will then be auctioned on e-Bay.

If the weather is wet at Chelsea, there's always plenty to see in the marquee

The 15 show gardens normally attract the most interest at Chelsea. Many of the usual designers are there and the coveted medal results will be announced on Tuesday, 21st May. In the UK we're all used to hearing about Prince Charles' gardening endeavours, but this year the crowds will be looking out for Prince Harry's efforts in the show garden category because of his involvement in the B&Q Sentebale 'Forget Me Not' garden, designed by Jinny Blom. Sentebale is the Prince's charity in the kingdom of Lesotho in Africa, which aims to help poor and vulnerable children and set up following his gap year visit there in 2004.

For those of you joined at the hip to your I-Phone, there's a new RHS Chelsea 2013 app, downloadable for free and featuring a range of useful information for visitors about exhibitors, split into sections on the show gardens, plus full details of plant and shopping exhibitors and where to find them.  

     I'm off to Chelsea tomorrow, with umbrella and waterproof clothing, so watch this space. But don't forget Chelsea Fringe, which has its own app downloadable for free detailing all events with dates and location and there's also Chelsea in Bloom. TV coverage starts today (Sunday) on BBC1 at 17.00 and there's daily coverage on BB2 starting Monday at 20.00.

     

Galloping Gardener Walks © - Catch the best rhododendron displays in Britain

The Isabella Plantation in London's Richmond Park has one of the best displays in the country

An exceptionally cold winter here in Britain means that even the rhododendrons and azaleas are blooming later than usual this year, but there are many wonderful gardens around the country where you can now see stunning colour displays as the weather begins to warm up. But what is the difference between the two plants? Millais Nurseries, one of the UK's leading suppliers, says that: "All azaleas are actually rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas." And, if you're confused, rhododendrons are a genus (a group of plants with shared characteristics) whereas azaleas are a group within that genus, but all belong to the Ericaceae family.

Sheffield Park is open year round, but visit now to see the rhododendrons in bloom

The best display in London (and you might want to drop in on the way to Chelsea this week) is to be found at the Isabella Plantation (top). This is undoubtedly one of the capital's best kept secrets, hidden away behind a wrought-iron gate in the heart of Richmond Park and quite apart from being spectacular, the blooms cost nothing to view. You'll find more than 50 different rhododendron species here, as well as the national of collection of Kurume azaleas. The garden is also a notable bird sanctuary and as you wander through the woodland landscape, you'll be astounded by what you hear as well as what you see. 

Catch contrasting woodland colours at Ramster - open until June 9 this year

Head south from London and the notable woodland gardens with wonderful colour displays include Borde Hill, Ramster (above), Riverhill Himalayan Garden and Sheffield Park. Sadly, Leonardslee, which was famous the world over for its colour displays at this time of year, is no longer open to the public. It closed in 2010 and although you'll still see road signs directing you there, you can always visit High Beeches instead. And, as all these gardens are quite close to each other, you might want to visit more than one in a day.

High Beeches offers spectacular woodland walks in Sussex and is now in full bloom

Further west, you've got Exbury, which is renowned for its show of spring colour and Furzey Gardens, on a much more personal scale, but with equally spectacular displays. Furzey exhibited at Chelsea for the first time last year and won a gold medal for its "Field of Gold" designed by Chris Beardshaw (below), which has now been recreated back at the garden in Hampshire. I haven't had a chance to visit yet this year, but know from past experience just how lovely this garden is at this time of year.

Chris Beardshaw designed Furzey's winning garden "Field of Gold" at RHS Chelsea 2012

And further north, you've got the Dorothy Clive Garden (below), which left a lasting impression on me when I was last passing through (despite the dismal weather that day), Holker Hall in Cumbria and Bodnant in North Wales. Many smaller gardens nationwide also have good rhododendron shows, so it's worth checking which gardens are open for the NGS in your area. But wherever you choose to visit, there's something magical about the spring light shining through the rhododendron glades around the country. 

Even a wet and dismal day can't dampen the colours at the Dorothy Clive Garden

Wordless Wednesday - Whichford - potty about the planting!

The photographs can tell the story here - I dropped in at Whichford Pottery last week and was absolutely potty about the planting - a real source of eye candy and ideas for your own garden. Definitely worth making a detour for if you're visiting Brook Cottage, Hidcote Manor or Kiftsgate Court.

Rosemary Verey's Cotswold garden - Barnsley House

Barnsley House, former home of Rosemary Verey, is now an exclusive hotel

There are some gardens that you have to see, and Barnsley House - former home of Rosemary Verey - is one of them. The property now operates as an exclusive hotel, where the gardens are maintained primarily for guests, but there are a series of open days on the horizon, and if you can find the time to visit you should, because it's an iconic garden, and you'll soon see why this grand dame of English horticulture so appealed to aspiring gardeners in Britain in the last part of the 20th century.

Although the garden is quite small, there are wonderful vistas throughout, giving the illusion of a larger space

Rosemary's husband David Verey, inherited the 17th century manor house from his family in 1951 and together they set about creating the garden that is there today. David was a distinguished architectural historian, and did much of the heavy work in the Barnsley garden, including construction of all the buildings, like the neo-classical temple below, which presides over a pond filled with lilies in the summer. But it was Rosemary, who created the garden that came to be so celebrated in the last quarter of the 20th century, with her unusual ideas and clever planting.

The Temple Garden at Barnsley, featuring a neo-classical building reconstructed by David Verey

It's the clever use of space, garden ornament and grand features borrowed from other larger gardens, but scaled down for a smaller space, that makes Barnsley House so unique. The much-photographed laburnum arch is based on a larger version at Bodnant in North Wales and her potager is modelled on Villandry in France. Combine this with her planting skills, which favoured herbaceous plants, bulbs and clipped topiary and you've got a garden that's not just pleasing to the eye, but also extremely memorable. 

The site of the famous laburnum arch at Barnsley - planted with tulips in April

I don't have wonderful pictures of the laburnum arch in flower because when I first went to Barnsley, it was past its peak (below), but visit on one of the open days in the next few weeks and you'll be able to catch this for yourself. When I visited last week, it was planted with tulips (above) and you could see the structure of the arch, but the best is yet to come.

The famous laburnum arch at Barnsley, modelled on a larger one at Bodnant

When you visit Barnsley you'll also be able to see why Rosemary Verey had so much influence on British garden design right up until her death in 2001, with her various books - "The Englishwoman's Garden", "The Classic Garden", and "The Garden in Winter". Today the garden is tended by head gardener, Richard Gatenby, who worked alongside Verey in her latter years. He has continued to nurture the garden and made many changes during the last couple of seasons, giving the garden a cleaner, fresher and less cluttered look.

The potager is filled with spring bulbs in April and May

If you visit, don't forget to cross the lane at the far side of the garden to take in the potager, which is a delight throughout the seasons  (even in the rain). It makes its debut in springtime as a canvas of bulbs, with produce interspersed, and moves on to become a charming, scented lavender haven in summer. Espaliered fruit trees are underplanted with flowers and low, shaped box gives structure and form to this mini Villandry. 

Rosemary Verey favoured yellow and purple plants in her potager in high summer

Barnsley House first opened to the public in the 1970's for the National Gardens Scheme and by the time Rosemary Verey died, the number of visitors exceeded 40,000 a year. But that has all changed since the house became a hotel. Now it opens for just a few days each year - with three open days later this year - on the 18th May (10.30-17.00) for the annual Barnsley Village Festival, and the 4th June and 13th August for charity, but check website for details.

Clever use of space makes the garden at Barnsley seem much larger than it is

When David Verey died in 1984, Rosemary turned her hand to garden design, writing books and lecturing around the world. She was entirely self taught, but her skills became so celebrated that she was asked by both Prince Charles and Elton John for advice on their gardens. Go and visit Barnsley House for yourself and you will soon see why this English woman gained such a formidable reputation in gardening circles. There are many wonderful gardens nearby, including Cerney House and Misarden Manor if you fancy more than one garden visit in a day.