Press day at the Chelsea Flower Show - The Grand Pavilion 2016

The first time I ever went to the Chelsea Flower Show, ooh, must be twenty years ago, walking inside the Grand Pavilion was like walking into a steamy bathroom after someone has sprayed the most pungent perfume liberally all over themselves. It was so humid, and packed with people,  Mama and I beat a hasty retreat as she felt a little faint.

This year all was blissfully cool inside the Pavilion, but I still couldn't spend as much time as I liked in there. There was so much to see and admire and I was rather taken with the National Chrysanthemum Society's display....especially with this beauty

The Alpine Garden Society's stand was so pretty, enticing groups of dainty plants which I pored over.

I always think of rhododendrons as marmite plants...among my friends, we either love or hate them.
I like them, and was interested to see the Burncoose Nurseries stand which celebrated 100 years of the Rhododendron Society. Charles Williams who is the senior partner of the nursery, and owner of the Caerhays Estate in Cornwall ,was telling me a few lovely stories about his great grandfather who was a founding member of the society .
 

 

I haven't yet planted any peonies in my garden, even though I love to receive a bunch of them. After seeing the Binny Plants stand, this must be rectified. I was almost salivating in delight at the snowy beauty of the Duchess de Nemours and the white double Mme Claude Tain. The pink , rose shaped flowers of The Fawn also delighted, and I was so busy oohing and aahing over them , I completely forgot to take any photographs of them.  If you did, please let me know!

 I did manage to photograph this bed though, packed with every type of lavender imaginable from Downderry Nursery, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. From a distance, it looked like a living patchwork quilt. Lavenders are my must-haves in any garden, and there were some I've not seen before , I really have taken a fancy to. I loved the bright, white Edelweiss , Heavenly Scent- a mid purple lavender and the sweetest Little Lottie, the shortest pink available.

 
 

 But it's not just all about the flowers inside the Great Pavilion, I loved this display of potatoes from a husband and wife team who told me they were only hobby growers. Only! I loved seeing all these black potatoes for the first time.

 And to see these allotments was a joy, perfectly planted produce in raised beds, with a shed and an allotment notice board made me itch to pick a few plants and eat them there and then.

 

 

 

 

 

The day went all too quickly, well we were working, but perhaps I should spend two days at Chelsea next year..there's simply too much to take in all at once. Even going through a tunnel to the loos made me stop and stare...

I love Press day...but you do have to leave by 3pm so that Her majesty the Queen and the Royal party can visit. We left at 3 minutes to the hour, even so, I felt like clinging to the gates and refusing to leave .....

Next year Chelsea, next year.....