Chelsea Flower Show

Yesterday, three American friends and I traveled via the coach to the Chelsea Flower Show. It was a very long day surrounded by a four-hour trip to London and a four-hour trip home. Needless to say, I have never sat for that long in my life on a bus, but the show was well-worth the trip. The beautiful sunny day started with a glass of champagne while shopping for garden furniture. Not a bad beginning at all.

I don't think I had a favorite display. Everything was gorgeous and it was just such a British thing to do and the atmosphere was good although the crowds were overwhelming at times. As a group we decided unanimously that British people are not polite when they bang into you, smack you in the head with a rucksack, stand directly in front of you when you were there first or step on your hand, although my friend did get a half-hearted apology when that happened. Say what you want, but Americans are overall more polite when it comes to invading personal space and general awareness of what is going on around them. That said, the show was very well-run and they even had attendants in the toilets indicating when a stall was empty to keep the women moving - and it worked! The very long queue had a very short wait time.

From Wikipedia: "The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show, officially the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held each year on five days in May in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London, England. It is the most famous such show in the UK, perhaps the most famous gardening event in the world and part of London's summer social season." The show has a long history and dates back as far as 1833 and has been held in a variety of locations. It is visited by 160,000 people and tickets must be purchased in advance. The 2010 show will be held 25-29 May so if anyone is interested, there's your hint, hint.

Here are some highlight photos. Enjoy the colors.

Plants

Coral bells

Daffodils

This photo doesn't give the display justice in the least.

The Cayman Islands display - that's for you Block family! It was very creative with the ceiling painted to look like everything was underwater.

Vegetables

The hairy orbs are radishes.

Sculpture

Looks like Ciaran

A willow tree made of copper
I would love one of these.

Very interesting display of flora and fauna all made of Plasticene - a clay-like material which hardens. EVERYTHING was made from it in this display and pieces were made by different people from all walks of life - children, pensioners, "real" artists, etc. It was awarded a plasticene gold medal, but I believe it was not actually eligible for a prize since no real flowers were used. Another claim to fame was that one of its creators, James May, is a presenter on one of the nation's most popular programs, Top Gear, a car show that is actually worth the watch.

Wood carving of a rose in its various stages
And last but not least...

Roses...
the only flowers to make me sneeze during the entire day. Luckily they were at the end.