Chelsea FLOWER Show

Totally agree too!!! The only part I have seen worth watching was yesterday when they spoke about actual plants for 10 minutes. The award winning gardens are good - but not as good as pre years and slightly over shown too now. Never been a big celebrity fan so really get bored with their almost chat show about them - and Bruce forsyth be in it if he fell in! Not a lover of flower arranging but some people are - not my gripe though the thing is the other day's arrangement was pretty rubbish

Whats the saying B F would be in.....if he paid to get out!

Last night was all about wild flowers and conserving wildlife which I found interesting.

At least its about gardens etc. in one form or another, other than 30 minutes on a friday (I know how to plant seeds thankyou) there are no programmes at all about our hobby

I haven't watched much of it this year. I find it boring.

I am going today Nariz!! My 1st ever visit (maybe my last too) Lol. The weather is going to be 28*!!! Hope I enjoy it, not very good in the heat!

Less chat and more gardening would be an improvement. Maybe we are just spoiled because we get so much more from our members. If I have seen the Korean War exhibit once I have seen it on every snip of show that I have watched. I think it is a nice concept maybe as a war memorial but as a garden at Chelsea it fills me with horror. My OH and his brother were both involved in the Korean war and this is not really uplifting. If a concept has to be explained ie "the plants and stream don't care which side of the fence they are on they are going to live anyway" it has failed in my book. Enjoy the show Grandmage and I hope you are fit to do a blog for those of us who will never visit it.

I couldn't understand it either. Scotsgran very upsetting and........altogether too political........
There was one yesterday with blue water and white stone.......supposed to be wildlife friendly!

i am waiting to go one day but if the tv show is the highlights mabye not!

I do agree Nariz, and more than that the show gardens all seem a bit similar, or are they only showing the same few over and over again??

I think that they must be, the flower tent (great marquee?) Is an amazing sight and the perfume is wonderful. But we only get snatches of it

I'm sure it will be a lot better in reality. I am going to see what it is like on the iplayer. We watched a feature on water gardening just before the lunchtime news. Having only recently experienced the problems you can get with pools through hearing from Karensusan and Karenfrance about their experiences and the answers they got from knowledgable members I was disappointed at the shallowness (no pun intended) of the quality of the advice given. The interviewer touched on what about shade and light but the experts answers did not come anywhere near the quality of advice handed out on this website. No mention of greening of the water which is surely of prime of importance if you want an attractive feature in the garden. I suppose I am complaining about the quality of the education of the public on what to look for and what to consider when thinking of having a water feature in the garden versus the desire to sell the concept.

I found it boring this year too, Hywel! So glad you're all with me! I really thought I was going to get shot down in flames!

Tired, very hot and sticky, feet ache, bags are heavy and I would not go again!! Truly, the crowds were awful, pushing and shoving, thousands of folk all squashed up against the gardens so we couldnt see them, the flowers in the main marquee were gorgeous BUT this was all spoilt by the bark chips (on the floor that you walk over) they smelt like farmyard manure!! we made a quick exit out into the fresh air! I did manage though to spend some money!! Lol. Home now and glad to sit down and cool down! Never again, will put up with the TV prog instead.

The heat wouldn'help either Gran.....

It was far too hot Pam, 28* ish felt like more.........I was as red as a lobster by the time I got home!

We are fortunate to have a friend who is fortunate enough to get in on Tuesday every year. She reported to us that this years show was one of the poorest that she had ever seen. Seemingly too many of the display gardens were very boring.

I hardly watched it last year and this year have not watched it at all, because the bits I saw on the news told me I would be interested.

How could their coverage not have included GOY member Vicky1 and OH Richard getting another Gold medal for their stand. I'm lucky because I will probably see it at Gardening Scotland but how out of touch are 'the experts' when they do not realise that heucheramania has swept the UK and probably the world due in no small part to the wonderful work of this enterprising couple. Visit their website to see the many plants they hold in the National Collections for which they are responsible as well as viewing the stock they have for sale. For those attending shows where they are going to be exhibiting they will bring preordered plants for you and save you the postage.

there ought to be a way we can say how disappointed we are with the coverage of the show, im sure there are a lot of exhibitors who will have worked incredibly hard and not been seen!!

Its funny Sticki but I was saying to my hubb, 'who can I write to' to tell them of my dissapointment and having been there complain about the awful smell in the exhibition tent! Maybe the RHS?

Its their ultimate responsibility isn't it...

I get really miffed at all the'dumbing down' these days, not just tv and radio.....its as if knowledge or the garnering of it is to be avoided at all costs

RHS and BBC??? I dont like complaining about things ~ i would much rather say how lovely something was but on the other hand if none of us say anything ~ next year could be just the same again!!??

there will be lots of gold medals we havent seen too, i know of one ~ but only cos its who i work for ~ you would never know from the tv coverage!! and how much else have we missed?? i cant understand why they stand in front of the same gardens each time to talk ~ there must be loads of other gardens, stalls etc they could show.

( maybe money talks.....:(

I think you've hit the nail on the head there Pam!

Yesterday it was celebs and big names again......ages spent on the hillier stand interesting but........ I was wondering if we should invite Titchmarsh to join Goy?..........

worth a try Pam!!???

Maybe I should learn to twitter......or twit?

I haven't felt the same interest in seeing this year. Other years I've latched onto the TV twice a day but this year I don't even know if there has been a lunchtime programme - I'm that out of touch with the "box"!

I may watch it on the iPlayer when my brother gets back from visiting his daughter & grandchildren, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday.

I totally agree. The main 'themes' I want in a garden are plants and beauty. I've no idea why gardens have to depict wars etc....perhaps a few corpses would add to the spectacle a la Jeremy Bentham? Surely the garden is the place where we shake off our cares and find peace and pleasure. When I look at professionally designed gardens, I'm looking for ideas and inspiration for my own little plot, or something beautiful to take my breath away...new plants or old friends seen in a new light...something that makes me think I must have that or I must try that......oh well my garden's looking lovely, the weathers still fine...who needs television:-)

Oh I'm so glad you've all said this - I though it was just me getting old and world weary. I watched about 10 minutes' coverage the other night and then wandered off to do the washing-up: it was more interesting. I much prefer Gardeners' World. I would pay good money to avoid celebrities of any kind (except maybe D. Attenborough, who is yummy as well as intelligent and interesting). I shan't bother again. As you've mentioned, it's all about arty farty construction and "concepts." That isn't gardening in my book. More plants and flowers, please!!!!

I tried to view it on the BBC iPlayer this morning but couldn't find it! :(

Coming in late on this blog. Went to Chelsea this year and enjoyed it as always. The show gardens that the BBC go on and on and on about are very impressive and the planting is interesting but most of my day is spent in the Grand Pavilion, the marquee, because that's where the real interest is for me as an ordinary amateur. In the marquee is nothing but flowers and small nurseries showing how to group plants successfully for colour and shape. It's not the show that's at fault, it's the BBC coverage that keeps on and on about "cutting edge " design, the kind of thing that only millionaires could afford to have .