Aahhhhh Chealsea Flower Show

[applespearsbears]

... anyone watching?

Yep. Is it me or do all the structures etc in the gardens look oversized and completely detract from the planting?

Yes ! But I did like the Yorkshire one, I like anything with a decent water feature. Too many celeb interviews though....

I'm watching on catch up, love CFS. Seems fewer gardens than usual or am I imagining it....

No not imagining it they said they had fewer entries because when the invites went out Brecit was happening and it sounded like the sponsors were hesitant.
I just wasn't wowed by the planting, there wasn't anything that sang out, what do you think?

Brexit!

Haven't watched yet but will probably only watch one episode. I do think that every year the stories get so repetitive by the end of the week. Do they really have to televise so much?

Loved the Yorkshire Coast garden.
It's a shame about the sponsors.
So glad there's something decent to watch on telly this week.

I always watch it with the sound turned off. I ff through the bit where the presenters are blocking the gardens and press slow on the rare occasions that the camera is on the plants.

Looks exceptionally bland this year so far.

I haven't been really wowed as yet, but I am enjoying watching nonetheless. I am sure there are lots of good things to come so I will be watching all week. It is my first year to take an interest in gardening and I am learning lots. I loved the allium, so had a look on the crocus website to see if I could buy some plants right now. One look at the prices made me make a note in my newly acquired gardening journal to buy bulbs later on this year!

Alliums have always been a favourite of mine but I have never grown any - I think they feature heavily in CFS every year.

As usual, too much footage of previously-filmed clips, show gardens and celebrities, and not enough of everything else.

I'm trying to catch up on I player. So much to watch, I'll still be doing it next week!

Am I right in thinking that nor many medals were given out this year? Chris Beardshaw did not seem to get a anything at all.

CB got silver gilt. And didn't seem happy about that.

I'm not wowed by the 'best in show' (or whatever it's called) - the maltese quarry. And how suss that it's the garden of the outgoing sponsor, the one that they've not yet replaced...

Monty doesn't seem that impressed with the gardens this year...and certainly didn't seem to agree with the judging

I love RHS Chelsea and am watching it on catch up. It is definitely smaller this year, 8 show gardens rather than 18, due to large sponsors pulling out (thanks Brexit!). I'd love to go but it seems to get more and more 'exclusive' every year. More networking, more celebs, more press. Fewer gardeners.

I'm only on ep3 of the catch up at the mo and I'm not that impressed so far. They look a bit samey. I like the Covent Garden one and Beardshall's garden. I don't like the ones with large expanses of hard landscaping, but I understand that they are making a design statement and telling a 'story' even if I don't like them aesthetically.

That Maltese Quarry garden is baffling. I like the individual elements in close up but dislike the overall look. It's not really a 'garden' at all.

I want to like the M&G garden but I'm nonplussed. Someone said individual elements are interesting but the scale is off.

I may still be smarting from their weekly Facebook "littlegarden" competition awarding Chelsea ticket prizes to mature gardens week in, week out (same last year). Not very fair to all the fantastic entries on a small/ budget scale and not really in the spirit of the competition brief. A mixture of winners would've been fairer and more encouraging to the next generation of gardeners

Presumably one of the reasons is so that they can use the perfect/manicured winning images for marketing purposes.

Sour grapes, me?

OK,stealth boast incoming! DD is on a corporate jolly today, ticket to show, then champagne reception and four course dinner at the Raymond Blanc pop up restaurant, I have intimated that I would not be averse to a doggy bag, or chien sac, but am not holding my breath.

I used to love going to Chelsea, went every year on sale day but the last few years were so crowded and manic I gave up and now watch on TV with the mute button poised for celeb wittering.

I'm going tomorrow, I've never been before.

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time Geoff. I did, the only year that I went. The artisan gardens were lovely, as was everything in the tent. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

Didn't CB have an awful flounce at not getting gold! I've been going round the house calling everything "self-elected" ever since. "I'll not have you self-elected dogs sitting on my seats!" etc
They always put the lovely lupins right behind Monty to tempt me into buying more (I am currently banned from more lupins but can you ever have too many? No you cannot)

I wish they would show more of the smaller gardens. They seem to feature the big show gardens over and over again, but don't show many of the smaller ones.

Cracked up LiliBard! I am really tempted by the lupins too. Reaaaaaaalllllly tempted.

Didn't he have a hissy fit about 7 or 8 years ago when he got silver gilt. He then won people's choice and it was massively cringe when he went on about the public being the judges that really matter.

I wouldn't mind so much but he's the type that goes on about the medals not being important. I'd much rather people were honest.