It's show season once again. Chelsea being the the queen of all of the shows. I have mixed feelings about these shows, in one way they are incredibly inspirational and an intense theatrical experience that brings together the public and our love of gardens, in another it is an intensely wasteful event that ships in plants and trees from all over the world, constructs buildings in a number of days and on many occasions promote gardens that only work due to their temporary nature and would not be sustainable in a "real garden" environment.
Saying that, I always enjoy the elegant show gardens from Laurent-Perrier and I look forward to seeing Andy Sturgeon's green, reflective garden for Cancer Research UK. I'm also really pleased to see the big theme this year is "green" and hope to see there is some real truth in this and it's not just an overused umbrella term that gives more credibility to the show.
If you can't go then track of the show on the BBC as usual and make a note of the plants you like the look of. I encourage my clients to keep a plant notebook rather than rush in and purchase. Look the plant up on the RHS Plant Finder, understand more about it and where it would fit (if at all) into your overall planting plan. Find out more about planting.
