RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 (part two)

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 (part two)

Welcome to part two of my overview of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 (if you missed part one, please click here).  Let me take you on a tour of the gardens and exhibits I visited at this year’s very special autumn RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021…..

People’s Choice Award Best Show Garden – The Yeo Valley Organic Garden designed by Tom Massey and supported by Sarah Mead & built by Landscape Associates

This is the Yeo Valley Organic Garden. In the foreground, the flowers of Astrantia major ‘Large White’ and Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Forever Gold’ add welcome highlights; whilst the golden stems of Salix alba tone perfectly with the garden’s hanging egg-shaped hide.
Sarah Mead and Tom Massey in front of their Gold Medal winning Yeo Valley Organic garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This garden won the coveted People’s Choice Award, as voted by the public.
Carbon-rich biochar logs highlight the importance of keeping carbon in our soils. I am keen to encourage all gardeners and growers to go peat-free. Peat-based composts are bad for the environment on so many levels; these composts release carbon into the atmosphere.

Why should we use peat-free compost?  What’s so special about our peatlands?  Find all the answers, here.

Sarah Mead and Tom Massey on their Gold Medal winning Yeo Valley Organic show garden. These tall yellow flowers are Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’; the reddish-pink spires are Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Blackfield’. The trees are Betula pendula – Silver Birch.

If you’re interested in Betula pendula – our native Silver Birch tree – read more about these trees, here.

In the background, a waterfall flows into the stream. The leaves of the Silver Birch (Betula pendula) trees are just changing into their golden autumn dress. In the foreground, the white spires of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’ add highlights; while the purple flowers of Geranium pyrenaichum ‘Bill Wallis’ create a lovely contrast and ferns (Dryopteris filix mas and Matteuccia struthiopteris) enhance this garden’s woodland feel.
Monty Don explores the Gold Medal winning Yeo Valley Organic garden. This garden’s white stemmed trees are Silver Birch – Betula pendula. The tall yellow flowers are Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’ and the soft glowing spiked flowers are called Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’. The pink flowers at the front of the picture are Astrantia ‘Rosea’.
Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’ is a tall herbaceous perennial that delivers a vibrant luminosity to dull September days.
The claret coloured flower spires of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Blackfield’ mingle with the seed heads of Crocosmia ‘Hellfire’ in the Yeo Valley Organic Garden.
Sarah Mead and Tom Massey working in the rain on their Gold Medal winning Yeo Valley Organic show garden.

The People’s Choice Award Best Sanctuary/Artisan Garden – The Parsley Box Garden designed by Alan Williams & built by Landform Consultants

Designer Alan Williams shares a glass of bubbly with Alex Denman and guests, on the Parsley Box Sanctuary Garden. This garden received the People’s Choice Award for the Best Sanctuary/Artisan Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. The lovely golden yellow daisy in the foreground with inverted flowers is Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’.
Swiss Chard at the entrance to the Parsley Box Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. These stems and leaves are edible as well as beautiful; plus Swiss Chard is easy to grow from seeds.
Florists Tara and Valerie Pain wearing collars made from woven dried flowers. Pictured in front of the Parsley Box Sanctuary Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
The lovely golden yellow daisy in the foreground with deep chocolate-maroon coloured centres is Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’. These flowers’s richly coloured centres perfectly match the flowers of Sanguisorba officinalis. Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora ‘George Davison’, and Verbena bonariensis add more colour to the border, in the Parsley Box Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Tall and majestic, espalier pear trees lined the back of the Parsley Box Sanctuary Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Garden Designer, Alan Williams pictured chatting to guests about the Parsley Box Garden he designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Heptacodium miconioides is a hardy shrub from China. This shrub tends to form a single stemmed plant with peeling bark that grows up to around 3.5m (12ft) tall. Heptacodium miconioides flowers from August to October, producing pretty white flowers that are a magnet for bees and butterflies. Pictured on the Parsley Box Garden, designed by Alan Williams for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
A look inside the kitchen in the Parsley Box Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. Herbs are planted in the kitchen planters.
Mark Gregory from Landform Consultants, pictured in front of the Parsley Box Garden he built for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This Sanctuary Garden was the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
The decorative seed heads of Stipa calamagrostis brush gently over the faded flowers of Achillea ‘Terracotta’ and snow-white Ornithogalum saundersiae blooms, with richness added by Sanguisorba officinalis flowers, and touches of blue from Salvias.
Alan Williams, designer of the Silver Medal winning Parsley Box Sanctuary Garden. This garden features large containers planted with fruit, vegetables, and herbs and lots of lovely flowers for bees and butterflies. The Parsley Box Garden was built by Landform consultants.
The Parsley Box Garden was planted with an enchanting mix of vegetables, fruit, and herbs, alongside plants with flowers for bees and butterflies. The blue flowers in the background are Salvia nemorosa ‘Amethyst’; the white daisies are Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’. The golden yellow flowers are Rudbeckia deamii and the beautiful purple stemmed plant at the front is a very handsome Kale.
The purple flowers of Salvia ‘Amistad’ contrast with the golden Rudbeckia flowers. This handsome leaf is foliage from one of the fig trees in the Parsley Box Garden.
Alan Williams celebrating the success of the Parsley Box Garden he designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This Sanctuary Garden won the People’s Choice Award.
I adored the espalier-trained pears that marked the end of the Parsley Box Garden. These are very mature specimens – to grow a similar plant would take many years.

Pumpkins & Chilli Peppers grown by Matthew Oliver at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex

Matthew Oliver runs the vegetable garden at RHS Hyde Hall in Chelmsford, Essex. Matt is adding the finishing touches to a feature made up of chilli peppers, pumpkins, squash and other seasonable edibles he has grown at RHS Hyde Hall. Pictured inside the Grand Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

The Stolen Soul Garden designed by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi & built by Big Fish Landscapes

Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi tells BBC presenter Mark Lane and me all about the beautiful Stolen Soul container Garden which she designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. “The Garden is a visual expression of an invisible story of loneliness and despair but also inner strength and hope.” Anna hopes her container garden will encourage more conversations about mental health.
This gorgeous container is raised above the ground; this looks attractive but it is also beneficial for the plants and helps prevent the compost becoming water-logged over the wetter winter months. I felt that these stunning planters looked rather like a florist’s flower arrangement. This container is planted with Delphinium elatum ‘Paramo Rosa’, Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’, Echinacea ‘Sunseekers White’, Thalictrum ‘Splendide White’, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, Astrantia major ‘Star of Billion’, Sesleria autumnalis, Salvia x sylvestris ‘Schneehugel’, and Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’.
The Stolen Soul container garden was designed by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi, and built by Big Fish Landscapes. Anna designed these wonderful planters to resemble the natural scalloped forms of Arca sea shells. The containers are sculpted from oak, which has been burnished, giving a bronzed appearance. Anna was keen to utilise an eco-friendly alternative to plastic containers.
This green wall is planted with ferns and herbaceous perennials, including: Asplenium scolopendrium, Hakonechloa macra, Ajuga reptans Black Scallop (‘Binblasca’PBR), Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae, and Polystichum polyblepharum.
This container is planted with Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac Beauty’, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, Astrantia major ‘Star of Billion’, Sesleria autumnalis, Liriope muscari, and Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’.

Toby Buckland visits the Psalm 23 Garden designed by Sarah Eberle & built by Landform Consultants

Toby Buckland stands amongst the boulders on the Bible Society’s Gold Medal winning Psalm 23 Garden, designed by Sara Eberle. This Sanctuary Garden (built by Landform Consultants) won the Best Construction Award.

Orchid Society of Great Britain exhibit designed by Galina Boyse & built by OSGB members

Galina Boyse with the Orchid Society of Great Britain exhibit she designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. Galina put in a huge amount of work to create this exhibit; all of the orchids in this display are grown by OSGB members.
If you’re interested in orchids you might want to consider becoming a member of the Orchid Society of Great Britain. The OSGB hold monthly zoom talks for members.
I am a member of the OSGB. I gave a quote for the OSGB stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021: In a stressful world I seek out positive ways to relax. I enjoy a sense of peacefulness and calm when I’m caring for orchids; for me orchid conservation is uplifting and rewarding. Joining the OSGB is a fabulous way to make new friends and discover the magnificence of orchids.
All of the orchids on the OSGB exhibit belong to members of the Orchid Society of Great Britain.

Boodles Secret Garden designed by Thomas Hoblyn & built by The Garden Builders

Thomas Hoblyn relaxes on the Boodles Secret Garden Sanctuary Garden that he designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This garden was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal by the Royal Horticultural Society judges.
The wood that was used for this wooden screen was sourced from a tree that was felled due to the HS2 railway (such an unnecessary tragedy). After Chelsea, this wooden frame will move to the Boodles showroom; this wood has all been grown, felled, crafted, and housed within a 16 mile radius. Thomas Hoblyn shows me where a Musket shot penetrated the oak wood used to create the Boodles Secret Garden’s barricade. This oak framework was hand crafted by furniture maker, Jan Hendzel.
Thomas Hoblyn and Sally Ball pose with the tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) in the Boodles Secret Garden. The Rice Paper Plant (Tetrapanax papyrifer) adds a hint of lush green foliage in the foreground of this picture, but I felt this garden needed more plants.
Miscanthus sinensis sway in the breeze as they mingle with the true blue flowers of Salvia uliginosa; in the distance the blushed tones of Hydrangea flowers and Astrantia follow the perimeter of the Boodles Secret Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Rhus typhina softens the corner of the entrance to the Boodles Secret Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This is a hardy shrub that can eventually grow up to around 4m (13ft) tall and about the same wide. One of the best plants for autumn colour, as the temperatures drop, Rhus typhina leaves turn a rainbow of red, yellow, orange and burgundy tones – it really is spectacular! Rhus thrives in sunshine or partial shade and will grow in any soil, but I must warn you that this plant sends out vast numbers of suckers – there’s no need to buy two of these plants, as they’ll soon self-propagate! I wished that the Boodles Secret Garden had taller climbing plants around the outside of the garden and more plants within.

Pennard Plants’ Gold Medal Winning Edible Exhibit

Chris Smith and Fi from Pennard Plants pictured with some of their home-grown tomatoes, on their Gold Medal winning exhibit, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
This fantastic edible exhibit won a well deserved Gold Medal! Plant Breeder, Simon Crawford from Burpee Europe, pictured with the Pennard Plants’ tomato exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This exhibit was inspired by American Author Bill Alexander’s book – Ten Tomatoes that Saved the World.

A Tranquil Space in the City designed by Mika Misawa & built by Big Fish Landscapes

I so enjoyed meeting garden designer Mika Misawa. This is Mika’s container garden: A Tranquil Space in the City. Every element of this garden has been carefully considered and positioned; the ornamental grass near the front is Miscanthus sinensis, chosen because its seed heads resemble grains of rice. This year the Japanese celebrated the Autumn Moon Festival on the 21st September 2021; a harvest festival is part of these celebrations and the Miscanthus reflects this. The small tree with fresh lime-green coloured foliage is Acer palmatum – chosen because it’s a deciduous plant – Acer leaves change colour in autumn and then fall; new leaves appear in springtime. In contrast, Pinus mugo is an evergreen that is constant and doesn’t appear to change. Mika feels it’s important in life to have both constants and elements that change. The containers of Euonymus microphyllus are arranged in a checker-board pattern as this is a symbol of prosperity in Japan, due to the checkerboard’s infinite ability to be reproduced. There is only one flowering plant (Nerine saniensis), this is intentional and is designed to remind us of the importance of the moment as we look upon the flower. These plants are all growing in containers of Dalefoot Compost.
A closer look at the Miscanthus sinensis, which was chosen for this garden as its seed heads resemble rice.
Garden designer, Mika Misawa pictured reflecting in A Tranquil Space in the City – the container garden that Mika Misawa designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

Blue Diamond Forge Garden

Corkscrew Willow (Salix x sepulcralis ‘Erythroflexuosa’) and ferns adds an etherial feel to the Blue Diamond Forge Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. The glowing flowers of Digiplexis ‘Falcon Fire’ peak out from either side of the willow.
There was a blacksmith working in the Blue Diamond Forge Artisan Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. This garden featured late flowering perennials, ferns and crab apple (Malus) trees. The planting palette features flowers with warm, fiery colourings, including the glowing flowers of Digiplexis ‘Falcon Fire’, the red blooms of Echinacea ‘Sombrero Salsa Red’, and the yellow flowered Helenium ‘September Gold’ and Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Sunray’.
Chair of the Surrey Group of Plant Heritage, David Ford cuts a dash with his husband David, in front of the Blue Diamond Forge artisan garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

W & S Lockyer’s Gold Medal Succulents

I was so happy to see W & S Lockyer’s Gold Medal winning exhibit displaying their specimen succulents, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Blackmore & Langdon

Brothers Stephen and Nicholas Langdon arranging their Begonias, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Stunning Delphiniums and vibrant Begonias on the Blackmore & Langdon exhibit, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

Guide Dogs 90th Anniversary Garden designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith & built by Conway Landscapes

The Guide Dogs for the Blind 90th Anniversary Garden featured wild flowers and naturalistic planting. This Artisan Garden was designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
Deborah Meaden meets Chelsea the Guide Dog puppy, on the steps of the Guide Dogs’ 90th Anniversary Garden, designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith. This artisan garden won a Silver Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.
The Guide Dogs for the Blind’s 90th Anniversary Garden was awarded a Silver Medal by the RHS judges at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

To head straight over to part three of my overview of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, please click here.

See every article I’ve written about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, here.

Find all my articles and pictures of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, here.

See an overview all the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019, here.

See an overview of all the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018, here.

See an overview of all the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017, here.

See an overview of all the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016, here.

See an overview of all the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015, here.

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