As this is a new blog, I will be adding posts from events that I have attended over the past few weeks as well as those I attend going forward. Last week, I attended the Chelsea Flower Show, which is run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is a major event, snarling traffic and causing crowds (albeit well-mannered, middle-aged crowds).

At the outset, I must confess that I am an urban creature, and other than a few pots, I am certainly not a gardener. My appreciation for flowers and gardens is strictly limited to the visual. But Chelsea is an event that anyone can appreciate, even if you don’t have much of an interest in gardening. For me, the highlights are the show gardens, and I also enjoy visits to the Great Pavilion, where commercial providers highlight their products, and the flower arranging tent.

Let’s start with the show gardens. The Laurent-Perrier garden won best in show, and it was certainly very beautiful. I appreciated the juxtaposition of the wild beds, with height and colour, with the strict lines of the architectural elements and the pool. The garden was a bit subdued for my taste, however, being almost aggressively tasteful. I prefer a bit more vulgarity.

My two favourite show gardens were the Garden for First Touch at St. George’s and the Cloudy Bay Sensory Garden. They had areas of calm and areas of order. But they also had bursts of bright colour and (the St. George’s garden in particular) overwhelmingly sensual areas of wild planting. I could have looked at them forever. Unfortunately, one of the realities of Chelsea is that there are far too many people there, and looking at anything for any length of time is very difficult. From talking to friends who have visited Chelsea for many years, I understand that not so many tickets were sold in previous years and it was much more pleasant to walk around. But nowadays, you need sharp elbows and comfortable shoes (and a glass of something to take the edge off).

This year is, of course, the centenary of the beginning of The First World War. Accordingly, there were several reminders of that conflict, as well as gardens in support of the armed forces today. The No Man’s Land garden, by the Soldiers’ Charity, was very moving, and the Help for Heroes garden provided salutary reminders of the difficulties that many soldiers face when returning from conflict. My favourite such garden was really a display, which was in the Great Pavilion and was sponsored by the City of Birmingham. There were trains and aeroplanes made of flowers and inspiration from JRR Tolkien and Benjamin Zephaniah, both of Birmingham. When I wondered aloud what the cylinder-like objects in the display were, a friendly lady in the crowd (who was clearly from somewhere in the West Midlands) told me that the whistles that sent the troops “over the top” were made in Birmingham. Somehow, that detail struck me as very poignant.

You don’t have to be an RHS member to attend Chelsea, just get on the mailing list for either the RHS or the Ticket Factory, and they will let you know when the tickets go on sale. They sell out every year, but go on sale around 6 months in advance.