Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Wednesday 12 June 2013

The 100. RHS Chelsea Flower Show - finally...

Britta Huegel

Anne and I liked visiting the Chelsea Flower Show so much - so why do I write so late about it?
We were lucky: on Saturday the sun shone. Masses entered - and no: we didn't see so many hats as on this picture:






To be true: we didn't see any hats - though no umbrellas either. But lots and lots and lots of people - two third women, I guess, sometimes with a tired, helpless husband in tow. "Ah! Look! There! Wonderful! Beautiful! Oh!" So many people were there that sometimes you were just able to take a photograph - and look at it at home! ...
First there were a row of theme gardens - some good, some kitsch - and a lot of stalls for buying something:

Britta Huegel

What do I remember especially? "The Secret Garden" (Ye Olde English Country Garden - style...);

Britta Huegel
and "The Garden of Enlightenment" (because we thought at first: Oh no - not again an old chestnut of  New Age-Things - but it was fun: a garden with books!

Britta Huegel





The Big Tent: an abundance of flowers, people, colours and scents. Here three examples in pictures.

Britta Huegel



Britta Huegel

Britta Huegel

I really, really enjoyed it - but you know: I am a (disciplined) Chaos lover, so I have to confess that I prefer a "living" garden or park. Here in the Show everything on display was oh so perfect, immaculate - it made me think of the old Zen story, where the Master told his pupil to go into the garden and take a rake and do away all the leaves from the  maple that had fallen onto the gravel. The pupil worked till everything was immaculate. Then the Master came, looked at it, shook the bow of the maple, and a few leaves fell on the gravel.
"Now it is right", said the Master.


8 comments:

  1. What are the first set of flowers in the trio example that have the appearance of yellow stars? I tried to enlarge the photo to make out the text to no avail. :)

    I am amazed at the pristine look of all of them!

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  2. Dear Suze,
    you are absolutely right about the "pristine look"! The yellow ones are - believe it or not - miles and miles of different breedings of daffodils/jonquil/narcissuses.

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  3. That is new to me - thank you, Suze!

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  4. Lumpines are so glorious! I know what you mean about the too manicured look and love the Zen Master story.

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  5. Dear Sue,
    and they come in so many colours now! I still remember the robust dark blue ones - often standing in masses near railway tracks.

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  6. Enchanting ... no other words for these pictures ...
    I love flowers, all the flowers.
    Bisou, Babi

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  7. Dear Babi,
    I'm glad you like them! Here in England I see the most amazing gardens, so lovely, and just the right time for the roses.
    Bisous, Britta X

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