Looking back on Virtual RHS Chelsea 2021
As the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has moving to September this year, Virtual RHS Chelsea 2021 ran from 17th-21st May, providing the springtime dose of digital garden inspiration we’ve all been craving.
As the season gets underway, the message from Virtual RHS Chelsea was for everyone to ‘Get out and garden’, with the online event offering top gardening tips from nursery experts, inspiring workshops, glimpses into celebrity gardens and snippets on what to expect in September from the glorious show gardens.
Show Garden Sensations
Did you know…
In a recent Suttons poll of 77 garden bloggers, 67% of respondents think that ‘Best Show Garden’ is the most important category at the Chelsea Flower Show!
Virtual RHS Chelsea has given sneak peeks into what to expect from the Show Gardens this September. The hard work continues behind the scenes as designers plans are well underway to create stunning gardens to wow the Chelsea audience.
Featuring show stopping designs using innovative materials and glorious blooms at the peak of perfection it’s clear, we can all look forward to indulging in a treat for the senses in the ‘Show’, ‘Artisan’ and ‘Sanctuary’ gardens. Here are some of our highlights.
Artisan category
Wildflowers take centre stage in The Guide Dogs’ Garden, celebrating 90 years of the first four guide dog partnerships with an emotive garden that tells a story and with a look back to the 1930s.
The Blue Diamond Forge Garden will recreate the spirit of The Forge at Branscombe in Devon, which has been in continual use for centuries. Natural woodland provides the backdrop to the forge with trees, including fruit trees, crowding the edges.
Show garden category
The Florence Nightingale Garden: A Celebration of Modern-Day Nursing will be an imagined courtyard garden for a new hospital. It marks 200 years since Florence Nightingale’s birth and aims to shining a spotlight on the critical role nurses play in modern-day healthcare through its theme is ‘nurture through nature’. This restorative garden features naturalistic planting and a stylised woodland garden. For a similar feel, try our naturalising bulbs range.
The Yeo Valley Organic Garden will provide a nature-filled experience, featuring plants found at the firm’s family-run organic garden in Somerset. Designed to nurture soil health, biodiversity, pollinators and other beneficial wildlife with an open perennial meadow and woodland featuring fruiting and flowering trees such as medlar, quince, plus native species such as hazel and hawthorn.
Sanctuary gardens
Finding Our Way: An NHS Tribute Garden will celebrate the NHS and the relentless care its staff have provided during the Coronavirus pandemic.
With a beautiful tree canopy, water and planting, anchored by Acer griseum, Rosa ‘Phyllis Bide’ and R. glauca, it will offer an immersive experience.
Sustainable Gardening Products of the Year
This year, RHS Chelsea has launched the ‘Sustainable Gardening Products of the Year’ award, which sees leading products judged against a criteria that considers their green credentials.
The winner is Ocean Plastic Pots – plant pots made from discarded rope and fishing nets, manufactured in the UK.
If you are keen to make more sustainable choices, Made In Holland’s range of recycled and recyclable plant pots are an attractive choice for home and garden.
Or why not try this Chelsea award-winning composter?
All of the shortlisted products items, which include a composting toilet, plant pots and an innovative green wall system, will be on display at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September.
Launching The Queen’s Green Canopy
This unique tree-planting campaign, The Queen’s Green Canopy, has launched in honour of the Queen’s 70 years of service to the nation. The public, schools, corporations and groups will be invited to plant a tree from October 2021 in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
A list of recommended native species is expected to be released later this year. In the meantime, check out Suttons’ tree and hedging varieties for inspiration!
Chelsea in September – what to expect
With Virtual RHS Chelsea at a close, excitement is now building as the nation’s gardeners anticipate just how RHS Chelsea 2021 will look in its new month of September.
Bringing a moment in time for others to shine!
Growers are rising to the challenge to bring the best of September’s plants to Chelsea, offering the opportunity to explore and play with a whole new palette bringing with it a fresh floral feast, giving a whole host of different plants a chance to shine.
Chelsea in September is sure to be special as these plants take up their position to feature in this one-off autumn Chelsea experience – whether in standout garden designs or in the Plant of The Year 2021 line up.
If you missed anything for Virtual RHS Chelsea, check out our pages below for all the information you need!
We hope you have enjoyed our wonderful array of products and images. Browse our latest blog posts to keep up to date with our inspiring images, new ranges, offers and exclusive competitions!
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- From the Plot: interview with @robgardensandgrows
- How to make your own compost
Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Suttons Horticultural Team
