Green Fingers: The garden shows are in full swing
Staff dressed in flower costumes at Chelsea Flower Show 2023. Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
This is Chelsea week, and for those into gardening it is the time when one of the greatest garden shows takes place. It is a superb spectacle and extravaganza for anyone to experience, and for many it is on the wish list to make the pilgrimage at least once.
The positives of Chelsea are well-known and such is its universal popularity that it is on television continuously the entire week it is on.
The show does not only attract those that like gardening but it is also a social event where many people want to be seen.
Some of our family members have been involved in the show and subsequently as visitors, and now we have reached the stage where we do not want to go again. This is because it is far too crowded for comfort and you do not get the time to observe displays or plants at your own pace but get jostled along against your will, until you become completely exhausted and want to exit fast.
Fortunately, there are alternatives if you wish to visit a good garden show but for quality you will have to travel to the UK. The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society), recognising the success of Chelsea and the growing demand for such events, began organising other shows, some of which, for the convenience of visitors, are scattered around the country. We have visited the one in Malvern on a number of occasions and find it is like a mini Chelsea but peaceful without the stress.
There have been a number of garden shows in Ireland but many have gone by the wayside, leaving a small number, which have been modified to create more interest and maintain visitor numbers. Our best known one, called Bloom, has so many other attractions that the gardening aspect has been squeezed and reduced to a lesser role, with food the greatest gain.
I have to say I do enjoy garden shows but I go with modest expectations, an open mind and to soak in the atmosphere.
I guess I enjoy the agricultural shows better as they usually have a wider variety of interests and visiting our local ones is always a pleasure. The first one is the Dungarvan Show and the second is the Iverk Show. Look them up and make a note of their dates for your diary and visit both and you will enjoy a good day out.
I might mention the ‘Chelsea Chop’ while we are on the subject of shows. This is neither a martial art nor a fancy cut of meat but refers to the method of chopping down some vigorous perennials and then they will re-grow and flower without any supports. It is only named as the operation is usually done around the time the Chelsea show is on. I sometimes do this to a few of the plants, so I have more variation in heights and flowering times. Plants that lend themselves to this method include anthemis, aster, campanula, helenium and sedum.
The rain and then dry, sunny periods have occurred within a few hours of each other almost every few days. So, we have covered the areas sown with flowers and vegetables with a sheet of plastic to keep the rain off the soil, and this, coupled with the rise of temperature (due to the plastic), will ensure a better and rapid germination.
After seven days we check to see if the seeds are emerging and if even a few have appeared, we take off the plastic and replace with a layer of fleece, and the seedlings will then get light and grow on satisfactory.
