Recently the Aurum Publishing Group contacted me with an offer of a copy of RHS Chelsea Flower Show, A centenary celebration to review or to give away on this blog.
Chelsea seems to follow very quickly after the Malvern Show, and we are now in the final countdown for RHS Chelsea. As I look out over the wind chilled area that is my garden this Spring (At least 5 weeks behind what it normally is) I take my hat off to all the nurseries and plant suppliers who, whatever the weather throws at them manage to achieve a delicious array of plants for Chelsea week.
Chelsea Flower Show a Centenary Celebration is a delightful book – although, as I am giving it away I have not manhandled it too much – as I didn’t want soil and sticky fingers to mar the pages for whoever is the lucky recipient.
It has been authored by Brent Elliott who is the Historian to the RHS. The book is a wonderful celebration of garden design and planting over the past 100 years – along with the characters who have been key to making Chelsea such a well loved event.
Throughout the book are extraordinary photographs, posters and images, it is a book asking to be dipped into time and again. In fact after receiving the book from the publisher I rather regretted my decision to give it away!
Sadly, I can only send this book to someone who lives in the UK – so … to be in with a chance of wining RHS Chelsea Flower Show A Centenary Celebration I would like you to leave a comment about which has been the most memorable Chelsea garden for you. It need not necessarily be the one you liked best, or the one you would like to take home with you, but rather, which is the garden or stand you can still visualise when the words “Chelsea Flower Show” are mentioned.
For me, it is the Tom Stuart Smith 2006 garden sponsored by the Daily Mail. The combination of the strong colours of burgandy-red and orange seen against a haze of blue was stunning. Also the planting was sublime and the hard landscaping fascinating.
Comments will be open for this until the end of Chelsea 2013, and Shedman will draw a random number on the 27th May. I look forward to seeing which are your memorable gardens, big, small or one in the floral marquee.
(I am tempted to ask my children to leave comments in the hope that they win the book, and then they could give it to me for my birthday, however, I fear they may think I am talking about Chelsea buns, or Chelsea football team
)
EDIT:- If you want to know more about this book before leaving a comment, Veg plotting has written an excellent review. so pop over take a look and leave a comment here to be in with a chance.




