Real grass provides the velvet feel at Chelsea Show Garden

A garden is not a garden without a lawn and pleased to see that one particular garden designer at The Chelsea Flower Show has incorporated real turf into his garden design, although no consideration has been given to the actual practical elements of getting a lawn mower up onto the raised purple slate garden! More art than a practical garden.

I can hedge my bets that there were no naming of the lawn turf species and cultivars in the show gardens when the RHS Judges came round to give out their awards. Future gardens should be marked down in points for the general lack of use of grass and lack of specification. Did you know that show gardens are marked down if the plants in the garden are not in flower or not named.

The appearance of natural grass as ever has been a little thin at the RHS flagship Flower Show this week, held in the gardens of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea in SW London.
href="http://www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/shows/chelsea2009/show/quiltedvelvet.asp">The Quilted Velvet Garden, designed by Tony Smith is based on a dream; following a long, arduous journey through the everyday world of work and domestic chores, eventually arriving (after many wrong turns) at a place of comfort and luxury.

Tony has been described as a horticultural artist, and indeed his approach to gardens is that of an artist; very instinctive. He finds himself, by accident, somewhere between design and art.

He has a lot of ideas, not just for gardens and art installations but all manner of things. Having the idea is the most interesting and exciting part of the process; after that it's a long, hard slog to achieve the result he wants."

Thanks go to Chelsea Flower Show visitors 'Cathy and Caroline' who took the picture which is displayed on the BBC Chelsea Flower Show web site

The show garden won a Silver Flora Award.