THE most recent shows at Chelsea revealed the great resilience and resourcefulness of British gardening, defying the challenges of health uncertainties and irregular supply chains. This year, expect to see increased buoyancy, with an energised, confident event of commendable variety—and even, perhaps, an emerging shift of emphasis.
Of late, we have become used to laissez-faire, pastoral sensibilities, with an abundance of shaggy hedgerows and flowery meadows. The wild-and-weedy look has gained ground incrementally at the show for many years. ‘Wildernesses’ will be there next week, but, this time, they’re strongly challenged by exhibits rooted in what constitutes a real garden. Shouldn’t it be a place for people, as well as plants and wild creatures?
One theme gaining momentum in real
