After the thrills and spills of the first day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - the mingling of celebs with royalty and the humble hosta with gaudy chrysanthemum - day two is time to reflect on some of the highlights of this gardening extravaganza.
A strong message of health and horticulture was being pushed by the RHS and this thread wove through many of the show gardens and exhibitors.
Having visited Chelsea Flower Show for several years on the trot, I wonder if I am slightly getting Chelsea fatigue. But then I come across a gem of information I could find nowhere else; in fact a veritable jewellery box.
It is the experts in their field which fascinate me. The lavender grower from Sussex, the Agapanthus specialist, the pond plant nursery, the potato growers from Scotland. And they all diverge this week in the attractive grounds of the Royal Hospital.
The health, happiness and horticulture message interests me especially with the gardening work I do with a primary school and therapeutic community in Richmond . Healthy eating messages were being promoted by the "slide salad".
"A Modern Apothecary" garden by Jekka McVicar for St John's Hospice was especially attractive to me. The medicinal benefits of growing herbs are multi-fold. This garden showed several varieties of thyme growing around water.
The second picture shows willow, used to make aspirin, blue flowering flax, peppermint which has a calming effect on the digestive system, rosemary which is proven to be effective for age related memory and mental functions.
Also red leaved herbs were present and these are high in anthocyanidins which are in the area of cardio vascular disease protection.
Another healing garden was the Morgan Stanley "Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital" designed by the delightful Chris Beardshaw. This garden was appealing with its naturalist planting, especially for shade.
I liked the combination of Alchemilla mollis, Asplenium, Ferns and Aquiligea in this show garden, as they all work well in shade and also his use of yew balls rather than box balls, the latter of which is suffering from box blight in parts of the UK.
Here are some of the best places you can get afternoon tea near the Chelsea Flower Show .
