Chelsea in Bloom

The most frequent criticism I've heard about Chelsea's media coverage is the poor showing the plants have compared to the show gardens. Today I'm aiming to redress the balance a little by showing you some of the wonders of the Great Pavilion this year.

My favourite is the amazing clematis arch fashioned by the lovely Raymond Evison. It truly is a wonder to behold and walk through. You can't help but ask the question how on earth did he do that? as the planting is seamless. The base is a mass of the double clematis cultivars rising through single flowered stems and finally topped with more delicate C. viticella varieties. I believe (to my surprise) it's the first time clematis have been displayed in this way and I'm sure it won't be the last.

There now follows a slideshow of a some of the other highlights I found in the Great Pavilion this year...

NB If the slideshow isn't paging through for you, do click on the View All Images button for an alternative view.

Update: The Constant Gardener has a post devoted to the wonderful Crug Farm exhibit. Sadly it was being judged when I was there, so I couldn't get near: thank goodness for blogging pals who can fill in the gaps!