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by Graham Rice
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| In the marquees, there are three things that count. Most important of all is that the plants must be of the highest quality; whether growing in pots or as cut material, the must be superb. They must be fresh, they must be typical of the variety (so stunted or lanky specimens are frowned upon), and the feature for which they are displayed must be at its best. So flowering plants must be in full flower; foliage plants must be showing their best foliage.
It goes without saying that there should be no signs of pest or disease damage and that labels should be clear and accurate - this is Chelsea, after all. But all this is wasted if the design of the stand is poor. The style is not important, but the design must show the plants off well, props should not be overdominant, the plants must not be too crowded or too sparsely set out. The associations of colours, forms and textures contribute significantly to the overall effect and are always considered carefully by the judges. Then there are the details, and so often these make all the difference. The rims of pots should never be visible; they should always be covered with moss, gravel, bark or whatever is most appropriate. There should be no malformed stems, yellowing leaves, dying flowers or even stumps where dead flowers have been cut off. As you can see, standards are exacting and only the very best exhibits are awarded a Gold. The same general principles apply to the gardens. But there are additional factors. Because there are so many more applications to build gardens than there are spaces to build them, the plans are carefully considered long before the Show and the best chosen. So it’s then important that the gardens which are eventually built match the original submission. If they don’t, they’re marked down. And with gardens there are technical considerations, so a party of specialist assessors studies the gardens to make sure that what they’ve built will, to put it bluntly, stand up for more than a few days. Then the judges apply a points system, giving points for overall impression, overall design, construction and planting. This being the Royal Horticultural Society, planting attracts the most points. Particular qualities the judges look out for in these categories include the scale, impact and originality of the design, the quality of the construction, the planting design and the quality of the plants To win a Gold Medal, a garden must have everything. Too often an impressive design is ruined by poor plants or a sloppy finish. It takes a vast amount of inspiration and hard work, not to mention stress, to win a Gold Medal - many are called to the challenge, but few are chosen. |
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