What’s new in the Great Pavilion at the 2010 RHS Chelsea Flower Show
A huge floral Chinook will ‘hover’
above visitors in the Great Pavilion at the 2010 RHS Chelsea Flower show. Other
new sights will include the revamped Continuous Learning category with a ‘Power
of Plants’ theme, florists creating floral plant parasols and collection of exhibitors
at the show for the first time.
A 4m by 1.5m replica of a Chinook, planted in a carpet bedding of Alternanthera,
in military camouflage colours, will hover 3.5metres above visitors in the Great
Pavilion. The helicopter will be ‘flying’ across Birmingham City Council’s ‘Help
for Heroes’ exhibit, a peace garden, sponsored by B&Q and The Sun Newspaper.
The exhibit highlights that the helicopter returns wounded soldiers to the field
hospitals. Many wounded soldiers arrive at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham and
the peace garden, which contains trees, shrubs, medical aromatic plants and herbs
and a water feature, is a tribute to the specialist hospital.
The power of plants theme in Continuous Learning will provide a platform for exhibitors
to creatively highlight the importance of plants and the roles they play. The displays
are varied, from an interactive feature by Indoor Garden Design, which demonstrates
the importance of indoor plants in an office, to The World Land Trust’s ‘The Atlantic
Rainforest’ exhibit, which promotes the major Biodiversity hotspot that is home
to over 20,000 plant species.
Another first for the 2010 Great Pavilion is the backdrop to the Floristry competition
– a wall of opened umbrellas in shades of green, designed by Simon Lycett. Throughout
the show floristry competitors will create floral umbrellas and parasols for judging
and the opportunity to be awarded the titles RHS Chelsea Flower Show Florist of
the Year and RHS Chelsea Flower Show Young Florist of the Year.
First-time exhibitors in the marquee include Waterside Nursery, with a planted pond
and stylish planted water containers, and Jardins Du Luxmbourg, from Paris, with
an exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of its orchid collection.
More exotic features will be brought to the show by new exhibitors, Nong Nooch Tropical
Botanical Garden, which will celebrate Asian culture and plants, and the Taiwan
Orchid Growers Association.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by M&G Investments, 25-29 May.
Tickets now on sale:
www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea