Chelsea Flower Show 2016: The best bits so far
The Chelsea Flower Show 2016 is drawing crowds from across the globe, all jostling to admire some of the finest gardens and floral displays on the planet. In case you can't make it (or even if you've been) we couldn't resist giving a taste of some of the gorgeousness on display...
See also: Celebrity spotting at the Chelsea Flower Show 2016
It all starts when you arrive, at the magnificent green arch at the entrance. Shane Connolly, the designer responsible for the floral displays at the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, decorated the imposing gateway with seasonal English roses, clematis and foxgloves, to honour the queen on her 90th birthday.
This year's extravaganza is showcasing 17 show gardens as well 13 smaller gardens in two separate categories, "Fresh" and "Artisan" gardens.
Highlights include celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin's creation, 'British Eccentrics' (above). At first glance, it looks like a quintessential English garden: think lavender pots and manicured trees. But then things begin to revolve: flower beds move, trees twirl, plants appear and disappear, and the garden becomes a fantasy playground. Eccentric is an understatement.
And talking of eccentricity, another exhibit not to be miss is Senri-Senteo Garage Garden by Kazayuki Ishihara, which shows how you can make a beautiful garden out of the most boring and functional places: a car garage.
One of the most impressive installations is The 5,000 Poppies Project, an Australian import made from crocheted blooms, designed to commemorate fallen First World War soldiers. Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight, started an initiative that resulted in 26,000 crocheted poppies being flown to Chelsea. Thousands of people around the world have made and contributed poppies to the project, conceived before the Tower of London's ceramic poppies installation two years ago.
And, then there's a rather wonderful garden dedicated to the future: the Smart Garden, designed by Hay Joung Hwang, "demonstrates how technology can be integrated into the function of the garden, in much the same way that it supports home-interior automation." It features a huge LG TV as well as lighting and irrigation that can be controlled at the touch of a smartphone app.
Check out our slideshow below to see more pics from the world's greatest garden show, and see some of the winners.
