The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) event, the Chelsea Flower Show, dates back to 1912 and is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, in London. It is attended by members of the royal family and tickets are pretty expensive- the cheapest I found available over the five days was £47.
But Chelsea in Bloom is an event which runs concurrently- it's where businesses in the area decorate their premises with floral displays, and it's free to attend. I just had to pop along with my trusty camera!
As I exited from Sloane Square station, this colourful delight was the first thing I saw (it was difficult to miss!) It's one of five large installations, and is a hungry caterpillar...
Look, you can see where he's taken a nibble out of this apple!😄
The inside of the apple was crafted from some kind of gorse (maybe my horticulturally minded friends can educate me as to what, exactly?)
The theme for this year was Floral Feasts, and this gorgeous wedding cake was outside Hackett...
More Hackett delights, and this cake and sandwiches were all made out of flowers.
A warning- if you do go, don't go on the last day, as I did. Many installations had wilted, and some had been removed. Indeed, a few days before this a floral cheeseboard and roast chicken sat outside this shop!
Next door, and I recognise the hydrangeas growing here as we had them in our garden when I was a kid.💜
Cartier's majestic entrance decorations and smartly dressed doormen...
The second key installation I saw was The Lady and the Tramp, and here you can see them partaking of their romantic spaghetti and meatball dinner. I was so enthralled by this that I had to watch the film later that weekend!💓
Around the corner we had popsicles, and the flowers at the base had already wilted badly (so I edited them out...)
The third installation was entitled Candy Floss.
I'm not sure how long Chelsea in Bloom has been going on- I have researched it and can find no evidence of it prior to 2006. Maybe one of you can shed some light on the matter?
The fourth grand installation was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was very busy, which made it difficult for me to get a decent photo, but you can see the gold tickets hanging down from the foliage...
A close-up, and this year's charity partner is The Felix Project, which fights against hunger and food waste across London. Donations could be pledged and event T-shirts bought...
Outside Trinny London, and these lemons look succulent!
This store won the People's Champion Award for its display. This is where a group of experts choose their favourites and then open voting takes place to determine the winner. The public can also enter competitions which take place in some of the participating stores.
I love this horse, and you have to try and duck between people to get a decent photo as it's so busy!
The horse's rear, and there is a smaller sister event, Belgravia in Bloom, in neighbouring Belgravia. Unfortunately I only heard about it after I'd returned home. Reports dictate that I wasn't missing much and that there were only a couple of displays worth viewing, but I would have liked to have seen it.
I tried to capture both cakes as one appears to be spilling jam flowers, and the other some kind of floral tutti-frutti...
Rickshaw rides and walking tours also take place. I'm not sure what this is supposed to be- a partridge in a pear tree, perhaps? Or a floral roast chicken dinner?
And now we come to my favourite piece...
Brazilian singer, dancer and actress Carmen Miranda hovering around Granado's doorway. The company originated in Rio de Janeiro, and sell natural remedies created from plants, flowers and herbs.
THIS was the best shop display.
💜💛💓💙💚
Strawberries on the side of jewellery store, Les Nereides, taken from over the road. I had to select my moment carefully, so as not to get a shot of the number 22 bus!
I'm not sure how this display outside British perfumer, Penhaligon's, fits in with the Floral Feasts theme, but it looks elegant enough...
We now come to the fifth and final- and possibly my favourite- installation; Winnie-the-Pooh. This is utterly charming, with all of the characters acting to type!
💓
The event does go on further down Kings Road- indeed I saw online evidence of pizza flowers, overflowing martini glasses and make-up jars, but it does become more scant and I'd seen all I needed to see...
I'll finish with this in-store display which discusses the delights of floral dining table displays...
Local St Mary's Church also had a floral display featured in its interior- but I missed it as I visited on the Sunday, and it was dismantled on the Saturday. As I said before, GO EARLY IN THE WEEK!!!!
Next year I will plan accordingly, and take in everything this event has to offer.
TTFN
Miss Elaineous
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