The garden gnome, long the persona non grata of the Chelsea Flower Show, is to make a triumphant return to the Royal Hospital Grounds this year — and the King’s personal affection for them is a driving force behind the move.
Charles is known to celebrate a tradition at Highgrove Gardens, his residence in Gloucestershire, where a gnome is often to be found in the stumpery. Melissa Simpson, head of horticulture at the King’s Foundation, has noted one particular gnome has a tendency to turn up in unexpected places.
“We’ve got a little gnome that seems to move around and I’m sure it’s the boss [the King], just to keep us on our feet,” she said.
The King is known to celebrate a tradition at Highgrove Gardens, his residence in Gloucestershire, where a gnome is often to be found in the stumperyARTHUR EDWARDS/News Group Newspapers
This year the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has invited a stable of celebrities including Cate Blanchett, Dame Mary Berry and Sir Brian May to hand-paint gnomes. Many of them will be displayed in the RHS and the King’s Foundation’s Curious Garden on the site.
It marks only the second time in the event’s 113-year history that the ban on the brightly coloured figurines has been waived. It is a far cry from 2009, when the garden designer Jekka McVicar was forced to hide her lucky gnome, Borage.
After the show the bespoke designs will be auctioned to raise funds for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening.
The RHS director general Clare Matterson said: “We’ve never needed the joy of gardening, the power of plants for our planet or the peace of simply sitting in a garden more. That’s why we’ve joined forces with the King’s Foundation to encourage the nation to get curious about gardening — be that as a horticultural career, a hobby, a way to fight the climate crisis, to support wildlife or simply enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labours flourish and grow,” she added.
Sir Brian May and Cate Blanchett are among the celebrities to hand-paint gnomes to be auctioned for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening
Charles is an advocate of organic gardening and farming, which he has been practising himself for more than 40 years. Designed by the horticulturist and author Frances Tophill, the Curious Garden aims to inspire the nation to “get curious” about the vital role plants play in the health of the planet, people and places.
“We also want people to be playful with their gardening, which is why we’re lifting the gnome ban for these celebrity gnomes who will then, by being auctioned off, help us do even more to awaken a curiosity in gardening in schoolchildren and support our national Campaign for School Gardening,” Matterson said.
Tophill has taken input from the King’s Foundation ambassador Sir David Beckham and the celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh on the garden. It features, among other things, seven raised flower beds, reflecting the famous No 7 shirt worn by the former England captain.
The RHS will announce the full celebrity line-up of gnomes in May in the lead-up to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, taking place May 19 to 23.
Chelsea’s flying — what to expect at this year’s event
Chelsea has been on a winning streak the last few years, Sidonie Wilson writes, and has become one of the must-do dates of the London social calendar. This year is set to be even bigger than the last.
Tickets are highly coveted and not cheap. As the BBC presenter Nicki Chapman said at the RHS press conference this morning: “You’d pay £150 to go to two hours of the theatre. Just think how much you’re getting for a whole day at Chelsea.” Here’s what there is to see.
Shows to know
This year there are 28 gardens at Chelsea and 79 growers and nurseries in the Great Pavilion. As well as the King’s Foundation’s Curious Garden there are plenty of other high-profile gardens on the way. The Gardener’s World presenter Arit Anderson is designing a beautiful show garden with Parkinson’s UK and Tate Britain has its first Chelsea show garden with the multiple gold-medal winner Tom Stuart-Smith. The Eden Project will also make its debut, with the help of the designer Harry Holding and the architect Michaelis Boyd.
The Great Pavilion
Often overlooked, the Great Pavilion is where a lot of the innovation happens. Wisteria — not seen at Chelsea for years — will feature, and will no doubt be popular with the Instagram crowd. According to the plantsman and 2025 Chelsea golden boy Jamie Butterworth: “It’s near-impossible to get wisteria to work at Chelsea — I’ve tried.” As well as a 20-year-old crab apple tree from Frank P Matthews, there will also be a mini flower farm — a first for Chelsea. The heirloom seed brand She Grows Veg always puts on a showstopping display. “Each year we build upon our experience and aim to deliver a more ambitious experience for visitors than the last,” said its co-founder Lucy Hutchings. As ever, on Saturday afternoon visitors will able to take home their favourite flowers and displays — if they move fast enough.
Colour, joy and fun
This year RHS Chelsea seems to be taking itself a bit less seriously. Haley Monckton, RHS director of communications, said: “More than anything, this year I’m looking forward to RHS Chelsea bringing some much-needed joy to the nation. It’s going be an explosion of colour, a sensational
show-stopping collection of uplifting gardens, fabulous plant displays … offering us millions of reasons to stop for a minute, smell the roses and smile.”
Repeated messages for the show gardens are about joy, community and getting everyone involved. Long gone are the days of show gardens with muted palettes and carefully curated designs. A few years ago they let weeds back into Chelsea. This year it’s gnomes and even a running theme of … colour. After all, the King’s favourite flower is delphiniums. Designers and sponsors are still serious about biodiversity — especially encouraging us to be pro caterpillars — and there will be clever and crafty ways to support different species in the gardens.
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