Starring role for Island
at Chelsea F lower Show
By Jo Macaulay
T
he Island played a lead role
at this year’s Chelsea Flower
Show with ‘From The Moors
to the Sea’, the garden Alan
Titchmarsh designed for the RHS,
having an Isle of Wight themed beach.
Former Isle of Wight High Sheriff
Alan said: “I started gardening on the
Yorkshire Moors and now I have a
garden on the Isle of Wight.The sand
on the garden isn’t from the Island
although there are natives such as the
Echiums that grow there. I have them
in my own garden in Cowes.”
The judges made their final tour
around the gardens and celebrities
were in abundance with the blooms.
At The Homebase Garden – Time to
Reflect, in association with Alzheimer’s
Society (gold) the designer Sir Paul
Smith was talking to weather girl
Carole Kirkwood, then Sir Michael
Parkinson turned up to take a look.
In the Garden for First Touch at St
66
www.visitilife.com
George’s (silver gilt) presenter Brioney
Leyland was filming, Holly Willoughby
was interviewing and in Exhibition
Avenue Gloria Hunniford posed
behind a large circular mirrored statue.
The No Man’s Land: ABF The Soldiers’
Charity Garden to mark the centenary
of World War One garden was a
particular focal point with several
celebrities visiting, including Caroline
Quentin. Rowan Atkinson and Nigel
Havers later gave recitals together on
the Portland stone plinth at the front of
the garden. Stephen Fry arrived, and
was pounced on by a small group with
a film camera, including a man with
orange striped jacket and bright orange
leather brogues. “Oh I see you’ve come
as an apricot,” smiled Stephen.
Jeremy Paxman toured the No Man’s
Land garden with much interest,
including taking the steps down the
side that represented the entrance to
a trench. Later he returned to give a
recital of Wilfred Owen’s poem Dulce et
Decorum Est.