Your talk: Chelsea revisited

On Thursday May 24th I, website editor Sarah B, sent out a newsletter to Gardening.co.uk members expressing exuberant wonder for the great event that was Chelsea, as follows:

'Ah...Chelsea Flower Show...it was lovely this year and I wish I'd had more time to explore it in its entirety. What did you make of Sarah Eberle's Bradstone Garden designed for an astronaut visiting Mars? Bold and beautiful and worthy of Gold, I would say. I hope Chelsea has inspired you to take to your garden with a passion this Bank holiday weekend. All we need now is the weather...'

It was that last optimistic line – 'All we need now is the weather...' – that proved to be the ominous portent that knocked my enthusiasm flat on its face.

Rolf Harris with Gardens Monthly magazine editor Liz Dobbs at Chelsea

Why? Because the weather turned head over heels for the Bank Holiday weekend – winning the award for Worst Wet & Cold Weather Weekend of the year, as voted by the public, the judges, the Queen, her dogs, numerous celebrities and anyone else subjected to it. I planted out some marigolds in the rain, did a bit of weeding and, on a positive note, noticed how nicely the pond was filling up with water, albeit still bereft of anything resembling a frog or tadpole. I wasn't thinking about Chelsea – more about getting inside and putting the heating on. Come Tuesday, the sun was out and everyone was back at work – notwithstanding the retired and the unemployed – both of whom I wished I was that morning, holed up in the office away from the sunshine.

In any event, thanks for all your comments on Chelsea 2007 and its coverage, some of which are included below. If you have further thoughts about what would make your perfect Chelsea Flower Show, or how the media coverage could be improved upon, please join in the Chelsea debate on the Forum.

'Yes, I watched most of the Chelsea event on television and I agree with you, Sarah, that it was all inspiring, so I for one will always be encouraged by what others do. I have more time now that I am about to retire...

'About the weather in Scotland – we get used to the daily changes. Right now the problems come from the lack of rain and watering the beds does little to help. So being in an exposed part of the town my garden suffers drying out very quickly and I am going to try and reduce that by adding in mulch to preserve the moisture. Maybe it will rain a measured amount enough to save some of the more fleshy plants. That's it from me Sarah, so thanks for the email and have a nice summer.'

Judy writes: 'Could not get to Chelsea this year. I am now living in sheltered accomodation, but I have got my own patch with the back and front more or less how I want it. I have discovered that we have a really good greenhouse here, which had run down and basically not been used. Some of us 'oldies' have got together and cleaned and cleared it out. It's been fumigated too. But now we don't know what to do with it at this late stage.

'We would like to produce some things to sell to raise money for our sheltered housing scheme, but think we have missed the boat. Any suggestions?

'One thing – next year's Chelsea. Is there any designer interested in doing a garden (front and back, my own, grass council), which is a sheltered housing bungalow garden??? How Chelsea makes my soul sing!'

Solar power in Marshalls' Sustainability Garden

'I have been very disappointed with the BBC coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show from the point of view that I get extremely bored of seeing the same gardens being reported from the flower show with every coverage. I have been to the show and know, from my own experience, about all the other interesting gardens, the less-well-known produce for the show, together with all the exhibitors – all of whom make Chelsea the interesting show to want to visit. So please, please BBC, show more variety of coverage, because this year I have recorded all the programmes so that I can fast-forward all the bits I have seen on previous coverage during the week – so as not to waste my precious time and allow me to tend my own garden.'

Well – yes – who's got time to spare watching repetitive coverage from the BBC for goodness sake! Regular Forum contributor Perrycornish agrees in part:

'I feel a little bit the same as Kathryn here. It would be good to see more of the, shall we call them 'less-spectacular exhibitors', but it's difficult as obviously the winners and first-timers etc need to get some airtime, and there would be too much to cover to include it all. I guess we'll have to go on 'leaving it to Auntie' or try to go ourselves. I wish I could, but it's a bit of a hike from Northern Ireland and I am, unfortunately, a bit of a lame duck so that makes it harder. But you never know...one day maybe...'

Jean elaborates: 'I enjoyed the TV coverage, but sympathise with Kathryn and Perry. There are lots of items of interest that get overlooked. Next year I'll make the effort to record the bits of the show I liked – planting combinations and small corners that are of interest.

'From the garden journalists' point of view our time is limited. We left home at 5.45am on Press Day, arrived at the show at about 8am and had to leave at 3.30pm. I was covering the Great Pavilion, comprising more than 130 exhibitors, which doesn't leave much time for exploring. Last year I went to the show again on the Friday, but this year it wasn't possible.'

As part of the media circus myself, I totally understand where Jean is coming from. How is the poor journo supposed to put pen to paper, snap away with the camera and see everything at the show, including some of the smaller, lesser-prominent gardens and features? And try tackling a professional photographer armed with an arsenol of tripod and various other threatening bits of kit, to get in prime position to see the gardens, when all you've got is a hand-held and an apologetic smile. It's hard on us.

'I've seen this situation from both sides now – as a visitor and as an exhibitor. Along with Peter Seabrook, my husband Steve and I organise a stand in the Pavilion, sponsored by The Sun newspaper. The Sun is the only national paper that helps students to have a go at an exhibit and they really enjoy doing it. Sadly, each year they're always disappointed by the lack of coverage inside the Pavilion compared to the celebrity designs outside.

Exhibitors we talk to in the pavilion are concerned that the BBC coverage is turning a flower show into a garden design show, and soon the real growers will be staying away. There's a general impression that the BBC makes programmes they want for themselves rather than what the public likes or wants to see.'

Part of Chris Beardshaw's Hidcote garden

Chris Beardshaw

'I was very disapointed that Chris Beardshaw only received a gilt medal for his Hidcote Manor Garden, but this was more than made up for when he won the people's award for the best garden in show. I'm still sitting with my mouth open – can't see this one catching on somehow!'

I can't see it catching on in the average garden either. The planting in the first Hidcote garden 'room' was so intense I nearly had a panic attack when confronted with it. However I'm full of admiration for how ambitious Chris was with this design, and his popularity remains unquestioned with the People's choice award. Hidcote Manor Gardens, incidentally, are going through a major restoration project, but you'll need to wait six years to see the end result.