The Chelsea flower show, is the world's most famous flower show attracting 160,000 visitors a year. Exhibitors come from as far a field as New Zealand, South Africa and Grenada to this elegant showground on the banks of the River Thames for the four-day show.
Exhibitors face stiff competition at the "Olympics of Gardening." The show gives a major boost to Britain's £2 billion gardening industry and is also the first stop for summer socialites in the run up to Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and Glyndebourne Opera.
David Domoney is one of the exhibitors vying for one of the prizes at the Chelsea Flower Show 2006 with a garden encouraged by Dan Brown's international hit "The Da Vinci Code."
Standing beside his small show garden which is dominated by a replica of the glass pyramid outside the Louvre Museum in Paris that figures in the novel's opening, Domoney said, "Let's hope we can find the Holy Grail with the judges."
He continued, "We have even hidden codes on the leaves of some of the plants which you can only find with an ultra-violet lamp. I think we all love this idea of hidden treasures and conspiracy theories."
Gardening is, in the words of designer Terence Conran, the "New rock 'n' roll for the young," as gardening experts now rival celebrity chefs with a plethora of television makeover shows.
Britain, a normally green and pleasant land and full of loyal gardeners faces draconian water restrictions this summer as the worst drought in 100 years threatens most areas of the country which now have less water per person than some of Sudan.
As a result of the water crisis, Chelsea organisers drilled their own borehole to ensure that all the lovingly tended blooms did not wilt under a hosepipe ban. However with the recent rains there was enough rainwater to feed even the thirstiest of plants.
Clever ways on how to keep water from computer driven "rainwater harvester systems" to built-in water butts were a steady theme around Chelsea 2006.
Monday was media day at Chelsea and the sun came out briefly for ex-Beatles guitarist Ringo Starr, Royal Ballet star Darcy Bussell and West Indian cricketer Garfield Sobers who were amongst some of the celebrities invited to open the leading show gardens.
Socialites need not worry about the well running dry as 6,500 bottles of champagne and 5,000 lobsters were laid on by caterers to supply the green-fingered gourmets at this year's Royal Chelsea show.
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Looking back on the Royal Chelsea Flower Show 2006
Wed, 31 May 2006
Recommended linksClick here for all your flowering needsSend some birthday flowers Gift ideas for fathers day Flowers for any occasion
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