Staggering shows of beautiful bulbs
Staggering sights, rare finds and a designer's eye for displays - it's bulbs that are blazing a trail in Chelsea's Great Pavilion.
'In the most difficult year ever, to put on a stand of bulbs in May is staggering," said Anna Pavord, author, plantswoman and chairman of the RHS Narcissus and Tulip Committee.
Only at Chelsea could you see tulips, narcissi and a whole host of spring and summer-flowering bulbs all in flower and looking superb," says Anna. "We're so used to horticultural expertise at Chelsea that sometimes we need to stop and realise that, in a technical sense, what they have achieved takes fantastic skills."
All the bulb displays, will delight the eye, but among Anna's top tips for visitors is to head for the Avon Bulbs stand (GPG7). "You can't come to Chelsea and not go straight to their stand," said Anna. "They have a fantastic eye for combinations, like planting Tulipa 'Princess Irene' with the intense pink of Gladiolus 'Mirella'."
There's rarities too - Camassia leichtlinii 'Pale Pink' has never been seen before; camassias are usually white or blue. A chance find by the roadside in Oregon USA, it was rescued shortly before the colony was bulldozed out of existence! It took five years to grow true from seed, and now makes its debut at Chelsea.
Daffodils and narcissi are a thing of the past in our own gardens, yet Walkers Bulbs (GPE2) is bursting with colour and scent. "Johnny Walkers has a stand of immaculate narcissi," said Anna.
"I admire all the exhibitors," said Anna. "It's something not to be missed."