It’s only a month ago and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is long packed up. Gardens which were painstakingly planned and created are dismantled. The plants have been sold at the great plant sale on the final frenzied day and the dust has settled. Such an occasion, but oh what a crowd! Almost impossible to take any images which capture the inspiring gardens on display. Standing on tip toes, crouching on knees, stretching out arms, the ever precious mobile phone camera button at the ready for a shot which ‘please oh please’ is not out of focus again! Is this any way to soak up the glory of design and beauty of the gardens – we tried as hard as we could!

Here is what stayed with us after the dust had settled and let’s face it, here are the ones that were in focus and without body parts of the crowd in the middle of the shots! Some little pockets we managed to peep, windows of real beauty which remind us of why we love what we do and why we do it.

A highlight included the combination of strong structure and sublime planting as part of the Cloudy Bay Sensory Garden, which was beautiful. The Patinated Copper archway stole my heart as part of the Brewin Dolphin Garden, a stunning piece of artwork in itself. The excellent planting choices around this structure made them and the archway come to life, an exquisite collaboration, no crowd nudging can take that one away from me.

Check out the RHS Chelsea Flower Show website for a fantastic array of images and information on all the gardens at Chelsea this year and stunning Pavilion displays -no virtual crowd technique needed here! Bring on July and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, elbows at the ready and stilts commissioned!