People may have come from around the world primarily for the flora, but the more than 130,000 people who crowded this year's Chelsea Flower Show also saw plenty of creative outdoor spaces loaded with imaginative structures, pools, and hardscaping.
The annual event, this year held May 25–29, is widely regarded among plantsmen as the world's premier flower show and draws thousands of Americans to London's Chelsea district. In England, Chelsea is such a big deal that the show gets five nights' worth of prime time coverage. Local celebrities treat it as a must-attend event, much like Hollywood stars at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
But it's the designs that are in the spotlight. This year's show was more conservative than recent ones—less grungy, less exotic—but still full of creative ideas for outdoor living. We'll leave others to talk about the flowers. Here's a photo album showcasing some of the most notable garden structures and designs:
The Trailfinders Australian Garden always promotes Aussies' love of water. This year's garden features a lap pool, an enormous Jacuzzi, and stools in the water so people can cozy up to the wet bar. The Anston paving stones contrast with hardwood timber decking. The hole in the roof canopy provides selective coverage from the sun.
The Daily Telegraph Garden, sponsored by a London newspaper, features three runs of Cor-ten steel that provides a rusty/coppery look to contrast with all the greenery. Three panels of Purbeck stone help provide a courtyard feel, and there's a water feature in the back.
A sweep of the eye in the Cancer Research UK Garden can't help but rise from the wavy rough granite planks up to a slatted canopy that overlooks a reflecting pool. Smaller pools also dot the garden, reflecting light.
What the University of Worcester Garden lacks in size it makes up in color. A pergola with colored glass is meant to reflect the changing light through the day. The colored panels also matches the hues in the plantings.
The centerpiece of the Laurent-Perrier Garden is a pavilion designed by architect Jamie Fobert and built from folded sheets of patinated copper.
The Foreign & Colonial Investments Garden was inspired by a line from the play Candide. The pools and scalloped water feature are meant to mimic the seas that Candide crosses in the play, which ends in Turkey with Candide declaring "il faut cultiver notrejardin"—"we must cultivate our garden."
The M&G Garden celebrates the classic English cottage garden in part by using locally sourced wood and stone from a local quarry.