World’s haute couture flower fashion in London

The annual Chelsea Flower Show in London has attracted over 600 participants from all over the world. Visitors will marvel at the abundance of new plants and the latest trends in floral arrangement and stylish gardening. British and foreign florists will present over 50 new varieties of roses, irises, geraniums, sweet peas and other flowers, including very rare and exotic varieties

This rose was named Princess Anne after the Queen’s only daughter who patronizes many charities in Britain and has visited the Chelsea Flower Show many times.

The Japanese garden Kazahana, meaning “light snowfall from a cloudless sky.” The garden’s designer says the cascade of water falling down the green wall symbolizes an oasis in the heart of a sun-blistered city.

Another garden created by Japanese florists has an odd but typical name, at least for the Japanese, The Waterless Water Garden.

In the Lights and Colors of the Alps garden created by Italian designers, mirrored pyramid-like structures are reminiscent of the cold majesty of the Alpine landscape.

A Centenary Garden for Captain Robert F. Scott. Scott was a British South Pole explorer who lived in Chelsea, London, near the annual flower show, before dying in 1912 during an expedition to the Antarctic.

Christian before Dior (like the movie Coco before Chanel) The garden was inspired by the famous fashion designer and his childhood love of flowers that was a major influence on his couture collections. The garden is full of symbolism like Dior’s favorite pink and grey colors. A jacket thrown casually over a bench has a lily of the valley in its buttonhole, the designer’s favorite flower.

Horticulturists from Yorkshire, England, created another symbolic garden, Welcome to Yorkshire’s Rhubarb Crumble & Custard Garden. It uses traditional and natural materials to celebrate Yorkshire craftsmanship. Real rhubarb is growing in a “plate,” while yellow sedum represents custard.

The Flower Pavilion compositions this year were inspired by two popular British traditions, five o’clock tea…

… and summer open-air parties.

The floral arrangements feature many elements of these occasions including elegant women’s hats.

The Chelsea Flower Show is a must on the British summer events calendar. Last year 157,000 guests downed 2,000 bottles of champagne, 46,500 glasses of Pimm’s summer cocktail and 65,000 cups of tea and coffee in the course of five days.

The British appreciate the tea traditions of other countries such as Japan.

Horticulturists create surprising combinations of culinary and horticultural themes like sticking carrots into carrot cakes.

Welsh gardeners are so proud of their varieties of vegetables that it is common to see vegetables instead of flowers in their bouquets and compositions, making them more beautiful and original.

French designers are more conservative. To plant the Luxembourg Gardens, they used rare orchid varieties.

Japanese designers used multicolored orchids to create a fanciful tree and flower installation.

Dutch participants preferred to stay with traditional hyacinths. However, the basket was filled with flowers of all the colors of the rainbow.

Belgian designers amused the public with spectacular aerial arrangements. The flowers’ roots were hanging from tree trunks and branches.