RHS Virtual Chelsea 2021 is now closed. Taking place 17 to 21 May it once again put a virtual spin on the show we all know and love. Here's our day one pick of the highlights. Don't miss our picks from the rest of the show below too.
What’s on at Virtual Chelsea 2021?
Each day saw a new range of features and videos appearing on the Virtual Chelsea site. Here’s a round up of the celebrity videos on show:
Welcome to the show
There’s an introduction to the show from director General Sue Biggs and president Keith Weed. Sue takes us through the last year and celebrates the successes of the first-ever RHS Virtual Chelsea. Keith looks forward to RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September and reveals some of the highlights in the exciting line-up we're unveiling this week.
Trevor Nelson and Matthew Wilson
DJ Trevor Nelson and award-winning landscape designer Matthew Wilson are reunited in the gorgeous green space that has become a ‘godsend’ to Trevor during the pandemic. The pair discuss the work and effort required in transforming the garden into an area with year-round interest, enjoyable from both inside and outside the home.
Discover the motivation behind the design for the garden and the main inspirations for Trevor Nelson’s first garden. The tour ends with a discussion about what the pair most enjoy about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and what to look forward to this September.
Arit Anderson and Marian Boswall
Garden designer and TV presenter Arit Anderson meets landscape architect Marian Boswall to discuss the principles of sustainable garden design. We learn how a better understanding of the local landscape and the land can help inform a garden’s design, how we can work with the soil, capture rainwater, and establish multiple layers of planting to create gardens that are good for humans, wildlife and the planet.
Discovering my garden: Sangita Myska
In the first of the show's Discovering My Garden series – where celebs take you on a tour of their own private gardens – BBC News correspondent and Radio 4 presenter Sangita Myska shows you around her urban garden.
Sangita used to complain about how small her green space was – but since the 2020 lockdown it’s become her little slice of heaven as she’s made the most of this small garden which is shaded on all sides by fences and trees. Pots galore and a symmetrical theme run through it all, much of it inspired by her travels including to the Alhambra and the Mughal gardens.
Discovering my garden: Will Gompertz
Take a visit to BBC’s Arts Editor Will Gompertz’s garden as he expresses his gratitude for his fabulous garden that is lush and green with the promise of the season. Spring is his favourite time of year when the orchard is in full bloom and the bluebells begin to appear.
Check out our day two highlights here.
And our day three highlights here.
And our day four highlights here.
Keep up to speed at Gardens Illustrated.com. And sign up for our Chelsea newsletter to stay abreast of all that’s new for the full show in September!