The one item King Charles banned from RHS Chelsea Flower Show Curious Garden
Gardener Alen Titchmarsh has heaped praise on King Charles's energy and enthusiasm for the environment.
Only Sir David Attenborough has “done more for horticulture, gardening, natural history and the environment” than the King, says Alan Titchmarsh as he reflects on his long friendship with eco-warrior Charles.
Speaking in the latest edition of Radio Times magazine, the famous TV gardener discusses the work behind the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s Curious Garden, the mastermind of BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Frances Tophill and a special King’s Foundation team, which included the monarch, Sir David Beckham and Mr Titchmarsh.
Reflecting on the team effort, the horticultural presenter praised the King for being an unusually hands-on, energetic champion of horticulture who has recognised that gardening brings solace as well as tangible benefits for the planet and wildlife.
“The King has done more for horticulture, gardening, natural history and the environment than anybody else, apart from David Attenborough,” Mr Titchmarsh told the publication. “His energy is mind-blowing. He’s enthusiastic, but also pragmatic. The King gets stuck in – he doesn’t just say something should be done, he instigates it.”
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And Ms Tophill reflected on the King’s overwhelming enthusiasm for the project and his insistence that it must be sustainable, to the point that he banned the use of concrete.
“He really cares about craftsmanship,” Tophill says. “He looks at the small details and has a love of creativity and art.” He also has longstanding concern about the health of the planet.
“The King has a passion for the environment. He was strong on sustainability and enthusiastic about things like not using concrete – ‘We mustn’t use any!’”
The Curious Garden is a showpiece designed to spark curiosity in gardening and encourage more people, particularly younger generations, to spend time in nature.
The garden features a beautiful oak building representing a ‘museum of curiosities’; seven raised plant beds as a nod to Sir David’s iconic shirt number; one of the King’s favourite flowers, delphiniums, and an Artist’s Easel created by The King’s Foundation’s Snowdon School of Furniture.
It will be on display at next week’s Chelsea Flower Show and aims to inspire people to take home ideas for growing plants at home.
Apprentices and garden trainees from both the RHS and The King’s Foundation charities will be involved with the planting at RHS Chelsea to discover what it takes to create a garden at the world’s most famous flower show.
