CUTTING EDGE The best buys to be found at this year’s Chelsea Flower

Chelsea best buys

Arabella St John Parker uncovers some of the many uncovers some of the many rich pickings to be found among the tradestands at this year’s unique Autumn RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is making its long-awaited return this month (21-26 September). As well as marvelling at the show gardens, it’s a great opportunity to shop the stands at the glorious Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds. This is our pick of the best for London gardens.

ARMADILLO SUN

Your mother may have said ‘don’t slouch’ but invite her to sit on one of these lightweight, giant-bean-filled seats from Armadillo Sun (pictured, p48) and I’m sure she’ll make an exception. Lightweight and easy to mould into different sitting positions, these bean bags are made in Britain, in fabric that is fade/water/mould/red wine and sticky finger-resistant. Prices start from £224.99. armadillosun.com

CHESNEY’S

As the season changes, the evenings are beginning to feel cooler but outdoor living in London doesn’t stop as the sun goes down. Chesney’s (stand PW252) rather splendid Clean Burn outdoor heater is an eco-friendly wood-burner for the garden that produces plenty of warmth but next-to-no smoke – perfect for city gardens. At 108kg and W592mm x H996 x D433, the burner is ideal for small spaces and roof gardens but for those fortunate to have a larger garden, take a look at the landscape version, the XL, which is being launched at RHS Chelsea this month. From £1,549, Chesney’s. chesneys.co.uk DAVID MURPHY

DAVID HARBER

Finding oneself stuck in a rather more cheek-by-jowl position than we would wish for is a rite of passage for any Londoner, but the lockdowns taught even us a thing or two about living at close quarters for days and nights on end. Sculptor and long-time Show exhibitor David Harber has used his pandemic experiences as inspiration for his latest design, Sentinel (pictured, left), which explores how two bodies can co-exist in close proximity without actually touching. The outer shells are crafted from slivers of Welsh slate and their interior faces are lined with mirrorpolished steel. Standing 180cm tall, the piece is an elegant way to mark this extraordinary time. It costs £30,535 and will debut on Harber’s stand (PW336), designed by Nicholsons Garden Design in association with Savills. davidharber.co.uk

As long as the butterflies dance, summer will last for ever, courtesy of David Murphy’s Butterfly sculpture in brass (D95cm, £10,600). Find this beautiful new piece alongside other works, including his distinctive painted Oak Leaf Sphere (from £5,700 without plinth; painted to a colour of your choice), on his stand (PW245), which has been designed by his wife, garden designer Rachel Murphy. davidmurphysculpture.com.

DISTINCTIVE GARDEN

Finding ways to repurpose plastic salvaged from the ocean, and doing so in a sustainable manner, is one of the many challenges we face in trying to manage the environmentally unfriendly monsters we’ve created over the last century or more. DuraOcean®’s R&D team is one of many doing just that; one of their stylish Bistro sets (£299 for table and two chairs), with FSCcertified eucalyptus legs, requires

10.5kg of ocean plastic and to date, the company has reclaimed and recycled more than 150,000kg from the seas. The Bistro chair (£179.99 for a pair) has been shortlisted by RHS Chelsea as one of its Sustainable Garden Products of the Year this year and it will be available to buy in this exclusive Mint Green colourway, on Distinctive Garden’s stand, PW257. distinctivegarden.co.uk

GAZE BURVILL

Gaze Burvill’s Woodland Low Oval Table, £5,250, is another runner-up for RHS Chelsea’s new Sustainable Garden Product of the Year award. To keep wastage to a minimum and make the most of the chestnut tree from which each table is made, the top is cut according to the natural grain of the wood while the legs are spiral in shape, echoing the tree’s natural form. The table and co-ordinating chairs, and a brand-new Splash Lounge Sofa can be seen on the Hampshire-based wood furniture company’s garden stand (MA331), a refined rural idyll designed by Ann-Marie Powell. gazeburvill.com

GREEN4AIR

A fresh herb or salad garden is yours for the making, inside or outside, with a simple, snap, mount and plant up living wall system by Green4Air (stand EA446, pictured far right). If a colourful and textural vertical garden is more to your liking, make sure you use plants suitable for the location – sun or shade – and if in doubt, ask your local plant nursery for advice. For an indoor wall, use suitable ferns and ivies and Senecios, spider plants and Tradescantia. Small installations can be recycled paper pulp, which is embedded with seeds during the manufacturing process. hannahmarchant.co.uk

irrigated by watering can or hosepipe; £43.95 for six twin wallplates, 12 pods and 12 capillary pads and wall fixings. green4air.co.uk

HAMISH MACKIE

Having been penned for months in their creator’s studio due to the pandemic, sculptor Hamish Mackie’s wildlife animals cast in bronze and silver (and in gold, to commission) will be spreading their wings, stretching their arms and legs and arching their necks with all the power and emotion of the real thing, on his stand (RHW292). New for this summer are Mackie’s bird sculptures (Wren, from £3,500, Nuthatch, £5,200, Robin, £4,000, and Owl, £6,300), based on observations of garden birds around his Cotswolds studio during lockdown. hamishmackie.com

HANNAH MARCHANT

Let your kind words bloom and grow by sending Somerset-based artist, designer and printer Hannah Marchant’s seed cards to friends and family. Handmade in her studio on a farm in Long Sutton, the cards (available at RHS Chelsea on stand EA473) can be placed in a border or pot in the spring, and will grow into herbs, vegetables or a blaze of wildflowers. Alternatively, simply compost the ITALIAN TERRACE

Italian Terrace celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and on its Chelsea stand (SW314), a number of the pressmoulded pots, which are designed in Suffolk and made in Italy, will bear the legend ‘XXV’, to honour the occasion, available only at this Show. And for those of you seeking a planter with space for seasonal underplanting, take a look at Louise Drayton’s new design, Circolare (£325 for 52 sq cm), a tub planter that provides shrubs and small trees more stability and plenty of room for root growth. italianterrace.co.uk

JAMES GILLICK

When the hubbub of the Show gets a bit too much, head for James Gillick’s stand (EA419) and find restorative peace and calm while contemplating his timeless studies of traditional daily life (prices at Chelsea will range from £3,500 to £16,000). Painted using a late 17th-century technique that involves seven oil paint colours, varnishes and mediums applied to gessoed panels, he has described them as “quiet jewels of the night. Illuminated, they come to life when you return from work.” gilick-artist.com

LIGHT INNOVATION

Add a touch of sparkle to your night garden with solar-powered lights that will come on automatically as evening falls. These Mega Spiralight-Mega Twister solar pendant lights from Light Innovation

(AR552) (pictured, top left) can last for six hours when fully charged during daylight hours, and cost £25 for four, or £80 for the large version. lightinnovation.com

PLANTBOX

Do your bit to green the city, using plants to help cool your home, sustain vital pollinating insects and provide balm for the mind and soul. On stand EA457, Growing Revolution’s PlantBox (pictured p47), a runner-up in the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year award, is perfect for any urban space; all you need is a minimum 60 sq cm vertical area on a balcony, roof garden or plain wall, and the modular design means you can tailor it to fit. Fill with the plants that suit your chosen position and water from the top to hydrate the capillary felt that feeds the plant roots. Set of three boxes, £60 growingrevolution.com

RACHEL DEIN

Botanical artist Rachel Dein returns to RHS Chelsea (stand EA414) with her finely detailed plaster and concrete reliefs of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves (pictured above), which can be used inside and out, as tiles, as decorative artworks or perhaps as ‘bricks’, set into a path or a terrace, as Rachel did for a show garden at RHS Hampton Court earlier this year. The casts are made to order, with the living pieces of nature pressed into wet clay, covered with plaster or concrete and left to dry. When the clay and plant material are peeled away, all the glorious details of the plants remain, transfixed in the solid surface. Prices start at £30 for a 12 sq cm piece. racheldeign.com SAM BROWN LONDON

Over on Sam Brown London’s stand (EA480), in addition to a range of bespoke British leather belts, aprons and bags, you’ll find natural colour British sheepskins (from £90) and subtly coloured linen and wool throws (from £138), perfect for keeping you warm as you enjoy a glass of Mourèdre rosé from South African fruit and wine farm, Babylonstoren. The linen is a Yorkshire herringbone and Irish linen mix that is also used to line the leathermaker’s range of bags. sambrownlondon.com

SETTLERS STORES

For gardening clothes that will last a lifetime, are stylish and fit for purpose, and don’t cost the earth, make a beeline for stand PW261 Somerset-based Settlers Stores. Zara d’Abo is on a mission to remove the ubiquitous fleece from our wardrobes and will be launching her new brand Acre & Holt at Chelsea. Her latest design is a ladies’ gilet, which she has created in collaboration with awardwinning landscape designer Marian Boswall, whose new book on Sustainable Gardens is due out in March 2022. Made in London, in small runs, it is available in four different tweeds and in three sizes (S, M and L), £365. settlersstores.co.uk

SOLID SOUL DESIGN

Brothers Kieron and Brendan McSherry of Solid Soul Design (AR540) (pictured p47) use glass-reinforced concrete (GRC) to handcraft their outdoor furniture to order and new for this special autumn RHS Chelsea is their Hex-block planter and seating system, from £725. Perfect for small town gardens, its modular format enables you to adjust the arrangement of planting and seating within your outdoor space. Each block is made to order, in Birkenhead, and although designed to last, like all their products, they can be crushed and the GRC reused. Also keep an eye out for their new on-trend coloured chairs (from £1,800 for the Classic Chair). solidsouldesign.com

STEEL SCULPTURES

Paul and Catherine Richardson’s Steel Sculptures stand (PW253) never fails to please and this year, they will have three new pieces: Falling Leaves, Cocoon (pictured above left) and Aura. They will also be showcasing their Sycamore Seed sculpture (over nine feet tall) alongside its miniature self, side by side, as well as their Flora piece, with a new finish that sits beautifully against planting or hard landscaped surfaces. The couple’s stand at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival won Best Tradestand so they’ll be hoping to match that at RHS Chelsea. Prices start from around £4,000; gardensteelsculptures.uk

TROY LONDON

Strolling through the parks of London this autumn, you’ll want to be wearing something waterproof but lightweight so take a look at the cotton drill or waxed cotton jackets (HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted wearing the wax parka in khaki green, £350), all crafted in Britain. The linen shirts are equally irresistible, and all are by TROY London, on stand EA453. I also have it on good authority that a new tote bag, designed in collaboration with the Lady Garden Foundation, will also be making its debut at the show but you’ll need to visit to find out more. troylondon.com L