Entitled ” Gardening in the Global Greenhouse, the impact of climate change on our gardens”, it clearly sets out  that our gardens are in trouble and face an uncertain future.It is an impressive document, covering the key issues that will concern anyone who gardens and is well worth the time to read through its impressive and very detailed 17 pages.

The introduction is by one of the UK’s most passionate gardeners , HRH Prince Charles, who poignantly expresses his concerns about the threat of climate change. I remember reading his powerful words for the first time and feeling very moved . Here are just a few lines that I am sure will make you want to read more:

“Almost all scientists now agree that the British climate is likely to  change significantly in years to come. The precise nature of these changes is still uncertain, but it is both an alarming and sobering thought that some of the nation’s best loved gardens might become unsustainable due to changing climatic conditions”. http://www.globalgardening.org/uploads/pdf/climate_summary.pdf

The gardening ‘renaissance’ was revealed by a recent survey of 100 of the Society’s affiliated gardening clubs - 73% of clubs saw their membership increase or stabilise over the last year. Some clubs were full to capacity and have had to create waiting lists for people to join.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/News/High-in-garden—allotment-club-membership

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10532841.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10340866.stm

I have tickets to visit on Thursday 8th for the afternoon session. I am keen to see how Hadlow College have created a garden that explores the issue of food miles, climate and the importance of water. Students at the college have used a selection of Mediterranean plants to explain the potential to adapt crop selection as a result of global warming.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2010/Gardens/A-to-Z/Food-4-Thought

If you don’t manage to visit, then check out the BBC coverage starting on Monday at 7.30pm http://www.bbc.co.uk/hamptoncourt/coverage/tv.shtml

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/Gardening-in-a-changing-climate/Current-Situation##

James Wong, best known as the BBC TV presenter of Grow Your Own Drugs, built this incredible Malaysian garden to inspire UK gardeners to step outside their comfort zone.

Growing tropical plants in the UK needs to be linked to sustainability and sourcing with minimal air miles. James explains how he achieved this:

“Sourcing sustainable materials was very important to us, as is the consideration of air miles. Although the garden is Malaysian, we have sourced as much material as possible within a 300 mile radius of the showground at Chelsea – South East UK is nearer to Europe than Cornwall, allowing us to source some plants from Amsterdam.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/chelsea/show-gardens/tourism-malaysia-garden.shtml

Explore tropical planting and design ideas  - take a look at these fabulous UK gardens.

http://www.urbantropics.co.uk/tropical.htm

“Like the month of May in the course of the year, the garden is meant to be the place where, somehow, the realities, which are too cold or too hot, too busy or not busy enough, too greedy or too slothful, are all suspended and you can float for a while on the soft, sustaining, ballooning contentment of a world in balance.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chelseaflowershow/7765836/Chelsea-Flower-Show-Back-home-our-passion-is-on-parade.html

This contemporary gravel garden brings together flavours of the Southern Cape, the maquis shrubland of the Mediterranean, the chaparral of California and Mexico and the matorral of central Chile.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chelseaflowershow/7763339/Chelsea-Flower-Show-2010-Andy-Sturgeons-place-in-the-sun.html

Andy Sturgeon, the designer, explains the background to his garden:

“I have recently done some gravel gardens in the real world, and it is a
rewarding way to grow plants. Clients especially like the low
maintenance, which comes from the high ratio of evergreen shrubs and the
fact that self-seeding is all part of the charm.”

Andy considers The Daily Telegraph garden a real garden, too.

“I certainly don’t think of it just as an exhibit for Chelsea Flower
Show, and reckon it could work in many parts of Britain without much
adjustment, either as a small garden or as part of a larger one.”

Gravel gardening in the UK is certainly  proving more and more popular, being ideal for periods of drought and requiring little maintenance. For more ideas on gravel gardening visit the doyenne of this style of gardening - Beth Chatto .http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/gravel.html

For inspiration watch the Mediterranean videos on this blog or check out  Mediterranean plants at:

http://www.myglobalgarden.com/blog/category/climate-change-gardening/plants/mediterranean

The word tonight is Best in Show is a surprise  - find out who the winner is at 8.30am tomorrow by checking http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2010

Or watch BBC 1 from 12.30-1pm tomorrow  and again at 8pm.http://www.bbc.co.uk/chelsea/coverage/tv.shtml

As always with Chelsea, the unseasonal weather seems to be the topical  issue with the Times reporting that “worried garden designers have resorted to hairdryers, halogen lights, fleece and paper cups to protect their plants and coax them into leaf and flower”

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/chelsea_flower_show/article7125748.ece

Plus there are the usual stories that demonstrate the eccentricity of this event - this year about the use of artificial turf in one of the gardens, and another which features multi-coloured diamonds, owes more to fashion than horticulture :

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/article7114652.ece

Chelsea always delivers when it comes to digging up anything weird and wonderful in the world of trees, plants and flowers .For me, it should provide a connection to what gardeners are experiencing in their own gardens.

I am probably not best placed to comment on the relevance of Chelsea for your average gardener since I have never actually visited the Show - tickets always sell out long befor I have worked out which day to visit. My passion for all things gardening will, as always, be limited to watching my favourite gardener Alan Titchmarsh provide all the horticultural highlights via the TV screens.http://www.bbc.co.uk/chelsea/coverage/tv.shtml

Hoping for some truly  “green” inspiration with gardens showing how to deal with issues such as biodiversity, sustainability, environmental impact, grow your own and climate change . Are these matters of concern for most gardeners? Does Chelsea concentrate too much on style and fashionable  horticultural “trends”  rather than the green roots of what gardening is all about? What are your thoughts?