The Australians from Fleming's Nurseries have always stood out at Chelsea: for a start, they're always uniformed (this year they're wearing trilby hats in a natty combination of mid-green and neon orange) and they are unabashed in their excitement at being a part of the world's best-known flower show.
Fleming's is bowing out on a high, having won best in show for its Trailfinders Australian garden this morning. This is the nursery's ninth and last time at the show as its sponsors call it a day. This year Fleming's had a number of factors in its favour: not least a move to a superior location within the showground, in the corner on what is known as Rock Garden Bank. This spot – larger than their usual allotment – gave the Australians led by Fleming's director Wes Fleming and designer Phillip Johnson a chance to shine. Its theme of how to sustainably harness rain and floodwater in a residential garden was given a glamorous interpretation involving a billabong, waterfalls and a rock gorge. (The question remains, however, whether flying a load of Australians across the world to build a garden is particularly sound from a sustainability point of view.)
Usually the "shack at the back", as garden design historian Tim Richardson calls the structures in Chelsea show gardens, can be a bit of a letdown, but the Aussies' stylish "studio" doesn't disappoint. It's made of reclaimed timber cut into petal shapes to create an abstract flower shape inspired by Australia's waratah flower.
In a year when the weather so far has been unseasonably cold and gloomy, and many of the other show gardens have failed to create a "wow" factor, it's no surprise that the Australians' garden has scooped the prize. It's confident, clever and inspiring.
