Gardening can transform people and connect them to nature, TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh has said as the first “virtual” Chelsea Flower Show kicks off.
This week, royals, celebrities and members of the public were expecting to head to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, to see the gardens and displays at the world famous flower show.
But with the pandemic forcing the cancellation of the show, for the first time since the Second World War, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has taken the showpiece gardening event online.
The move has received the royal seal of approval: the Queen said she was pleased the RHS is providing gardening advice and virtual sessions on its website and she hoped it found the “unique event enjoyable and interesting”.
In a message to the society, the Queen said: “I am sure that my grandmother, Queen Mary, who first visited the Chelsea Flower Show in 1916 would be delighted that many people today have an enthusiasm for horticulture and that gardening remains a popular pastime in the United Kingdom.”
As the virtual show begins with a day of content for RHS members on Monday, Mr Titchmarsh, who is vice president of the horticultural organisation, said gardens had a transformative effect.
“At the RHS we know just how powerful gardens can be, we know how a garden can transform your home but it can also change your community, it can change the environment just a little bit outside your back door.
“It can also transform you as a person.”
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