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A Cape Dutch Garden at Chelsea

Jonathan Snow at the 2018 Flower Show

I’m ashamed to say I’ve never been to the Chelsea Flower Show, the most florid event on London’s social calendar. It is a delight flâneur-ing around the neighbourhood the week of the Show as many of the pubs, restaurants, and businesses in the vicinity pull out the stops in terms of their own floral displays.

I used to live in Chelsea but escaped to Southwark and there are some delightful gardens in our vicinity. But I’ve never regretted avoiding the Chelsea Flower Show more than when I discovered Jonathan Snow’s delightful entry of a Cape Dutch garden in the 2018 exhibition.

Snow and his wife had been on holiday in the Cape a few years before and the beautiful fynbos captured the designer’s imagination. The architecture must have too, for Snow topped his garden off with a pocket Cape Dutch house that ties it all together.

I can well imagine taking a morning koppie koffie on that stoep — and perhaps either a stiff gin-and-tonic or some ice-cold vin de constance as the sun goes down.

An excellent effort that makes me pine for the Cape.

The judges awarded a Silver Gilt medal to Snow & co. for this — the designer’s first ever entry in the Show.

But if you ask me it’s the red-tunic’d Chelsea Pensioners whose judgement counts most.

Published at 11:50 am on Wednesday 10 January 2024. Categories: Architecture South Africa Tags: , .
Comments

vin de constance. Now that would indeed be a real treat!..

— Paul Thomas 5 Mar 2024 8:22 pm
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