For many, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show marks the true start of the garden season; the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea explode in colour and scent and hundreds of thousands of keen visitors descend, looking for inspiration and ideas to take back to their own gardens.

The show is open to the public from the 20^th to the 24^th May, but today is press day; journalists, celebrities and members of the royal family get to enjoy all the sights first, whilst the rest of us can only watch the television coverage in anticipation.

There is, of course, plenty of media coverage for those who can’t make it to Chelsea at all; the BBC offers excellent coverage, including tours of the show gardens competing for the People’s Choice Award through the red button.

Amongst the highlights of this year’s show you’ll find a number of anniversary gardens; television gardener Alan Titchmarsh has created his first Chelsea garden in 29 years to celebrate 50 years of Britain In Bloom (and 50 years of gardening himself). Collaborating with garden designer Kate Gould, he has created a garden which echoes his career and the varied landscape of Britain, called “From the Moors to the Sea”. You’ll also be able to see a display from longstanding exhibitor Hilliers celebrating their 150^th anniversary, and NAFAS’ display for their 55^th – Emerald – anniversary entitled “A Green Thought in a Green Shade”.

This year, there are a number of younger designers putting their work on show at Chelsea; the garden for Bord Na Móna was designed by brothers Harry and David Rich, aged just 26 and 23, and the Royal Bank of Canada’s garden was designed by Hugo Bugg, aged 26 – who took the first RHS award for “young designer of the year” back in 2010.

Other hot favourites in the Show Gardens include the Telegraph garden, designed by Tomasso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz, which takes inspiration from formal Italian gardens to create an elegant and tranquil modern garden, and the Laurent-Perrier garden by Luciano Giubbilei which combines Italian chic with romantic English planting. The judge’s decisions will be announced on medal day tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see who takes the big prize.

Of course, whatever gardens and displays might inspire you at the Flower Show this year, you’ll always need to make changes to adapt them to your own garden; these are gardens designed to be looked at, not inhabited. When you design your own garden, it’s important to make sure you have space to enjoy it – and here at Verdon Grey we specialise in creating contemporary garden furniture that will be at home with any design. For more information, you can contact us online or call us on 01284 812000.