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Chelsea shows its racier side

Monday, 22 May 2006 12:00 AM

The racier side of gardening will be on display at the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show, which opens on Tuesday.

A sculpture of a nude woman forms the centrepiece of one garden, while naturists feature in publicity shots for another.

Sheridan Ritchie (pictured) and her fellow naturists will be posing for photographers throughout the week - though not while the show is open to the public - in Cancer Research UK's garden, designed by Andy Sturgeon.

They are helping to promote sun awareness on behalf of the charity, which is one of the key messages of a garden that aims to show how a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Meanwhile, tranquillity is the theme of the 4Head Garden of Dreams, which features at its heart a sculpture of a reclining 'dreaming girl' on the centre of an island.

The garden, designed by Marney Hall, features shady woodland, sunny glades and an open meadow, with planting that aims to create an overwhelming sense of calm.

This year's show involves a whole host of top designers, with Chris Beardshaw, Jinny Blom and Tom Stuart-Smith among the star names.

Chris Beardshaw, well known for his helicopter flights over Britain as the Flying Gardener, has designed a classic 1920s English formal garden, which features a lily pond with a cherub statue.

He told AboutProperty.co.uk: "This is the third time I have exhibited at Chelsea and it doesn't get any easier the more you do it. However, there is a huge sense of challenge and achievement and it is strangely addictive."

It is the sixth time at Chelsea for Tom Stuart-Smith, who designed The Telegraph Garden, described as a "contrast between simplicity and complexity".

"I love the theatre of [Chelsea], the opportunity to build something from nothing in two weeks," he said.

The show also features influences from across the world, with the 100%Pure New Zealand Garden taking its inspiration from the Auckland coastline and Garden Africa taking its cue from sub-Saharan Africa.

The Ravine Garden has been inspired by Chicago's post-glacial landscape, while the Modernist movement in Illinois is behind the clean lines of the Savills Garden.

In total, this year's event features 19 show gardens, nine courtyard gardens, ten city gardens and eight chic gardens, along with hundreds of exhibitors in the Great Pavilion.

The show will also offer advice on topical issues such as how to nurse your garden through the current hose-pipe bans.

Click here for more information on the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show

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