Gnome improvement? Chelsea Flower Show lifts ban on garden figurines in bid to inspire next generation
Organisers are asking celebrities to decorate gnomes for this year's show
Gnomes will be making an appearance at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show as organisers lift their "gnome ban" for the second time in history.
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The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it was inviting celebrities to decorate gnomes to feature in this year's show which will then be auctioned off to raise funds for the charity's campaign for school gardening.
A gnome or two could even appear at the RHS and The King's Foundation Curious Garden, which aims to get people "curious" about gardening and has been designed with features that nod to its champions the King, Sir David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh.
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One of those nods celebrates a tradition at Highgrove Gardens, the King's residence in Gloucestershire, where a gnome is often to be found in the stumpery.
The garden aims to spark curiosity to inspire the next generation of gardeners and encourage people into careers in the environment and rural crafts.
It is being championed by the King, King's Foundation ambassador Sir David and leading horticulturalist and TV gardener Mr Titchmarsh - an RHS and King's Foundation ambassador, who have all had input into the garden's design.
Designer Frances Tophill, who is creating her first garden at Chelsea, said she wanted to create something "very joyful, colourful, fun".
"The idea of this space is about encouraging entrance into horticulture and rural crafts generally, which is something that the RHS and the King's Foundation are obviously passionately working on all the time," she said.
She said the garden would be free of man-made materials, including concrete, in recognition of Charles's focus on sustainability as well as featuring some of Sir David's favourite plants, and would have the high standards of horticulture Mr Titchmarsh champions.
The garden, which will not be judged, features an oak building that represents a "museum of curiosities", which will live on as an outdoor classroom when the garden moves to an educational centre after the show.
There will be seven raised beds in a nod to Sir David's number 7 shirt he wore in the Manchester United and England national team, growing vegetables and herbs.
Ms Tophill said the former footballer is "a huge veg grower" and she was trying to grow him garlic as one of his favourites.
There will be delphiniums, one of the favourite flowers of the King, who grows them prominently at his Highgrove garden and is patron of the Delphinium Society, and rose varieties named after the three champions will also be grown in it.
Ms Tophill added: "With my dear friend Alan Titchmarsh being one of the greatest gardeners of modern times, we will be showcasing the highest standards of horticulture and celebrating the breadth of horticultural careers through stories we tell about the garden."
Director general Clare Matterson said: "We've never needed the joy of gardening, the power of plants for our planet or the peace of simply sitting in a garden, more.
"That's why we've joined forces with the King's Foundation to encourage the nation to get curious about gardening, be that as a horticultural career, a hobby, a way to fight the climate crisis, to support wildlife or simply enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labours flourish and grow.
"We also want people to be playful with their gardening, which is why we're lifting the gnome ban for these celebrity gnomes, who will then, by being auctioned off, help us do even more to awaken a curiosity in gardening in school children and support our national campaign for school gardening."