One of the absolute highlights of my year is a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. For me it heralds the start of summer. This year I was lucky enough to spend two days there.
I fell in love with a number of gardens and while I thought the much-publicised Pyramid was a little over the top, it was difficult not to smile at the sight of it full of Chelsea Pensioners.
I was also thrilled to see my favourite garden, the Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust Garden, win a gold medal. It is such a lovely peaceful space and very different from my own garden, which is a riot of English flowers.
Actually, one of the things I love most about Chelsea is being inspired by things that are quite different from the norm. It gives you the confidence to do something a little bit different and the garden always benefits.
Jihae Hwang’s garden was utterly inspiring. It was informed by the Korean Demilitarised Zone and it is the small touches that are stunning.
The spent cartridges, dry well and rusted oil can demand attention, but overall the space has a feeling of optimism that nature takes back what man destroys.
Inside the great pavilion was a rainbow of colour. There was a terribly cute Mini bedecked in flowers in the Birmingham City garden and, being a huge fan of the car, it did make me giggle.
Interflora had a wonderful stand called The Message, which featured colourful shards, a host of beautiful blooms and cards with messages that had been collected over the previous weeks; many were very moving.
The exhibit won a Silver Gilt medal and the florists who created it – David Ragg and David Denyer – were very happy to have a chat, which was lovely.
They also brought a god to life in the form of Mercury, their mascot. He popped up all around Chelsea and made the crowds giggle.
I also managed to get a bit of celebrity spotting in. On The English Glasshouse stand there were a bunch of them, including Ringo Starr and John Hurt. I also met Cliff Richard, newsreader Mary Nightingale and Laurence Llewelyn Bowen. It was lucky Charlie was with me, as I have to admit to a slight swoon.
I did manage to keep my cool, though, even as I shared a mini breakfast cooked by the brilliant chef Galton Blackiston, with the stars. Michelin-starred Galton, from Morston Hall in Norfolk, was launching the AGA iTotal Control cooker, which you can switch on and off with your phone!
Then, just as I was getting a little weary, I discovered the Aritisan Retreats stand, beautiful little summerhouses which had been designed by artists and florists to create a haven to relax in. Just looking at them was restful, so I found a shady tree to rest under and had a well-earned cup of tea.