If that may sound unthinkable the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has told the Royal Horticultural Society that it must apply for planning permission from next year. The RHS argues that that planning permission cannot legally be required after so many years of established use. The problem appears to rest with the week before the show opens. The council is believed to have received complaints from some residents who are not happy about lorries and exhibitors’ vehicles clogging up the roads in the days before the show opens to the public.

The first Chelsea Flower Show was staged in 1913 and attended by 5,000 visitors. In 2007 157,000 of us came to the show. The Chelsea Flower Show gives a much-needed annual income to the Royal Hospital, in the grounds of which it is held, and it also marks the beginning of the London ‘season’.

The Chelsea Flower Show takes place on 20-24 May 2008 and is one of the greatest flower shows in the world. Over the last 6 years over 400 new plants have been launched and it continues to be an inspiration to gardeners, amateur and professional, as well as to fashion and trend setting interior designers. This year there will be 22 show gardens to tempt and inspire. For more information visit: http://www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea/index.html

Below are listed just some varieties that Mr Fothergill's list with the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit