THE Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)-Eastern Eye “Garden of Unity”, designed by Manoj Malde, appears to have been one of the big hits of the Chelsea Flower Show this year.
Located prominently on Main Avenue and close to the Great Pavilion, Malde’s vivid colours attracted even King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Another visitor, Thérèse Coffey, secretary of state for environment, food, and rural affairs, spoke to Malde about how to achieve greater diversity in the world of gardening – she is set to attend the G20 summit in India in September alongside prime minister Rishi Sunak.
“Gardening is for everyone,” said Clare Matterson, setting out her long-term strategy as director general of the RHS, which is also working closely with the Department of Education to take gardening to schools across the country.
If this year is anything to go by, Eastern Eye readers ought to consider becoming members of the Royal Horticultural Society and set a date for the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show.
The Garden of Unity will see a new life at a school in Battersea (incidentally, membership is only £10 a year for students).
At Chelsea last week, the RHS and Eastern Eye held a reception in the Garden of Unity. Matterson came to the event where her senior team was represented by Helena Pettit, director of gardens and shows; Ed Horne, head of communications; and Hayley Monckton, director of communications, who was generous in thanking Eastern Eye.
“We absolutely love working with you,” Monckton said. “I think this garden epitomises our relationship. It is beautiful. It is uplifting, it is accessible and joyful.”
The guests included the Indian high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, who spoke of “the importance of working with your hands, (and) with the soil.
“The human connection with the garden and with the soil is such an integral thing – it is part of so many cultures, but, of course, the British culture, and also the history of India, the history of Persia. It is also part of the story of civilisation.”
The high commissioner made special mention among the guests of Dr Yusuf Hamied, the chairman of Cipla, the Indian pharma giant – “a legend in his time” who had saved “millions of lives” – and Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent North and “a good friend of the India-UK relationship”.
Hamied said his wife Farida made sure he didn’t miss the reception, while Gardiner, who had come with his poet wife, Caroline Smith, said: “Gardening helps us realise we are a part of, not apart from, nature.”
Dame Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, otherwise the high court judge, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb, who had come with her husband Russell, remarked: “Gardening is a pleasure enjoyed by many people across the world, and the Eastern Eye garden’s focus on unity echoes this.”
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, who had to deal with the Covid pandemic as chair of the Council of the British Medical Association (BMA) from 2017-2022, had come with his wife, Meena, who is also a GP.
“The RHS/Eastern Eye Garden of Unity symbolised to us that the love of flowers and gardens is universal among people of all nations, backgrounds, characteristics – transcending boundaries and is inherently unifying,” he said.
The Eastern Eye team was led by Kalpesh Solanki and his brother Shailesh, managing editor and executive editor, respectively, of the Asian Media Group (AMG), which had been founded by their late father, Ramniklal Solanki.
Nagpaul referred to the brothers’ late mother, Parvatiben Solanki, the group’s co-founder, who had been “a passionate and avid gardener, regularly attending the RHS shows”.
Guests heard Parvatiben loved growing Princess Lilies, roses, and dahlias, as well as chillies, aubergines and colocasia (used to make savoury Gujarati dish called patra) at her home in London. Meanwhile, at her Indian home in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, she grew bougainvillea, jasmine and rajani gandha (fragrant white flowers called tuberose in English).
Parvatiben would visit Chelsea, accompanied by her grandson, Jaimin, and snap up bargains at the end of the flower show. That practice remains one of the rituals at Chelsea.
Malde said: “The public’s reaction has been wonderful. They have loved the use of colour and found the garden very joyful. Many remarked it’s the only one at the show with so much colour. They seem to really enjoy a designer from a different cultural background bringing his heritage and identity into the garden.”
At the end of the Chelsea Flower Show, Shailesh said gardening promotes mental well-being. He summed up: “We are proud to work with the RHS to engage so many diverse communities. Gardening is truly for everyone.”
Buy tickets for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show here.
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