This year due to the COVID 19, the Chelsea Flower show has gone digital. To mark the show that falls in the Mental Health Awareness Week, Palace released a new behind the scene picture of the Duchess of Cambridge working on her ‘Back to Nature’ Garden in 2019. Catherine is balancing on two rocks and getting a plant that she planted on the other side.
The Royal Horticulture Society’s Chelsea Flower Show has been a prominent part of the Royal Family’s social calendar. The Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgewood. The charity aims to enrich lives through plants and make the UK a greener place. Known then as the Great Spring Show, the first Chelsea Flower Show took place in 1913 and was attended by Queen Alexandra. Queen became Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1952, after ascending to the throne. The Queen made her first visit to Chelsea as Monarch in 1955 and has attended most years since.
In May 2019, the Duchess of Cambridge designed a beautiful ‘Back to Nature’ Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It was announced in January 2019, that the Duchess of Cambridge was set to co-design a garden named ‘Back to Nature’ that was going to be part of May 2019’s Chelsea Flower show.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Andrée Davies and Adam White (of Davies White Landscape Architects), and the RHS revealed plans for their ‘Back to Nature Garden’ in February 2019. The woodland wilderness garden aimed to get people back to nature and highlight the benefits of the natural world on our mental and physical wellbeing. The design includes many natural elements that aim to stimulate active play, promoting the benefits of laying the foundations of physical health from a young age. Tree stumps, stepping stones, and a hollow log will test and improve children’s balance, strength and coordination.
To inspire families to get outside and explore nature together, the garden was designed to have a natural woodland feel and contain lots of unique design features. The garden’s centrepiece was a high platform treehouse, clad in staghorn oak that is inspired by a bird or animal nest, providing a wonderful place to retreat and look out through the trees.
Ahead of the show, Catherine and William brought Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to the garden, where kids had a great time. Palace released pictures and videos of the day. Inspired by both Cambridge residences – Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall, as well as the Duchess’ Childhood and her kid’s life, this woodland garden was a place to retreat from the world, to play, learn and discover as well as create special family memories.
The Duchess, who usually stays private, gave a candid interview in which she said,
“It really ties into some of the early years work I’ve been doing, and I’ve been really trying to learn about the impact, the importance and relationship of our early childhood experiences on our later adult life. An amazing fact I learned recently was that 90% of our adult brains are developed before that age of five. That’s why I think it’s so important that all of us whether we’re parents or carers or families members really engage in quality time with children and babies from a really, really young age. I really hope this woodland we’ve created, in a huge collaboration, really inspires families and kids and communities in general to get outside. Enjoy nature. Enjoy the outdoors and really spend quality time together”.
A video of Catherine showing her garden to the Queen.
The Duchess’s Back to Nature garden in 2019 aimed to highlight the physical and mental health benefits of the natural world and inspire children, families, and communities to enjoy the great outdoors. After being a hit among the visitors at Chelsea, the garden was relocated to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in July 2019, where Catherine invited children from her patronages to a picnic in the garden.
Finally, in September 2019, The Duchess of Cambridge opened the Back to Nature play garden at RHS Wisley, and attended the Back to Nature festival with RHS Ambassador Mary Berry, celebrating the value of communities to wellbeing and marked the culmination of the RHS garden project.
The Royal Family
The Queen sent a message to RHS earlier this week on the first day of the virtual Chelsea Flower Show. The members of the Royal Family selected their choices of the flower to mark the opening of the annual show. The Queen has chosen lily of the valley, pictured here in the Buckingham Palace gardens. Lily of the valley featured in Her Majesty’s coronation bouquet and has held special associations since. For six days in May (18th-23rd), the RHS will celebrate the essence of Chelsea with a packed timetable of events.
Check out all the details of the ‘Back to Nature’ Garden here.
In the new picture, The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing Zara’s solid brown-green long-sleeved button-down shirt. Thanks to @georgiesmum2 on Twitter for the id.
@katesclosetau found this stock photo of the sold-out shirt. The shirt featured ruched detailing and a v-neckline. Catherine paired the shirt with blue denim.
She was wearing her Superga 2750 Cotu Classic Shoes
