An American gnome reconsiders his plans to visit Britain |
For the
first time in its 100-year history, the Chelsea Flower Show has lifted its ban
and will allow gnomes to be included in the prestigious 2013 garden displays.
As part
of the centenary celebration, the Royal Horticultural Society will turn a blind
eye and become gnome-friendly, but for this year and this year only.
For
decades, gnome lovers in fancy dress have organized demonstrations outside the
gates on opening day to protest the ban. This
year their beloved garden statues will be welcomed with open arms.
Two
nine-foot-tall white gnomes are slated to greet visitors at the show entrance. There
will even be a celebrity gnome-painting competition with a star-studded list of
participants including Maggie Smith and Julian Fellowes.
This
gnome-tolerant policy is a far cry from what happened as recently as 2009.
A scandal
was exposed at that year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show when a banned item was
spotted in one of the lush display beds.
The
illegal object was a garden gnome named Borage. Once spied, Royal Horticultural
Society officials moved swiftly to have the gnome removed from the premises.
According
to the Times of London, organizers were even more shocked to learn that one of
the members of their own ruling council had been “implicated in the affair.”
Jekka
McVicar, a 13-time gold medal winner at Chelsea had put together what was
described as a stunning display of medicinal and culinary herbs in the Grand
Pavilion.
Since
this was to be her last appearance in the show she decided to place Borage, a
tiny statue holding a fishing rod, behind some of the greenery.
A show official insisted that the “offending gnome be ejected” reminding the offender that gnomes are against the rules at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The Times reported that the country’s gardening elite consider them to be taboo. (Is it just snobbery? asked The Guardian.)
Mrs.
McVicar fought back saying her gnome was in “wonderfully good taste.” She went
on to declare that he is “not brightly coloured… and is a subtle gnome.” She
refused to extract Borage from the display but promised to cover him with
foliage.
Apparently
she was successful in her efforts since the Queen and other members of the
royal family were able to view the often-spectacular displays without further
incident, and without having to avert their eyes.
Even
though Britain was (and is) suffering through a recession, almost 150,000 tickets
were sold for that Chelsea show. It is not know if many of the visitors would
have shied away had they known the outlawed gnome Borage was lurking in the
basils.
Then
again, I’m assuming many who love Chelsea don’t consider themselves to be among
the gardening elite. They just enjoy seeing all those fabulous flowers and
plants.
And like
me, probably didn’t know about the ban, and therefore didn’t realize gnomes have
been perennial no-nos.