Jubilant

Spare a thought for Britain’s specialist plant nurseries and garden designers who will spend this weekend agonizing over their displays for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Driven by a love of plants, they also know that a Gold Medal or Best In Show will enhance their professional reputation. So a lot is at stake: the boundary between success and failure can be difficult to tread when you’re working with a finite supply of live plant material and trying to second guess the judges.

At this point, the needs of the workers often take second place to those of the plants. Muck, sweat, aching muscles and building tension are likely to be afflicting at least some of the humans. In contrast, the plants need to be as near to pristine as possible, so are cosseted and preened; many of the most delicate wrapped in paper, bubble wrap or protective gauze.

For the humans, a camaraderie around the event more than makes up for the physical and mental cost. Chelsea is one of the best team building exercises: hard, creative, rewarding work. And if the result goes the right way next Tuesday morning when the certificates are awarded, the humans will be jubilant.

But just look at these plants – wouldn’t you say they look jubilant too, win or lose?

A shapely flower always seems to rejoice to have its chance in the sun. Their inhuman joy plays a big part in what draws me to them.

The unashamed excess of these Disas took me by surprise at one of last year’s plant shows. I can’t ever remember seeing them before, yet how I can have missed their bold, bright sunset colours?

Shared for this week’s photo challenge: Jubilant with my good luck wishes for everyone involved in making the Chelsea Flower Show special.