All about flowers & flower arrangingFlower Power in Plasticine
One of the most creative things I have seen at a flower show was James May's plasticine garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. While not quite complying with the criteria for a garden exhibit, it was non-the-less a great display of ingenuity and originality. 'Paradise in Plasticine' was also voted the best small garden in the 'people's choice' category.
The garden used 2.6 tons of Plasticine and took 6 weeks to make, with the help of 2000 people from all walks of life. The attention to detail was exquisite from the grapevines, vegetable garden, picnic setting and of course the flowers. Some of these close-up photos give you an idea of the amount of work that was involved.
In the centre of the garden, was a tree in different states, representing the 4 seasons. Beneath that, an old fashioned picnic laid out on plasticine grass.
I just loved the quirky detail displayed too - the worm and a mole coming out of the ground, the ladybird on a cauliflower, and the fact that just about every element of a garden you can think of, has been given consideration. I think there was Koi in the fishpond too. There must have been a lot of thought given to the mechanics and engineering of the display, as parts of the display are quite large. I don't recall seeing a compost heap, but I wouldn't be surprised if there had been one. The crowds kept coming all day to see this masterpiece and you can see why!
Invented by an art teacher in England for his students studying sculpture, it has been around for over 110 years. Plasticine is made from a number of secret ingredients with petroleum jelly and calcium carbonate as main components. Although not as popular as it once was, it is still used for clay animation as Plasticine is soft, pliable, non-toxic and does not dry out.
See more photos of Plasticine flower garden at Chelsea Flower Show
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