20 May 2002: A Golden Jubilee visit to Chelsea Flower Show, London

The Queen's annual tour of Chelsea Flower Show had a special theme this year, with displays of flowers named in honour of Her Majesty's Jubilee. There was also cause for reflection in the Healing Garden designed by The Prince of Wales, who had dedicated the display to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

During a tour of the show, organised by the Royal Horticultural Society and held each year in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh viewed some of the blooms named in honour of The Queen. At least eight flowers have been named to commemorate the anniversary. The Queen was presented with a bouquet of golden yellow roses named Gracious Queen. The variety had been specially commissioned by the Royal Warrant Holders Association and sales will benefit the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.

The Queen and Prince Philip were also taken on a personal tour of the garden designed by The Prince of Wales in conjunction with garden designer Jinny Blom. His Royal Highness had designed a display entitled the Healing Garden. Featuring 125 varieties of medicinal herbs and shrubs, the garden's aim was to remind people of their close relationship with nature and of the beneficial properties of plants, flowers and trees.

The Prince had dedicated the garden to the memory of his grandmother. A small stone memorial in the garden had been inscribed 'In Loving and Devoted Memory', and featured the ER of the Queen Mother and the crest of The Prince of Wales. The Queen and The Prince of Wales both paused in silence beside the memorial. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were both keen gardeners and rarely missed the flower show.

At the entrance to his plot were three immense boulders, said to represent mind, body and spirit. The Queen and the Prince walked along the curving limestone path, based on a sequence of numbers from geometric structures found in nature identified by Libonacci, a 12th century Italian trained in Arabic and Hindu mathematics.

At the centre of the garden was a large hornbeam tree, which had to be planted by crane. There was a Turkish-inspired water feature and, at the end, a low wattle and daub willow shelter, containing an oak and stone bench. On the top of the shelter were planted sedums and houseleeks which the Emperor Charlemagne insisted his subjects grew on their roofs to ward off lightning and heal skin complaints.

The Healing Garden, sponsored jointly by Laurent-Perrier and Harpers & Queen, was later awarded a silver medal at the show. Organisers gave it the Silver Flora award in the Best Show Garden category. The Prince won a silver medal last year for his garden based on Islamic patterns.

Other Royal visitors touring the show were The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.  

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