In exactly a week's time, I will probably be subjecting myself to the Chelsea Sell-Off. I have Wednesday evening tickets, but as an RHS member I'm entitled to return to the Chelsea Flower Show on the Saturday afternoon to join in the chaos.
I have never been before, but I gather it is total carnage, and that delicate, refined, pashmina-wearing ladies of a certain age are transformed into sharp-elbowed WWE wrestlers upon the chime of a bell. I've seen lots of advice springing up. Old clothes are a given, as are sensible shoes. It never occurred to me to dress otherwise! If it's as much of a rugby scrum as I read it is, then I may consider strapping my ribs too. In fact, it's a shame Hubster doesn't have his old American football padding anymore because that would be ideal.
To ensure that I don't spend a fortune, I plan to take my largest pink tubtrug, an over-the-shoulder bag containing my budget (no more than £100 and probably, especially when Hubster reads this, considerably less) and my trusty brown field hat (in case of sun/rain).
Other than this, however, I am totally clueless. I suppose I'll be going round asking sellers on Wednesday whether they'll be taking part in the sell-off. Who will I be interested in talking to? Anyone selling ferns, cycads, palms, you know the sort of thing. But (as long as they're selling) I want to make a bee-line for Kirstenbosch.
Now I know for a fact that a few Chelsea regulars read this blog. So, my questions are:
I have never been before, but I gather it is total carnage, and that delicate, refined, pashmina-wearing ladies of a certain age are transformed into sharp-elbowed WWE wrestlers upon the chime of a bell. I've seen lots of advice springing up. Old clothes are a given, as are sensible shoes. It never occurred to me to dress otherwise! If it's as much of a rugby scrum as I read it is, then I may consider strapping my ribs too. In fact, it's a shame Hubster doesn't have his old American football padding anymore because that would be ideal.
To ensure that I don't spend a fortune, I plan to take my largest pink tubtrug, an over-the-shoulder bag containing my budget (no more than £100 and probably, especially when Hubster reads this, considerably less) and my trusty brown field hat (in case of sun/rain).
Other than this, however, I am totally clueless. I suppose I'll be going round asking sellers on Wednesday whether they'll be taking part in the sell-off. Who will I be interested in talking to? Anyone selling ferns, cycads, palms, you know the sort of thing. But (as long as they're selling) I want to make a bee-line for Kirstenbosch.
Now I know for a fact that a few Chelsea regulars read this blog. So, my questions are:
- Given that I'm only showing up on Saturday for the sell-off, do they let us in at 4pm on the dot or a little bit beforehand?
- If it's 4pm on the dot, how early do I need to camp out to be sure I'm at the front of the baying mob and can get a sprint on to the Grand Pavilion?
- If I'm only allowed in at 4pm and I'm competing against people who have been there all day and can leisurely amble up to the stands of interest, is there actually any bloody point or will all the good stuff have gone before I can get there?
- What are the prices like? I paid just shy of £20 for a Leucospermum in a 3 litre pot (if that) with five flowers on it at Akamba - what's the same plant likely to cost me at the sell-off?
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