A rogue garden gnome was spotted at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and a scandal ensued, when the banned item was found in one of the gorgeous display beds.
Once noticed, Royal Horticulture Society officials moved quickly to have the illegal gnome removed from the garden.
According to The Times of London, organizers were even more appalled 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 a garden gnome, which she had named “Borage”, 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 reports that the country’s gardening elite consider them to be taboo.
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 her gnome from the display but promised to cover him with foliage.
Apparently she was successful in her efforts since Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family were able to view the spectacular displays without further incident, and without having to avert their eyes.
Almost 150,000 tickets were sold for this, the 87th Chelsea show, but it is not known if many of the visitors would have stayed away had they known the illegal gnome was lurking in the displays.
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