Glitz and glamour of Chelsea Flower Show arrives at a Leeds care home

Part of an award-winning exhibition from this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show ended up being transported to an unusual part of Yorkshire recently, leaving florists in Bradford and florists in York to watch on in admiration of the work of former Interflora World Champion David Denyer.

Interflora ran a competition to giveaway a section of Denyer’s “A Sense of Perspective” display and Leeds care home worker Kath Johnstone was selected at random as the winner.

Instead of having the massive floral masterpiece set up in her own home by Denyer, Johnstone decided to donate it to the residents of Headingley Hall Care Home where she works.

Cue much excitement from the elderly residents as they to gathered to see Denyer painstakingly rebuild one of the one of nine giant doorways that earned him a Gold Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Johnstone is a regular visitor to flowers shows and was thrilled by the impact Denyer’s work of art had on adding a bit of glitz and glamour to Headingley Hall Care Home.

She told BBC Radio Leeds: “I thought it would be really lovely to share it with all the residents.

“It’s such a unique prize; we’re just thrilled for everybody here. We’ve been counting down the days until David could come to put the exhibition up. It’s a little bit of Chelsea coming to Headingly Hall.

“I go to a lot of flower shows and I love Interflora and their flowers, so I was tracking David to see if he’d won the gold at Chelsea. I then saw the competition to win a doorway and entered.”

Talking about the doorway, Denyer told BBC Radio Leeds: “It should last nicely.

I’ve used hydrangeas, alliums, gerberas and some unusual anthuriums. It should last nicely. The idea is to merge all of Chelsea in one doorway using reds, oranges, pinks and purples.”

With each of the nine floral doorways towering over judges and members of the public alike at some seven feet tall, it’s hardly surprising that Denyer’s creation created quite a stir at the Chelsea Flower Show, just like it did when a section of it came to life once more in Leeds.

When it came to appreciating the alternative use of flowers Norwich show visitors and those from as far away as Aberdeen to York who flocked to the Chelsea Flower Show this year were also pretty taken aback by another award-winning Denyer piece.

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