Bill Bailey and Alan Titchmarsh have called for a permanent end to the ban on garden gnomes at the Chelsea Flower Show, after painting the mythical creatures for the king's garden at this year's event. The high-end show, which begins on Tuesday at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in south-west London, has frowned upon the 'tacky' statues since 1927. However, this year the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has made a one-off exception to raise funds for its campaign for school gardening.
The comedian and musician Bill Bailey, brandishing a gnome painted with a purple and gold striped hat, said: 'The origins of gnomes, as you well know, is the Latin gnomus, meaning earth dweller. The Romans had them as guardians of the garden, and to protect against malign spirits. So I think they have been much maligned.' Alan Titchmarsh, who painted his gnome in a blue suit, agreed: 'I think it's no harm to have little ones sneaking out now and again to remind us that you might as well have a bit of fun.'
King Charles is said to have been keen for the gnome ban to be lifted so some could be displayed in a feature garden he co-designed with Titchmarsh. The monarch is a fan of the fairytale characters and has one in the grounds of his Gloucestershire estate. David Beckham, who also co-designed the garden, painted a gnome in pink and glitter for auction. Other celebrities including Dame Mary Berry, Sir Brian May, and Floella Benjamin have also painted gnomes for the charity auction.
Titchmarsh, who has previously derided garden rewilding as an 'ill-considered trend', appears to have been convinced by the king to change his views. The king wanted wildflowers and weeds, including nettles, to encourage butterflies. Titchmarsh said: 'They're wildflowers! I love nettles, they're good for butterflies. No, we need them in the garden, we want to attract wildlife.' He added that he would like to ban noisy machinery such as leaf blowers, particularly on Sundays, saying: 'I think those things take away from the natural world... I haven't used a power tool on a Sunday for years.'
