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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Helena Horton

Celebrities call for permanent end to gnome ban at Chelsea flower show

A row of decorated garden gnomes stands on paving stones in front of leafy plants
Gnomes painted for Chelsea flower show by the celebrities Floella Benjamin, Alan Titchmarsh, Angellica Bell, Joanna Lumley, Brian May, Frances Tophill and Kelly Hoppen. Photograph: Oliver Dixon/RHS/PA

Garden gnomes should make a permanent return to the Chelsea flower show, say celebrities who have painted the mythical creatures for the king’s garden at this year’s event.

At the high-end event, which kicks off on Tuesday in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, south-west London, the “tacky” statues have been frowned upon since 1927. Speaking at the show’s press day, the comedian and musician Bill Bailey and the gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh urged the Royal Horticultural Society to lift the gnome ban permanently.

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