Chelsea Flower Show Lifts Gnome Ban for Celebrity Charity Auction

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has temporarily lifted its long-standing ban on garden gnomes for a charity auction featuring celebrity-painted figurines. The ban, first imposed in 1927, was last relaxed in 2013 for the show's centenary. This year, gnomes painted by Cate Blanchett, Dame Mary Berry, Sir Brian May, Bill Bailey, Sir David Beckham, and King Charles III are being auctioned to support RHS's school gardening campaign. Bids as of writing include $900 for Berry's gnome, $3,000 for May's, and $400 for Blanchett's. The auction closes Sunday, May 24. RHS director general Clare Matterson stated the organization wants people to be playful with gardening. Bill Bailey noted the Latin origin of "gnomus" meaning earth dweller, and that Romans used gnomes as garden guardians. The King's private residence Highgrove reportedly has gardens full of gnomes, including one that mysteriously moves. At the show, Blanchett's gnome was seen posing with the newly debuted Kate Moss rose and visiting Sarah Eberle's best-in-show garden for the Campaign to Protect Rural England. Other gnomes were spotted hiding in foliage or as small as thimbles on shrubs. The event runs five days at Royal Hospital Chelsea, attracting over 150,000 visitors across 20 acres, who consume nearly 42,000 glasses of Pimm's.