Flower show's credit crunch tips

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The Queen will visit the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday ahead of its public opening which will feature credit crunch-busting measures for the garden.

The annual event in west London will feature ideas from growing plants to make perfume to recycling.

The budgetary theme follows a decline in sponsors for the show which has fallen from 22 last year to 13.

Despite the drop in sponsorship, organisers said tickets for the event were selling well.

Exhibitors spent the weekend putting the finishing touches to the 42 gardens and hundreds of exhibits.

Designer Stephen Hall said much of the materials used to build his exhibit had been reclaimed from his own home as he was renovating it - from the kitchen window to bricks, screws and hinges.

Mike Hinton, of Birmingham City Council, whose Credit Munch garden aims to get families growing their own food, said: "We've been noticing a larger uptake of allotments, and a greater uptake of gardening courses focused on fruit and vegetables."

Meanwhile, the Perfume Garden by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins highlights the plants which could be used to make perfume.

The annual show, which begins on 19 May, is a cross between a trade fair, horticultural competition and showbiz event.