Chelsea Flower Show's red carpet: Poignant tribute to armed forces

A red carpet made up of hundreds of thousands of handmade poppies has paid tribute to the armed forces at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Almost 300,000 individually crocheted poppies covered nearly 21,000sq ft in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (RHC).

Australians Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight, initially set out to crochet 120 poppies to honour their fathers who both fought in World War II, but launched the 5,000 Poppies project after being inundated with help.

The pair received more than 250,000 poppies from around the world.

The Royal Horticultural Society said: “It captured the hearts and imaginations of people from all over the world, and inspired Phillip to present the collection at Chelsea this year."

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive at the Chelsea Flower Show Credit:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived with Prince Harry Credit:
Princess Anne also visited at the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday Credit:
A volunteer helps place the poppies Credit: PA
The poignant display was created by designer Phillip Johnson, who won Best Show Garden in 2013. Credit: PA
Credit: PA