Chelsea

• Sunderland defeated Chelsea 2-1 in a dramatic final-day Premier League match, securing a spot in the Europa League. • The victory marks a significant achievement for the Black Cats, qualifying for European competition in their first season back in the top flight. • Chelsea's defeat is critical as it means the club will miss out on European qualification entirely for the upcoming season.

• Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly competing to sign Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth, according to Transfer Talk. • Separately, Manchester United is preparing a "double midfield swoop" for Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali and Atalanta's Éderson. • Sky Sports Italy reports that United is optimistic about securing both players during the upcoming summer transfer window.

• King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to view the displays, including a garden co-designed by Sir David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh. • The event marked the official lifting of the long-standing ban on garden gnomes, which were previously prohibited from the show. • High-profile celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Bill Bailey, and Sir Brian May participated in the festivities, embracing the return of the gnomes.

Critics of Royal Horticultural Society turn hose on corporate sponsorship, peat-free compost and general ‘wokery’There was King Charles and David Beckham as well as a nocturnal garden to support bats and a Viking-themed allotment full of edible plants in pots. The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea flower show, which ends on Saturday, was as lovely and celebrity-glittered as ever, most agreed.But dig a little deeper, say critics on the conservative wing of the RHS – including one spectacularly outspoken former contributor – and not everything is necessarily smelling of roses. Continue reading...

Garden featuring giant woman carved out of tree makes designer one of few female artists to winFeaturing a giant, slumbering woman carved out of a fallen tree, Sarah Eberle’s hauntingly beautiful Chelsea Flower Show garden has won the top prize.Eberle, now the Royal Horticultural Society’s most decorated gardener, is a rarity; she’s one of only three women to have won Best in Show at Chelsea as solo designers in its 100-year history. Continue reading...

Bill Bailey and Alan Titchmarsh paint gnomes for king’s garden at event in one-off to raise funds for RHS campaignGarden gnomes should make a permanent return to the Chelsea flower show, celebrities who have painted the mythical creatures for the king’s garden at this year’s event, have said.At the high-end event, which kicks off on Tuesday in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, south-west London, the “tacky” statutes been frowned upon since 1927. Speaking at the show’s press day, the comedian and musician Bill Bailey and the gardener and author Alan Titchmarsurged the Royal Horticultural Society to lift the gnome ban permanently. Continue reading...

Eden Project founder wants to inspire councils to build community gardens so young people can grow vegetablesLocal councils should “rip up asphalt” to build community gardens so young people can grow vegetables, a co-founder of the Eden Project has said.Tim Smit, who opened the giant biomes in Cornwall in 2000, has designed an “edimental” garden for the Chelsea flower show with the landscape designers Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis. The concept behind it is that plants such as cabbages and strawberries are beautiful but edible and should be placed alongside traditional bedding plants. Continue reading...

Horticulturalists express alarm after award-winning Matt Keightley launches app that can automate designsWith glasses of champagne sipped among the peonies, Chelsea flower show is generally a friendly and genteel occasion. But this year, the secateurs have been drawn as gardeners clash over the use of AI in designing the exhibits.Matt Keightley, an award-winning designer who has created gardens for figures including Prince Harry, is using artificial intelligence to design his garden for the prestigious show, held at the Royal Hospital gardens in Chelsea, London, next week. Continue reading...

Lawyers for oligarch claim freezing of £5.3bn of assets ‘unfair and abusive’ amid row over use of funds for Ukraine Roman Abramovich has gone to the European court of human rights (ECHR), claiming that a criminal investigation into his financial affairs by the Jersey authorities has breached his human rights, according to reports.The former owner of Chelsea FC, who is sanctioned in the UK over his links to Vladimir Putin, is under investigation in Jersey over allegations of corruption and money laundering. Continue reading...

Formerly unloved vegetable casts off lowly roots to feature in Great Pavilion after online craze among young gardenersThey are an unloved root vegetable traditionally grown for cattle feed, and when pulled from the ground they look like an ingredient destined for a witch’s cauldron.But the humble mangelwurzel will be in pride of place in the Great Pavilion at this year’s Chelsea flower show (19-23 May), after becoming the subject of an online craze among young gardeners. Continue reading...

Ex-footballer to decorate gnome for annual event after organisers lift ban on the ornaments dating back to 1927 Rare roses and stunning irises are usually among the most coveted items at the Chelsea flower show. But this year, the star attraction might be pink, sequined – and decorated by David Beckham.The former England football captain is co-designing a garden at the May event with King Charles and as part of that effort he has been given a garden gnome to paint. It will be auctioned off for charity. Continue reading...

Sale of Providence House believed to be the most expensive on record in LondonUK politics live – latest updatesNick Candy, the honorary treasurer of Reform UK and a major donor, has sold his mansion in the Chelsea district of London for a reported £275m.The property developer declined to comment on the transaction, which was first reported by Bloomberg, but it is believed to be the most expensive on record in London and one of the biggest in the world. Continue reading...

Lovehoney sponsors Aphrodite-themed ‘pleasure garden’ full of flowers associated with love and sexIt is one of the most prestigious events of the UK social calendar, but the great and good attending Chelsea flower show may be in for a shock this year as the Royal Horticultural Society unveils a sex-themed garden sponsored by a company that sells vibrators.Lovehoney, a sex toy company, is sponsoring an Aphrodite-themed “pleasure garden” full of flowers and plants associated with love and sex.Chelsea flower show will be held at the Royal Hospital Gardens from 19-23 May. Continue reading...

Russian billionaire accused of missing ‘last chance’ to release money to help victims of Ukraine warUK officials are preparing for a possible court case against Roman Abramovich after he missed a deadline to release £2.4bn he raised from selling Chelsea FC.The Russian billionaire failed to hand over the money by the deadline of 17 March, amid a dispute over how it will eventually be used. Continue reading...