Queen basks by the billabong at flower show Queen Elizabeth II visits the Australian Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Not one, but two queens have given the thumbs up to Australia's entry in the Chelsea Flower Show - now it's the judges' turn. Monday was VIP day at the "haughty-cultural" event, when celebrities, the business elite and royalty browse the gardens of Chelsea a day before the hoi polloi. One of the stars keen to take in Australia's patch of greenery was Dame Helen Mirren. Dame Helen Mirren at a rival exhibit. The award-winning star of The Queen - currently appearing on stage in the West End, again as the Queen - told Fairfax she was most looking forward to seeing Australia's garden, after hearing about it in the media. "I love wildflowers and I saw a bit of it on the television - it looks wonderful and I'm very excited," she said. Australia's garden, submitted for the ninth and final year for Fleming's Nurseries, was designed by Phillip Johnson as a natural, rocky billabong, complete with waterfall, dotted with ferns and surrounded by a carpet of wildflowers. In the "hero" corner is a 100-year-old bottle tree. A piped recording of frogs completes the illusion. Mr Johnson said he was "not exhausted" but "buzzed" to finally open the garden to onlookers and judges after two weeks' frantic work. He proudly showed off a photo of him arm-in-arm with Prince Harry, who came for a visit last Friday. But after Monday he has an album full of royalty to take back home. Shortly after Dame Helen came to see the garden it was the turn of the real Queen. Although her minders were sceptical, the Queen insisted on climbing up on to the wooden platform beside the billabong to take in the experience of being in an Australian oasis in the middle of London. Other royal visitors included Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew. Celebrities including Jamie Oliver also popped by. Some gardens and stalls paid for celebrities to appear to attract the attention of the press. They included Maureen Lipman (star of The Pianist), Joanna Lumley and Ringo Starr. But in the evening it was the turn of the super-rich and super-posh. Five thousand executives from the country's biggest companies were expected to attend the gala opening, which has become one of the city's major networking evenings. By one estimate, it has more chief executives from FTSE 100 companies than any other event on the social calendar. "It's always thick with suits; you can almost smell the money," one source told the Evening Standard. Every garden will have a table dispensing champagne. Once you've had a drink and been polite to your hosts, you can wander around networking. The nightmare of most parties is that you can't get away from a bore. But at the [Chelsea Flower Show] gala you can do your 30 seconds with them, then announce that you really must see the new astrantia or Patagonian orchid. It is the 100th year of the flower show. The "best of show," which Australia has never won, will be announced on Tuesday.