Designed and built in just six weeks, the Plant Heritage display was created by garden designer and National Plant Collection Holder Jackie Currie and her colleague Lorraine Smith from Euphorbia Design, along with Plant Heritage’s Shows Manager, Gill Groombridge. ‘The heart of Plant Heritage’ demonstrated the breadth of National Plant Collections, with show-stopping alliums from Jackie's own collection (including the unusual Allium 'Ostara', below), historic roses from National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey, and a range of lavender from Downderry Nursery.
A centrepiece of woodland planting lay beneath a stunning Acer palmatum 'Koto-no-ito' (Harp Strings),representing the acers at Westonbirt Arboretum, and included brunneras, hostas, ferns, omphalodes and epimediums. A total of twenty-five National Plant Collections were represented in the display, with plants generously donated. It was a fitting celebration of the charity's 40th anniversary, and a reminder that its work to conserve garden plants remains as vital as ever today.
National Collection Holders are passionate plantsmen and women, and their expertise and dedication was reflected by the 21 medals awarded to them at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Gold-medal winners include Ashwood Nurseries (which also garnered the prestigious President's Award), Brookfield Plants, David Austin Roses, Dibleys Nurseries, Downderry Nursery, Hoyland Plant Centre (owner Steve Hickman, who holds the National Collection of Agapanthus, is pictured above), National Dahlia Collection, Ottershaw Cacti, Plantagogo, Peter Beales Roses, Sparsholt College (which also won Best Discovery Exhibit), Tynings Climbers and W&S Lockyer (pictured below, holders of the National Collection of Primula auricula).
Silver-gilt was awarded to Bowdens Nursery, Crug Farm Plants, Hare Spring Cottage Plants, Hewitt-Cooper Carnivorous Plants, Hogarth Hostas, Staddon Farm Nurseries and The Botanic Nursery (below, holder of the National Collection of Digitalis) and Westcountry Nurseries.
Plant Heritage would like to thank Floral Tours and Burpee Europe Ltd for their sponsorship, and Melcourt, Water Willows and Burgon & Ball for their contributions. We also thank all the National Plant Collection holders involved, and last, but not least, all the volunteers who gave their time, energy and enthusiasm to support us at RHS Chelsea 2018.
Source: Plant Heritage