Seize The Moment
If you listen to this week’s episode you will know exactly what I mean by ‘seize the moment’ though the words were Will’s not mine and he was describing the actions of one of his fellow garden designers Sally, taken whilst sitting in the hairdressers. It has led to Will, Sally and their colleague Kate, designing a garden for the charity Plant Heritage at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!
This Offshoot episode will introduce you to the Planting Design Collective, 3 designers who met whilst studying horticulture and garden design who have since begun to work together, valuing the experience of being a team.
They bring different strengths from their previous careers and they span 3 different decades: 30’s, 40’s and soon to be 50’s! And because there are 3 of them they don’t ever have ‘stalemate’ over a plant or planting decision. Listen out for one ‘ugly plant’ that tested this theory!
Sally-Ann Rees on the left, Will Murray on the right and Kate Campbell in the middle
They are designing the Plant Heritage - Missing Collector Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the All About Plants category. I think I am right in saying that this is the first time that Chelsea have had a trio of designers working on a garden. The garden is supported by Project Giving Back, which was the idea of two private individuals who between 2022 and 2026 have funded 63 charity gardens. This is the last year of PGB.
So what does the Missing Collector Garden look like.
As suggested by the name of the garden, there are still garden plants that need to be in a National Collection, protected so they don’t get lost like Clematis ‘Miriam Markham’. As you will hear in this episode, there are some garden favourites that surprisingly are still looking for a collector.
Over the next few Offshoot episodes we’ll be delving deeper into the design and meeting some of the people who have contributed to it. We’ll be speaking to a National Collection holder who has supplied thalictrums and the amazing couple who have grown the chair you can see in this image. And yes I did say ‘grown the chair’.
In other news, this morning (if you have opened this newsletter on Friday) I am off to Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. A listener, Jo, got in touch with a lovely story in what sounds like the most extraordinary location. It is always very exciting when plant stories come from listeners, as have the first three of season 4.
The other very good news re recording this story is that it doesn’t matter how much it rains on Friday because I will be standing in a one acre garden under cover!
Have a lovely weekend
Sally
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