The Garden Reveal
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, opens its doors to the public today - this is one of the gardening world's great horticultural moments - drawing around 157,000 visitors to the 23 acre site grounds of the Royal Hospital. First held in 1913, Chelsea has spent over a century inspiring gardeners and growers to showcase the very best in horticulture, all competing for the coveted Chelsea Gold Medal.
The Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden
This year, watch out for the Missing Collector Garden, built by the charity Plant Heritage, sponsored by Project Giving Back - their first ever Chelsea garden.
Designed by Sally-Anne Rees, Kate Campbell and William Murray, from the Planting Design Collective, the garden conjures a mysterious gardener who has just stepped away from his precious plant collection. It aims to shine a light on how many beloved garden plants remain unprotected by national collections.
After 18 months of planning, it's finally being revealed to public and judges alike.
After spread sheets too numerous to count and multiple visits to the nursery which was growing on the plants, the build began 'on site' just 2 weeks ago. One of the biggest challenges is that the site is very small, especially when it is full of forklift trucks and articulated lorries unloading construction materials and people in hi-vis jackets!
I caught up with Will, Sally and Kate, in a quiet moment, discovering that the most important bit of kit is not a gardening tool. You’ll need to listen to find out what it is!
And then I returned to the site on Press Day to talk to them about their finished garden.
If you have listened to the Chair Farmer episode you will remember I asked Alice Munro if she had a wish list of people she would like to sit on the chair. Judy Dench was on that list!
I have made three earlier episodes exploring how this garden came to life - conversations with the designers, CEO Gwen Hines , a National Collection holder and the chair farmer. Do take a listen as it confirms, if confirmation was ever needed, the skill, passion and teamwork that has gone into this Missing Collector Garden. And now that garden will take forward the message that our garden plants are precious and we need to take care of them.
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