Selling smiles

Floral Fantasia at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex is just one of ahandful of places in the UK wheregardeners and the industrycan see for themselves great newvarieties to grow and sell. For garden centre owners and teams, avisit is an enjoyable waytogain knowledge of newseasonal plant introductions, shrubs and perennials likely to be in planterias in 2024 and beyond. Fornurserygrowers it can help with making decisions on future production.

Across between an inspirationalgarden and trials ground, it was initially created in 2018 by Thomson &Morgan. Ayear later it wastaken under thewing of thelategarden writer PeterSeabrook, who filled itwith plants from hisdisplay at BBC Gardeners’ World Live.With additional funding he helped financeanapprenticeMolli Christman, who still manages this centre of excellencefor seasonal plants, andstrengthenedlinks with theRHS andFleurselect, an international organisation which evaluates and promotes ornamentalsand edibles.TodayPeter’s legacy of ‘selling smiles’lives on throughFloral Fantasiawhich is nowsupported by the RHS and theindustry.

Michael Smith,Director of nearbynursery WD Smith in Battlesbridge, is part of the industryworking group helping to raisefunds to keep Floral Fountasia blooming.Examples of contributions include those from thesalesof sweet peasnamed after Peterand sold by Kings andChrisWiley. Thegroup also haspromotion ideas including anew logo which gardencentres can use in theirplanterias when sellingplantsthat haveperformed well in Floral Fantasia.

Another idea being worked to generate publicity is to promotethe visitor favourites as theyalready come with aseal of approval from the public. These People’sChoiceplants are Calendula ‘Candyman Orange’, Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cappuccino’, Pansy Mystic ‘Blue Whiskers’and Viola ‘Bel Viso YellowJumpUp’ andV.‘RockyBlack’.

As well as breeders and growers sending plants for independent evaluation at Floral Fantasia, the Fleuroselect Plant of the Year is also trialled here as well as othersites in the UK, Germany,Ireland and France. For 2023,it’sthe turn of salvia which arealso evaluated four times ayear as partofthe RHS AwardofGardenMerit programme. “Wehave101 salvias in the trial but are only just scratching the surfaceofwhat’s available,”says Mandy Tout,Trials Officer. Next year sunflowers will be the focus of the trial, particularly shorterforms better suited to small gardens.

Planned redesign

In the future, the RHS has plans to resight Floral Fantasia but in the meantime designer James Alexander-Sinclair is working on a refreshed layout so it continuestoappeal and inspiregardeners while also working as atrialsarea. “I really believe that having the Floral Fantasia at RHS Garden Hyde Hall and it being redesigned by James AlexanderSinclair shows enormous supportfromthe RHS,” says Michael.

Formoreinformation and to supportFloral Fantasia email: michael@wdsmith.com

To visit Floral Fantasia see: www.rhs.org.uk/hydehall