6 minute read
Chelsea Trends 2022
Gardening trends kicked off at Chelsea
Awards for sustainable products, on-trend colours and merchandising ideas hint at a good summer’s trading ahead.
Returning to its traditional week in mid-May, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was awash with inspiration for customers, regardless of the size of garden, and ideas for retailers to help boost sales of plants and products for the summer ahead. GTN brings you news from the show, and inspiration and ideas from the gardens and trade stands to use back at the garden centre helping capture the imagination of consumers.
Royal reds, regal purples, pinks and whites were the favoured plant colours of the Show Gardens with lupins, roses and foxgloves providing much of the eyecatching spectacle. Of note was the deep claret poppy called ‘Lauren’s grape’ loved not only by show visitors but also Chelsea’s resident bees which found it an irresistible draw. It featured on several gardens as did David Austin’s beautiful English shrub rose ‘Desdemona’ of the softest white and the deep purple lupin ‘Masterpiece’. Lupins of all colours were very much in evidence too.
Keeping with the purple theme, it was a deep claret semponium (a cross between a sempervivum and aeonium) that took the prize of Chelsea Plant of the Year. Bred by Surreal Succulents in Penzance, drought tolerant x Semponium ‘Destiny’ has rosettes around 60cm across and leaves keep their dark purple colouring all year round. Yellow flowers are an added attraction and once mature, the plant will begin to branch.
Second place went to a long flowering (seven-eight months) pink thrift Armeria pseudarmeria ‘Dreamland’ with the third prize going to Salvia ‘Pink Amistad’ a relation of the popular purple/blue flowering Salvia ‘Amistad’.
Tribute to Peter Seabrook
Plants from Peter’s garden plus his wellingtons, overalls and one of his signature ties graced a display in the
Molli Christman, Neil Gow, Val Christman and Alan Titchmarsh enjoy Peter’s tribute display and the new sweet pea.
Roses and lupins on The Perennial Garden With Love Garden which was given The People’s Choice Award. Right: Poppy ‘Lauren’s grape. Peter Seabrook was a founding Trustee of the David Colegrave Foundation which supports students studying horticulture in the UK and Ireland and champions horticultural careers. It was fitting, therefore, that Peter’s son Richard was welcomed to the Foundation as a new Trustee.
With the help of companies and organisations within the industry such as Blue Diamond Garden Centres and the British Protected Ornamentals Association, the David Colegrave Foundation has this year already awarded bursaries of more than £25,000 to 11 students.
Great Pavilion to celebrate his life in gardening. Designed to represent a corner of his garden, it featured plants Peter had championed and included hard landscaping elements such as paving and a pergola all of which had been used for previous Chelsea exhibits. Created by Neil Gow, Val Christman and her daughter Molli, it also featured a new sweet pea called ‘Peter Seabrook’ bred by Chris Wiley a bunch of which was presented to by HM the Queen. Seed is currently only available through the Precious Plants website with £1 from each sale going towards the Floral Fantasia which Peter set up at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex.
At the stand, Alan Titchmarsh fondly remembered Peter and said: “He was a real fighter for horticulture and for getting children interested, not forcing them. But just showing them what gardening had to offer. Chelsea has come back and reminded people just what this industry and horticulture and the British public owe to Peter Seabrook.”
A boost for Greenfingers
British Garden Centres (BGC) made a pledge to raise £25,000 in time for the 25th anniversary of the Greenfingers Charity in 2024, and happily has already achieved its goal. It presented a cheque for £25,000 to Greenfingers Charity which was further boosted with £5000 from sales during the flower show of the new hydrangea ‘Red Butterfly’. The cultivar was introduced by BGC to celebrate its new butterfly logo and plants will soon be available in all its plantarias.
Jeff Colegrave (left) Chairman of the Trustees with Roger Seabrook.
L-R. Abigail and Amy Stubbs, daughters of BGC joint founders, Linda Petrons, Greenfingers Director of Funding and Communications and Sue Allen, Greenfingers Chairman.
A new formular of peat-free John Innes 1,2 and 3 growing media created for Dobbies scooped the top spot in the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year competition. Rated ‘A’ under the Responsible Sourcing Scheme, it’s the retailer’s own brand of John Innes based composts and compliments its existing peat free alternatives. Judge Deborah Meadon said the vote was unanimous among the panel and was helped by the retailer illustrating scalability of the growing media and sustainability throughout all parts of the product’s journey. “It was a vintage year this “year,” said Deborah Meadon who agreed that changing the award to one focussing on sustainability was a good move. “It’s helped people tell their story in a better way, you know, so we can understand deeply, what is it about their product that’s different?”
The growing media also helped Dobbies win the RHS Assessor’s Award for Retail Innovation which was new this year.
The Dobbies exhibit, with its green walls and roof, patio herb garden and a sprinkling of exotics such as lemons and grapefruit trees was also recognised with a five-star rating. This is the third year running it has received this award. Contributions for the exhibit from companies including Burgon & Ball, Carbon Gold, Twool and Floreac were appreciated.
Deborah Meadon with Marcus Eyles, Dobbies Horticultural Director and Graeme Jenkins, Dobbies CEO celebrate winning the 2022 RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year competition.
Gardena AquaBloom – a solar powered watering system. Gardena Ecoline Range of accessories and tools made from at least 65% recycled plastic. Twool Sustainable Tree & Shrub Tie made from undyed wool. Niwai metal frog to replace floral foam use in flower arranging. The ‘Bloom’ Ocean Plastic Pot Series made from fishing industry plastic waste. Casa by Oxley’s furniture made from recycled aluminium. Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Liquid All Purpose Plant Food from a vegan recipe in recycled and recyclable bottles. Dalefoot Compost, Wool Compost Double Strength with enough feed to last a growing season, and its premium Wool Compost for Potting.
All three awards displayed on the Dobbies exhibit.
Five months of flowers gives Taylors its 27th consecutive Gold medal
Out of the 18000 bulbs grown in controlled conditions since December for the flower show, 1000 made it to the stand and were expertly arranged by the Taylors team resulting in the company’s 27th consecutive Gold medal. The 34 cultivars displayed covered flowering times from January through to May and included ‘Filly’ a particular favourite of Mary Berry when she visited the stand and orange and white ‘Tricollet’, the only one on display with a split corona.
L-R Ian Clarke, Charlotte Daubney, Hayley Taylor and Adam Taylor.
