a very eco-sense RHS FLOWER SHOW CARDIFF A chat with some of the local growers showing at the Bute Park flower festival

HELLO PETAL!

John Mather goes digging around at the RHS Flower Show Cardiff

Springing up in the centre of the capital from 17 – 19 April is the RHS Flower Show Cardiff . Now in its 5th year and found in Bute Park, the show celebrates the best of springtime, inspiring gardeners to creatively use their outdoor spaces, and encourages visitors to learn and grow as gardeners. Along with blooms, botanicals, bunches of fl owers, and a plant-packed fl oral marYuee, there’s a shopping to be had, a host of demonstrations and workshops to enjoy. Here we meet some of the homegrown talent on display DIBLEYS NURSERIES is a family-run nursery, which was named Master Grower at RHS Cardiff in 2018. It’s owned by brother and sister Gareth and Lynne Dibley. Why RHS Flower Show Cardiff? As a rural business based in 4lanelidan, North East Wales, surrounded by beautiful countryside but far away from even the closest shop, RHS Flower Show Cardiff is a valuable opportunity for us to promote our business and share our award-winning collection of indoor plants with visitors at the show. One of our bestselling plants is Streptocarpus »Cariad’, the Welsh for love or darling, which was bred by 4ynne and launched at RHS Cardiff in 25. How had RHS Cardiff changed over the years? We have seen RHS Flower Show Cardiff develop over the years into a lovely rural fair in the heart of a city, which helps represents the Welsh capital. Dibleys has won four Gold and eight Silver Gilt Medals in its time at RHS Cardiff . How do you ensure your plants are show ready in time for RHS Cardiff each year? April is a challenging time for us to get our plants into fl ower. We grow them under glass so we can control the temperature, but plenty of spring sunshine is still needed to encourage plants to grow. At this year’s show, 4ynne will create a display based on the concept of living walls. What’s your spring gardening tip? Now’s the time to either, pot up your houseplants into slightly bigger pots using good houseplant compost, or start feeding plants. Foliage plants need a high nitrogen food whilst fl owering plants need a regular feeding of a high potash food. ROUALEYN FUCHSIAS is based in Trefriw and specialises in fuchsias. It is by three generations of Jones’ – Doug and Gwyneth Jones and their son Colin, and Colin’s daughter, Bethan What do you like about the RHS Flower Show Cardiff? RHS Cardiff has always been a fi rm favourite with Roualeyn, presenting the fi rst major opportunity of the season to meet regular customers and to welcome new ones to the joys of fuchsias. We love the show for its spring colour and the start-of-the-season buzz amongst our fellow growers. How do you get fuchsias ready in time for display? April is actually very early for fuchsias to be in colour, so it is a massive challenge for us to get them grown and fl owering out of season. Growing lights are used at staggered times during the winter months to help. Roualeyn Fuchsias has won six Gold and eight Silver Gilt Medals at RHS Cardiff over the past 5 years. Any near misses whilst displaying? One year our carefully and precisely loaded lorry broke down en route to the show.

Having made every eff ort not to jostle the blooms during the journey, it was with some trepidation that we watched the entire lorry being hoisted up and down on a garage inspection lift. Fortunately, no fl owers were damaged in the process and they made it safely to the showground. RSPB CYMRU are the Welsh arm of the national conservation charity and are focussed on creating homes for nature on their reserves and campaigning for the protection of nature in law How has the RHS Flower Show Cardiff helped with your message? We have found that visitors really connect with our cause and our work and are extremely passionate about the great outdoors. We really enjoy the fun, friendly atmosphere of the show and fi nd that interest in our projects continues to rise year on year. What questions are you asked the most at the show? For the last 5 years it has consistently been »How do I encourage wildlife to visit my garden?’ and »Which plants are best for bees, butterfl ies, and insects?’ “We love the show for its spring colour and the start-of-theseason buzz amongst our fellow growers”

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dibleys Nursery Master Grower Display in the fl oral marquee at the RHS Flower Show Cardiff in 2018; Gwyneth, Doug, Bethan and Colin Jones at Rouleyn Fuschias; Champion RHS Master Grower Adrian Scamp displaying his family’s award winning daffodils; The Xardin Urban Gallery designed by Brent Purtell at last year’s show; The wildlife friendly installation of RSPB Cymru in 2014; Hattie Sherwood admires the tulip contenders from under her spring bonnet which was created by fl orist Jonathan Moseley

What can visitors expect from RSPB Cymru this year? We have been part of the design team for the Taff Bank Garden, which is designed to represent the riverside habitats found with the three river systems in Cardiff . With this exhibition, we hope we will help raise awareness of the pressures and benefi ts of the habitat to the people living in the city.