CHELSEA LIVE - Sailing for Gold 2008

On your marks.... 

  

Although preparations for the Hillier Chelsea exhibit take almost a year, it is in the last two weeks run up to the show that the action moves apace. Final preparations at the nursery are completed as the plants are loaded ready for the journey to London. There are around 3,500 individual plants for the Hillier exhibit and lots more for other exhibits and gardens at the World’s greatest flower show. On site construction starts just ten days before the show opens. As soon as the main features are in place the exhibit starts to take shape.

Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’, a regular Chelsea Star looks fresh and appealing in the early morning sunshine. As the leaf canopy develops on plants like this they become very thirsty and need watering two or three times a day.

Eucalyptus perriniana, the spinning gum, is one of the more exotic subjects now widely grown in our gardens. Each year sees the ascension of another plant to Chelsea star class. We all feel certain that this will be one of this year’s winners that grasp the attention of visitors to the show.

Plants awaiting their week of fame enjoy the welcome May sunshine that arrives just in time to coax the roses, lavenders and other beauties into flower. The cold spring and poor light were cause for concern during April.

These Tamarix ramosissima have bloomed just in time and, although they were not originally chosen for the exhibit, their performance has guaranteed them a place at the show.

Loading takes time and care. All plants are now in perfect condition and irreplaceable. This wonderful acer is a regular showgoer.

By Tuesday, exactly a week before the show opens, the stage is set, ready for the arrival of the plants. The race is on from Wednesday morning to move all the players into place to create a winning garden. On your marks…

 

Welcome Aboard

These bright cheery beach huts are the backdrop to this patriotic planting in red, white and blue. Bright red floribunda roses ‘Star of Britain’, ‘Lili Marlene’ and ‘Help for Heroes’ sing out amongst soft santolina, lavender, artemisia and Convolvulus cneorum. Pinus nigra, Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. debeuzvillei, Hippophae rhamnoides and Eucalyptus perriniana, all trees suitable for coastal conditions frame the picture. The fluffy scarlet bottlebrush flowers of Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ are bound to attract attention. To keep a plant compact and floriferous like this one, prune back to behind the flowerheads once they have faded.

The path along the front of the beach huts is made from crushed shell. This is very environmentally friendly and is made from the by product of the shellfish industry. The huts are painted in Cuprinol Garden Shades: Jasmine White, Barleywood Blue and Seagrass. The latter has also been used for the timber edging around the exhibit.

The brand new floribunda rose ‘Star of Britain’ is the real star of the show. It has produced a mass of velvety scarlet blooms bang on cue and promises to be a garden favourite for years to come. During staging it caught the eye of passers by and our sailing stars from Skandia Team GBR are proud to have such an outstanding performer named in their honour.

 Sail For Gold

The sail, created by Aura sits majestically alongside the monument. The eleven metre mast towers above the eucalypts and nearly reaches the roof of the pavilion. It is one of the most ambitious structures we have attempted at Chelsea Flower Show.

The medals by organicstone in bronze, silver and gold sparkle amongst waves of Festuca glauca, Carex comans ‘Bronze’ and Carex brunnea ‘Jenneke’. Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’ and Astelia nervosa ‘Westland’ with their broader bolder leaves add definition to the planting.

The Hillier Team Chelsea 2008. Just like Skandia Team GBR we have our eyes on gold.

The magnificent glass sail by Mehrdad Tafreshi of Quist in partnership with Colin and Julia Webster is the last feature to move into place at the front of the exhibit. Reaching over three metres in height, it is heavy and takes a team effort to raise it into position.

Pots and Birches

Some plant combinations come together so naturally that they often feature in The Hillier Chelsea exhibit. Rhododendron ‘Horizon Monarch’ and the deciduous azalea Rhododendron ‘Cannon’s Double’ both have warm tones of peach, toffee and cream and are just made for each other. The silver blue foliage of Eucalyptus perrinniana and the soft bronze young foliage of Trochodendron araliodes make exciting planting partners beneath the leafy canopy of Betula utilis var. jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’. These multi-stemmed specimens would make perfect trees for the smaller garden where the white stems and coppery twigs provide interest throughout the year and the leaves cast light, dappled shade.

These attractive pots, with their irregular cream and coffee glaze add a focal point amidst the planting. They showcase Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’, Astelia nervosa ‘Westland’, Nandina domestica ‘Fire Power’ and the blue-green fern Polypodium ‘Sticta’.

Phormiums feature prominently in the exhibit, partly because of their popularity and versatility and also because they are such useful plants near the coast. Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri ‘Tricolor’ has a soft and subtle variegation of cream, sage and dark red which sits comfortably in many schemes. Here the dramatic form of the phormiums contrasts with the soft and pretty blooms of the floribunda rose ‘Champagne Dream’. The rich tones of Heuchera ‘Peach Flambe’ add warmth and richness to the scheme.