21st May | The Garden Diary

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2025 – CHW

Chris from the Restio stand beside us with his new(ish) baby. Babes in arms are allowed in at Chelsea under the Health & Safety rules but not young children!

RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year was Philadelphus ‘Petite Perfume Pink’. Very highly scented and submitted by Sparsholt College.

Quite why out Hydrangea entry for Plant of the Year failed to make the last 20 shortlist when I view this Hydrangea ‘Fairytale White’ (which it isn’t) one will never know.

Rhaphiolepis indica ‘White Cloud’ was however compact and an interesting finalist.

Salvia ‘Peach Melba’ – yet another fairly similar one to the many others.

Rhododendron ‘Pink Star’ would have got my vote although I feel that I have seen it before? Entries to Plant of the Year cannot be offered for sale before the show.

2024 – CHW
Some scenes from the celebrity photocall.

Sir Brian Williamson and Julia Hands.

The family line up (with Giles of course).

Pictures of the gold medal in our hands.

2023 – CHW
Zantedeschia aethiopica full out already. We saw this clump well frosted in December and the leaves turned to mush.

Escallonia bifida now pruned back.

Likewise Escallonia resinosa (a gift from Windsor Great Park but Burncoose used to sell). Plenty of cuttings here shortly.

Maddenia wilsonii has made enormous growth this spring.

When will we learn that evergreens need higher deer fencing. Here Euonymus spraguei killed back but shooting from the base.

And a leafless Euonymus verrucosus.

This young Meliosma beaniana (alba) struggled last summer but seems to have a chance now.

A good clump of Rhododendron ‘Penvose’ at the entrance of Old Park.

Salix hookeriana now in leaf and wonderful white felting on the underside of its leaves.

2022 – CHW
Yesterday afternoon we cut some budded Embothrium for the Chelsea stand which will go with us early today.Magnolia ‘Porcelain Dove’ was just out.

One of the Magnolia dealbata by Georges Hut had two flowers out high up.

Jaimie and the team have just got brave and pruned the two elderly Camellia saluenensis by the ladies loo and all the other camellias along the wall.

So Lizzie and I get to Chelsea and the stand is nearly finished.

However the Iris sibirica ‘Fran’s Gold’, our entry for Plant of the Year, is a bit of a disaster as, in the tent for a week, the leaves are no longer a bright yellow. This is its best feature. Furthermore, as I knew from the outset, an iris is a very difficult thing to show in flower perfectly for any length of time. Most stems on ‘Fran’s Gold’ had two or three flowers with the bottom one opening first and the top one last. After two hours of picking over the plant for the Plant of the Year entry it was clear that we were in a difficult spot even before the leaves turned greenish. Three plants went onto the stand and we eventually selected one for the award and carted it off to be photographed.

This is what ‘Fran’s Gold’ should look like in Jim & Fran Clarke’s garden in Co. Kildare.

2021 – CHW
The first proper group tour (ie paying!) this spring.

First slightly hail damaged flowers out on Magnolia x wieseneri.

Aesculus x bushii just into flower in Kennel Close.

The very last flower on Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ which first came out five and a half months ago.

First ever flower on a magnolia just below Donkey Shoe. An unusual colour and very late but the label has vanished. Need to check 2018/9 planting plans which are with Jaimie for revision at present. [It is Magnolia ‘Pastel Sunset’ x ‘Genie’]