Contents
of the Winter 2010 Northants News
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Cacti and
Succulents at Chelsea Roland
Tebbenham |
I made my annual
visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Fewer cacti and succulent plants were evident in the outdoor gardens than
in past years, but there were some interesting displays for me to enjoy in the
great pavilion. The sunny weather
and light breeze were much appreciated – it was an ideal day for visiting a
spectacular show.
| The larger outdoor
gardens were quite restrained with greens and soft colours forming the
backbone of many designs in contrast to many darker blues and violets used
in recent years. All
prospective exhibitors must describe a theme that their garden will
interpret. The only garden to
use a range of succulent plants was that sponsored by Foreign and Colonial
Investments; it was inspired by Voltaire’s satire ‘Candide’.
The layout employed a Mediterranean Turkish theme, the hard
landscaping and sculptures picking up events from the book.
The garden won a Silver-Gilt Medal.
The garden description included the statement
‘With the addition of furniture and pots, this garden becomes a
practical design that could easily be a success in the warmer parts of the
UK.’ I reckon that is a fair
statement given the use of Aeonium,
Aloe, Beschorneria, Echeveria
and Yucca amongst other hardier trees, shrubs and herbaceous
subjects. Candide’s final
words in the book are “…
il faut cultivar nôtre jardin.”
They imply that the only way to reach fulfilment is through hard
work: something with which we horticulturalists are very familiar! |
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Two C&S suppliers
staged displays in the pavilion: Craig House Cacti won their second Gold
Medal for a display (left) including a wide selection of both cacti and
succulent plants. Southfield
Nurseries won their twenty-fourth consecutive Gold Medal for a stunning
arrangement of flowering cacti, including some new hybrids (right).
Many visitors stopped to admire both displays and ask questions; so
very well done to Stan Griffen, Bryan Goodey and their teams of helpers. |
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| By contrast Fernwood Nurseries showed pans of Sempervivum, quite restrained when comparing the subtle
mixture of green, red and bronze foliage to the gaudy flowers on many
other stands. They are
National Collection holders of Sempervivum and included both species and hybrids on a fine
island site. The large mixed
bowls were particularly striking and the display won a Gold Medal.
The picture shows one mixed pan including three large rosettes of S
‘Lion King’ in the foreground. |
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One compulsory visit
for me was to the Kirstenbosch stand. The
theme was the biodiversity of indigenous South African wildflowers and plants.
If you were following the BBC coverage of Chelsea, you may have heard
that the plant material was held up in customs for many days.
Being imprisoned in a metal shipping container under hot sun is bad for
plants, despite the succulence of some! Despite
those tribulations the team completed their display just in time for judging.
I think the customs delay was one reason that it won only a Silver Medal
this year, in contrast to many Golds in past years.
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The large stand area featured many succulent
subjects developing the theme of biodiversity.
This was expressed in particular areas showing fynbos,
desert/succulent karoo and savannah biomes.
There were more detailed areas showing variation within genera (Euphorbia,
Gasteria and
Sansevieria), and also species, notably of Protea cultivars. Some larger Aloe and Euphorbia
species provided structure, bulbs and mesembs were used as ground cover
with their colourful flowers. Dried
branches, fruits and seeds are always used, further enhancing the
depiction of diversity within the overall arrangement.
This was a superb display and the people on hand were knowledgeable
and helpful. |
I have not mentioned
the other floral displays, scientific section, and floristry in the great
pavilion, also the other interesting gardens, both large and small.
You can see and buy greenhouses, fruit cages, fountains, furniture,
machinery and sundries. Furthermore
if you wanted a sculpture and had £20k to spare you could order a massive
bronze snail that would not graze on your Hostas and Echeverias!
There are so many things to see at RHS Chelsea, do visit the show at
least once in your gardening career.
Roland
