Rosy becomes Chelsea’s top medal winner


Hardy’s winning garden at Chelsea


Rosy Hardy has become the top female medal winning exhibitor at Chelsea with Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants winning their 15th gold medal with their display in May. She has overtaken organic herb farmer Jekka McVicar and the legendary Beth Chatto (now retired) in the medals table.


Hardy’s will also be at Hampton Court Show in July. But not only do they travel all over the country to shows and plant fairs, but they still keep their feet firmly on the ground with their regular attendance at farmers’ markets throughout Hampshire.


Rosy Hardy right with Alan Titchmarsh and other members of the winning team


Their Gaura lindheimeri ‘Ruby Ruby’ came second in the 2010 Plant of the Year at Chelsea. It has been raised as part of a Gaura breeding programme for the past six years. It will be available from the nursery as stocks allow. New plant introductions continue to inspire and motivate Rosemary and this year is no exception with three new plants debuting at Chelsea Flower Show 2010. Rosemary says of her new introductions, “It’s


a little like sending your child off to school for the first time, you have nurtured them from tiny seedlings, watched them grow strong and then taking them to Chelsea to join the competition means letting them go as I have done my bit!”


Star plant launch was Gaillardia ‘Naomi Sunshine’, bred by Hardy’s in aid of Winchester Children’s hospice Naomi House which Rosy has supported for many years. Now available Gaillardia ‘Naomi Sunshine’ is a compact almost dwarf gaillardia in a lovely soft tangerine colour. Very free flowering the plant grows to about 40cm x 50cm, the flowers are about 70mm diameter. This is a good front of border variety or for containers in full sun and any reasonable soil. A royalty on every plant sold will go to Naomi House Hospice.


Burncoose beat the weather to ensure sub tropical plants take gold


Months of planning, designing, and growing paid off for Cornwall’s Burncoose Nurseries by winning Gold Medal for their ‘Voyages of Discovery Garden’ at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.


The garden was inspired by local Cornish family, the Fox family of Falmouth. The Foxs are renowned garden creators who, partly through their connections in the shipping trade, helped to popularise new and interesting plants and also helped to create the concept of Cornwall as a sub-tropical garden.


The influence of plant hunting expeditions on Cornish gardens was showcased in the garden through the design and in the use of planting of sub tropical plants that now thrive in Cornwall.


Burncoose Nurseries owner, Charles Williams, said: “The whole team has worked incredibly hard this year and they have had to contend with harsher than normal weather conditions over this winter. They have created a well designed and fantastically inspired garden which has a great story to tell.


“Every year the standard of exhibits and gardens improves so we are very pleased we have been awarded Gold again this year.” One of the leading medal award winners at RHS Chelsea, Burncoose Nursery has been exhibiting at the show for more than 25 years.


20 Country Gardener


Streptocaropus ‘Harlequin Blue’ was awarded Best Plant in Show at Chelsea


Harlequin Blue takes Plant of the Year award


Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Blue’, with its colours of pale yellow and baby blue, was voted the Plant of the Year by the judges at Chelsea, the first time this award has been given out. It has been raised by Lynne Dibley of Dibleys Nurseries, the family firm of houseplant specialists based in North Wales. It’s the first flat flowing bi-colour streptocarpus, a compact plant with masses of flowers.


Dibleys have now won 20 gold medals for their displays of streptocarpus, begonias and gesneriads. Their nursery at Ruthin is open daily from April to September and it is open on many days during the rest of the year, where their masses of plants make a colourful display if you can’t get to a show. Apart from the nursery, they also have a 10-acre arboretum to stroll in, with specimen trees and shrubs including acers, buddlejas, rhododendrons and hollies – so something colourful to see at any time of the year.


Entrance to the arboretum garden is £3, children free, with openings for the NGS on certain days. There is also a miniature railway which is run around the garden on some Sundays. Check by phone on 01978 790677 to see if it is running.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56