This plant won’t be going to Chelsea

Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire was checking the plants in one of her tunnels yesterday. These are the plants that she’s been carefully nurturing for months for the Chelsea Flower Show in a couple of weeks time.

She was trying to decide if she should keep her prize Rheum for her own display in the Great Pavilion or lend it to Show sponsors Marshalls for their Show Garden - “The Marshalls Garden That Kids Really Want!”.  It’s such a perfect specimen that designer Ian Dexter was desperate to have it for Marshalls.

But as soon as Rosy discovered a Mother blackbird sitting on half a dozen eggs the decision was made. The plant stays put at the nursery in Hampshire!

(Not the greatest picture, I know. Just a quick snap so as not to disturb mother blackbird for too long. For US readers - a blackbird is like a robin without the red chest. More on robins next time.)

Fortunately, stocks of the two new plants Hardy's are introducing at Chelsea are unencumbered by surprise wildlife. And both look good. Campanula carpatica ‘Jenny’ has large, cup-shaped white flowers with a distinct blue central eye while the tall Gaura lindheimeri ‘Rosyjane’ has white flowers with a bright pink edge to each petal. Lovely.