Home Grown is the way to go
From Home Grown to brilliant plants, Hampton is THE place to discover the Best of British, says Jim Buttress VMH, vice-chairman of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee and a regular sight at RHS shows when judging in his bowler hat.
"I'm very patriotic," says Jim. "Where else could you see such brilliant examples of British-grown plants."
With Grow Your Own on everybody's lips it's the Home Grown exhibit that took Jim's breath away. "It's absolutely superb," he said. "There's a huge amount of people involved in getting together a exhibit of that size - you'd fit six Chelsea gardens into Home Grown. Just think of the amount of hard work and growing needed to bring it to life."
- Over in the Floral Marquee, the UK Horticulture stand is also one to make a beeline for. "Penny Riley has a magical eye for design. All the pyramids for the displays are made using aluminium struts from defunct greenhouses, and the vegetables are all UK grown."
- The Plant Heritage Marquee is another must. "The story they're telling is compelling and very dramatic. Without people who keep the national collections we'd lose so many varieties of plants."
Easy grow plants - and a British first
Angel pelargoniums are an easy-grow plant that will never let you down, says Jim, who worked for the Royal Parks for more than 25 years. "They're a lovely little plant, and scented too," he said. "Perfect for a newcomer to gardening."
Fir Trees Pelargonium Nursery is showing a new Angel in the Plant Marquee that is the first double-flowered variety to be seen - Pelargonium ‘Quantock Double Diamond’. "Fir Trees are in the Premier League of growers," said Jim. "They always put on a wonderful show of pelargoniums, and you can learn so much from them too."
Angels are perfect for growing on patios, window boxes or even a small area of garden, but they are not hardy - they need bringing into a greenhouse for winter.
Jim's Top Tip: Once you've bought your new Angel pelargonium, move it on immediately into a slightly bigger pot, using John Innes No2 potting compost (available from all good garden centres and nurseries). Jim also recommends that you take cuttings in August or September when you bring it in for the winter. "Then if you do happen to lose it over the winter you'll still got some young plants for next year."