Events

RHS February London Flower Show
13-14 February 2007

Theme: The romantic garden

Report & images: Tim Sandall

The Horticultural Halls had plenty to celebrate this week. While the Lindley Hall staged part of London Fashion Week, the Lawrance Hall held its own spectacular event. A vibrant display of spring flowers and shrubs dressed to impress and delighted the many visitors to the show with a dazzling display of colour.

As well as the floral exhibits, there was a competition of botanical art which attracted exhibitors from all over the world including Australia, Japan, France and the USA.

The floral displays maintained their usual high standard with a variety of exhibits including spring bulbs, snowdrops, restios, conifers, hellebores and a display of Ikebana flower arranging. The judges were also delighted to see such beautiful displays and awarded no less than eight Gold Medals. As the crowds filled the Hall it felt like spring had arrived in abundance.

It was the perfect way to spend Valentine's Day. There was colour to re-ignite a passion for plants and gardening as spring approaches.

Part of the Gold Medal winning display of spring-flowering bulbs from Avon Bulbs (left).

Just some of the trees, shrubs and ornamental plants that made up Burncoose Nurseries' Gold Medal wining display (right).

Churchtown Nurseries' Gold Medal winning display of restios (left).

Crowds gather to admire the Gold Medal winning display from Edrom Nurseries (right).

Some of the beautiful woodland plants from Farmyard Nurseries that helped them win a Gold Medal (left).

H W Hyde and Son staged this dramatic display of lilies and was rewarded with a Gold Medal (right).

This exhibit from P W Plants of bamboos and woody plants helped the nursery win a Gold Medal (left).

The Gold Medal winning display entitled The Romantic Garden staged by NAFAS (right).

The winners

Gold

Avon Bulbs: Spring-flowering bulbs
Burncoose Nurseries: Trees, shrubs & ornamental plants
Churchtown Nurseries: Restios
Edrom Nursery: Snowdrops & woodland plants
Farmyard Nurseries: Woodland plants
H W Hyde & Son: Lilies
NAFAS: The romantic garden
P W Plants: Bamboo & woody plants

Silver-Gilt Flora

Bluebell Arboretum & Nursery: Trees & shrubs
Broadleigh Gardens: Cyclamen, snowdrops, crocus, iris & daffodils
Choice Landscapes: Conifers
Harveys Garden Plants: Hellebores
Pembroke Farm Nursery: Succulents & exotics
Potash Nursery: Primroses
Trehane Camellia Nursery: Camellias, pieris & vacciniums

Silver-Gilt Grenfell

Ichiyo School of Ikebana: Ikebana flower arranging

Silver-Gilt Lindley

Southcombe Gardens: Willow

Silver Flora

Jacques Amand International: Winter- & spring-flowering bulbs
The Botanic Nursery: Woody plants
Dibleys Nurseries: Begonias, gesneriads & houseplants
Fibrex Nurseries: Hederas, hellebores & ferns
Foxgrove Plants: Galanthus
The Old Walled Garden: Tender & conservatory shrubs & climbers
Orchid Society of Great Britain: Container plants
Pottertons Nursery/Peter Orme Landscapes: Early spring-flowering bulbs & alpines
Brian & Pearl Sulman: Pelargoniums
Wilford Bulb Co: Lilies & hippeastrum

Bronze Flora

Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants: Early spring-flowering herbaceous perennials
Pennard Plants: Plants from the Southern Hemisphere
Rougham Hall Nurseries: Primroses

Botanical art

Gold

Yvonne Arnsdorf: Watercolour & colour pencil 'botanical elegance'
Lara Call Gastinger: Ten walks in Virginia
Keiko Sasaki: Watercolour rubus

Silver-Gilt Grenfell

Nina Barranca: Trees & shrubs of Holland Park in coloured pencil & graphite
Wendy Brockman: Watercolour autumn oaks
Kumiko Kosuda: Watercolour plants of Mt Fuji
Patricia Newman: Pencil & watercolour
Harue Takumi: Watercolour peonies
Jane Wright: Watercolour leaves on vellum

Silver Grenfell

Sylvia Balch: Rhododendrons of Stourhead gardens
Bathsheba Keren Hartrey: Watercolour flowers of the eastern Himalaya
Wendy Hollender: Botanical art
Sue McLean: Native terrestial orchids of Victoria, Australia
John Pastoriza Pinol: Botanique - Art rare plants

Bronze Grenfell

Vanda Adamson: Wild hedgerow species in flower & fruit
Jacqueline Farvacques: Botanical art
Stella Hewitt: Botanical art