RHS Journals
The Garden
May 2006
A slice of Rosemoor at Chelsea
RHS Garden Rosemoor is preparing its first garden for the Chelsea Flower Show. Sustainably constructed, it will provide a distinctive feel easily recognised by regular visitors to Rosemoor. Merriel Gardiner visits Devon to uncover more
Images: RHS Rosemoor staff
Though it has Victorian roots, the story of RHS Garden Rosemoor really begins with Lady Anne Berry in the 1940s. It was she, in collecting plants on travels around the world, who began shaping the garden as it is today.
The RHS acquired the site in 1990, and it is now home to a diverse range of plants, including National Plant Collections of Cornus and Ilex. Tucked away in the steep wooded Torridge Valley, surrounded by the rolling hills of north Devon, even some locals remain unaware of its presence.
Eager to raise the profile of Rosemoor, its team of 20 gardeners, headed by Pete Earl (Senior Supervisor), Helen Round (Superintendent) and Andy Smith (Senior Gardener) decided to create a showcase for Rosemoor: a representation of the garden to inform and inspire potential visitors. It was their ambition that one day it would become an exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
By way of preparation, Rosemoor exhibited at the bustling Devon County Show in 2003. This experience fuelled enthusiasm and the team returned in 2004 when they were awarded Best Show Garden. Recognition for their efforts, combined with a positive public response, made creating a show garden at Chelsea a distinct possibility.
After much consideration the team decided to submit a design, building on the success of their previous show gardens. ‘If anything, there was increased pressure on us to do well,’ says Pete. ‘After all, the Society has traditionally hosted these events, but has never had an exhibit representing one of its own gardens.’
With no guarantee of the plans being accepted, summer 2005 turned into autumn before the Rosemoor gardeners learned that their design had been approved. The exhibit was at last set to become reality and the team could begin preparations for Chelsea.
A quart into a pint pot
Compared to Rosemoor’s impressive 16ha of ornamental garden (26ha including the wider estate), reflecting the diversity of its plantings within the confines of a small show-garden plot (6.7 x 9.6m) was a challenging task. However four of Rosemoor’s diverse areas - the woodland, meadow, cottage and kitchen gardens - have inspired the team’s design and its planting for Chelsea.
The layout revolves around a traditional cottage-style thatched shelter from which radiate areas with different planting styles, each divided by curving pathways (made of gravel or brick) and a dry-stone wall planted with alpines. Bright, massed, cottage-style plantings of roses, Digitalis and Iris will lead into a shaded woodland area with ferns, ivies and Geranium.
A section of turf cut from the expanse of Lady Anne’s Meadow will form the wildflower meadow. Rich in varied wild flora, it will be returned to the garden after the show. The fruit and vegetable area is to be contained by neat willow hurdles and crammed with delights selected for their edible and aesthetic qualities.
A key theme for the display will be sustainability, and to demonstrate this each part of the garden has been carefully planned. ‘All our construction materials have been salvaged or are locally sourced,’ says Pete. Examples include oak trees felled from Rosemoor’s River Wood used for the cottage shelter framework; local sandstone from a derelict wall re-used in the garden’s dry-stone wall; and reed for the thatch from a supplier in the next village.
Plants for the garden have been nurtured in the nursery area of Rosemoor and will be replanted into the garden after the show exhibit has been dismantled. All craftsmanship involved in construction will be undertaken by members of the show team.
The logistics
Rosemoor is sending three lorries from the narrow lanes of Devon to the busy streets of London: two for plants and one for hard materials. The latter will travel up first, with plants arriving later to keep them as fresh as possible. At any one time, five staff are allocated to construct the exhibit, which is anticipated to take two days to build and a day to plant. During show week, four staff will be on hand to talk to the public and distribute leaflets about the garden.
The planting schedule is expected to be hectic; ‘we can’t afford to be at the show for longer than absolutely necessary,’ says Pete. The staff are all on a rolling rota, scheduled to work different days so Rosemoor is not left short of staff.
Early indications promise that this exhibit at RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be well worth the extra effort involved. ‘I hope if visitors take away one thing from the exhibit it is inspiration; the inspiration both to visit and then create beautiful gardens, such as those found in the scenic countryside of the West Country,’ Pete says.
Merriel Gardiner is Trainee Horticultural Journalist for The Garden
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