V
ISITORS to RHS Wisley will
now be able to buy a huge
range of rare unusual plants,
many from specialist nurseries,
which are not readily available, and
know their purchases are helping those
nurseries to survive. The new plant
centre covers 5,000sqm and will stock
tens of thousands of plants, making it
the largest selection of rare plants for
purchase in the UK.
In an impassioned speech, Alan
Titchmarsh said: “I’ve promised to
support specialist UK growers. This
Welcome centre will be a chance
for an ever-changing group of specialist
nurserymen and women to show off
their plants and growing skills, which
are vital to the future of the planet.”
Alan praises amateur gardeners
Alan then addressed Britain’s amateur
gardeners: “We’re often thought of as no
more than cultivators of windowboxes
and hanging baskets, but we’re so much
6 AMATEUR GARDENING 6 JULY 2019
New RHS ‘Welcome centre’ at Wisley
Got a story?
Call 01252 555138 or
email [email protected]more than that. We are the custodians
of the immediate landscape. Gardeners
are the only interactive naturalists.
We sow, plant and grow.”
AG’s editor Garry Coward-Williams,
said: “The new centre is hugelyimpressive, whether you come to buy
plants, enjoy the restaurant and café, or
buy a gift from the shop. However, it is
Alan’s words that I thought were truly
empowering and inspiring for all of us
amateur gardeners.”Hale and hearty urban garden: a finalist for Britain in Bloom
By Andrea Van-Sittart, RHS Head of
Community OutreachIT’S all systems go for this year’s
69 Britain in Bloom finalists ahead
of judging, which runs from 29 July
to 9 August.
Community gardeners devote
nearly 5,000 hours throughout the
year preparing for the tour by
RHS judges. This can take
up to four hours and
involves inspections of
all the plants to make
sure they are healthy,
deliver seasonal interest
and are ‘the right plant in
the right place’.
As they vie to win their
category, finalists put on a
dazzling array of floral displays while
also aiming to impress with their
green credentials and community
spirit, which each add up to 30% to
their overall score.
Hale Village in Tottenham,
London is among the 2019 finalists.
Competing nationally for the first time,
their entry might be seen as the icingon the cake for this ‘urban village’ that
was largely a brownfield site just seven
years ago.
Sustainability and community are at
the forefront across the development,
with an estate management team
responsible for keeping the outdoor
areas looking good.
New apartments are interspersed
with tree-lined streets, roof
gardens and communal green
spaces currently bursting
with evergreen shrubs
and perennials such as
bergenia, heuchera
and colourful Erysimum
‘Bowles’s Mauve’. The
on-site GP surgery has
borders of fragrant herbs.Balconies planted with edible crops
Inez Hickman, the village’s facilities
and landscape manager, is carefully
planning the judges’ two-and-a-half hour
tour and overseeing the final touches.
She explained: “Residents have
been encouraged to support our bid by
planting up their balconies with edibles
via free seed giveaways. Many are nowHale Village in London is a new urban
development hoping to win this year’s
Britain in Bloom competitionAlan Titchmarsh launches new £22m building with a plant centre, café and restaurant
brimming with beetroot, tomatoes and
salad crop, proving how productive
small spaces can be and how easy it
is for first timers to get growing.”
She hopes the community’s
wild corridor of pollinator-friendly
plants will also score well, as will
an innovative rainwater harvesting
system using the community’s roofs.
There are also regular litter picks to
clean up the half-mile of river frontage.
Find out more about this year’s RHS
Britain in Bloom competition and your
local community gardening group at
rhs.org.uk.nearly 5,000 hours throughout the
year preparing for the tour by
RHS judges. This can takeAs they vie to win their
category, finalists put on aNew apartments are interspersed
with tree-lined streets, roof
gardens and communal green
spaces currently bursting
with evergreen shrubs
and perennials such as
bergenia, heuchera
and colourful
‘Bowles’s Mauve’. The
on-site GP surgery has
borders of fragrant herbs.Main image: The new centre will
have plants from specialist nurseries
for sale. Inset: Alan Titchmarsh
praises amateur gardenersThe right plants in
the right place!impressive, whether you come to buy