Monday 27th April - Getting Creative!

A pouring wet Monday - what a contrast to the weekend - Hope it's not like this for Chelsea. Having spent the day feeling cold and damp demonstrating Creative Containers at Chichester it occurred to me that this was just how I felt during last year's Chelsea set up: not as warm as I would like to be, but inspired by putting plants together.

It's funny how you can start out with ideas of what you are going to do, but as soon as you come into contact with a selection of plants you get inspired and start creating new combinations. I really liked the mixture of the softly striped Phormium 'Gold Ray' with Heuchera 'Beauty Colour with its olive and green marbled leaves in a deep green glazed pot. I threw in a little Vinca minor 'Illumination for good measure. As ever its bright gold and green leaves on trailing stems were a crowd pleaser.

I have used a lot of Berberis thunbergii 'Admiration' recently. At this stage a young plant is a twiggy ball of glowing flame leaves studded with creamy gem-like flowers. Today I put it in a burnished red shining pot and, although I say it myself, it was a feb. combination.

Losing the Plot arrived from the printers at the end of last week. Its always thrilling to see a new book you have written in the flesh. The fact that it is a hard back book makes it all the more special and I signed the first copy today - that's two down and only another x thousand to go. Actually if everyone who says they are going to buy it are true to their word it should do very well.

I do feel slightly nauseous at the thought that one week on friday we will have started on site. Sue and I are planning a couple of days getting packed up and ready to roll this week - that's when you really start to discover what you have not done yet. All will be revealed.

Anyway the most important details are organised: champagne ordered, glasses and tables and invitations to press launch on their way to the printers - now all we have to do is build something for people to look at - simple...............

Monday 20th April 2009 - Less than a month to go!

A great start to the week - the sun is shining and have just been on a tour of inspection of the Chelsea plants with Ricky. The weekend sunshine has brought things on apace. Hostas that were barely above the surfce of the compost last thursday are now almost in full leaf. Rhododendrons and azaleas break into flower daily and are hurried into cold storage to halt their progress. The roses are starting to show some bud so should be fine if they keep moving. The acers look better than ever with a heavy canopy of fresh foliage.

Rick has some fantastic yellow magnolias (could be 'Yellow Bird' or 'Yellow River') in cold store. We looked at one on the tree lines, its creamy yellow flowers like huge tulips against a blue sky. If the hold for the show they will be a show stopper but too early to count one's chickens!
And now the hornbeam arches - we are still debating whether to use them or not. These are great big arches grown and trained on our Andlers Ash tree nursery. They are probably 3.5 metres high in their pots and quite magnificent. Only problem is they were lifted and rootballed and dropped into containers this season so there is an element of risk in how they will react at being dragged off to Chelsea. One arch looks good at the moment - I want to use it over my Grand Designs staircase surrounded by layers of frothy white Viburnum plicatum 'Mariesii'. We will reassess in a couple of weeks. We do have alternative plans and two more established hornbeam spirals are likely to play a leading role whatever we decide.

One thing I love about Chelsea is that it makes you look closely at the plants you are working with and I always discover something new. Ricky has a few plants of Acer palmatum 'Wilson's Dwarf'. Beautiful copper-red sparkling, pointed leaves on a compact plant make this ideal for a pot or a smaller garden - I like it - I want one. I always think that's a good measure of a plant with sales appeal.

After the nursery - and I must admit my pre-Chelsea "How on earth are we ever going to pull all this together" mood is now changing to excitement and enthusiasm, I spoke to Mehrdad.
This talented guy has produced some fabulous water sculptures for me over the years. He's sent me a sketch of this year's masterpiece: like a clump of bamboo in copper with lilac and gold glass flowerbuds. I already envisage it rising from a pool of soft lilac rhododendrons and pale golden azaleas punctuated by burgundy foliage.

How many days is it until Christmas?

Or do I mean Chelsea. Just like the 25th December it creeps up on you unexpectedly. Had just started to enjoy the spring sunshine and get on with some gardening and its almost time to pack my bags and head for London.

Gardening for the time of your life……………………

Hillier Garden Centres and Nurseries at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show 2009.

Chelsea 2009 is all about Great British Gardening. Hillier have been at the forefront of British Gardening for nearly 150 years supplying Great British plants for Great British gardens.

The garden is central to the life of every gardener from the moment he or she acquires his or her first window box. However a garden changes with the stages in a gardener’s life, and it soon becomes a reflection of his or her personality and lifestyle. Whatever design elements are employed, and however large or small the garden the plants are the most important feature. Their selection, association and cultivation are essential to the success of the garden as a whole.

The Hillier exhibit for Chelsea 2009 is a journey through the life of a British gardener from First Base, to Surviving Suburbia to Coping with Kids. Then comes the sheer indulgence of Grand Designs before Losing the Plot; the stage when it becomes necessary to downsize and plan for low maintenance, without compromising the impact and appearance of the garden.

Losing the Plot is a new book by Andrew McIndoe, designer of the Hillier Chelsea exhibit for the past 20 years. In this book he explores how to make this stage in your gardening life the most rewarding of all by designing for lower maintenance and selecting the very best plants to do the job. This is not a time in your gardening life to wait for results, but likewise you do not want to spend all your time and energy exercising control over the plants you have so carefully chosen.

The exhibit, once again on the prestigious Monument site at the heart of The Great Floral Pavilion, will feature all five gardens woven together in a tapestry of colour and texture trimmed with design ideas.

Hillier are holders of The Guiness Book of world Records title for the most Gold Medals won at The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show. 2008 saw the company win its 63rd consecutive Gold Medal for ‘Sail for Gold’, a garden exhibit celebrating the success of Skandia Team GBR – The Great British Sailing Team.

Andrew McIndoe
Managing Director, Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres
Designer, Hillier at Chelsea 2009