It's just under a week until the Plant Heritage Missing Collector garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be revealed to the world on press day. Amidst the spectacle, it's easy to forget the hard work and dedication of plant growers.
Find out about those growing plants for our first show garden here. If you're at Chelsea, why not visit the Plant Heritage zone on the east side of the Great Pavilion to meet some of our National Collection holders and get their advice about growing some of your favourite plants.
Simone Daye, Fiona Butcher and Diana Nicholas, National Collection of Wisteria species and cultivars
Luci Skinner, National Collection of Pelargonium species, hybrids and Scented-leaved
Jonathan Sheppard, National Collection of Cosmos bipinnatus cultivars
Barry Clarke, National Collection of Rubus species
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Wisteria - joint display of National Collections held by Fiona Butcher of Cumbria Wisteria and Brantwood for their first Chelsea: Fiona started collecting Wisteria in 2000 and has held a National Collection of species and cultivars since 2016. As the Collection expanded, Brantwood - the former home of painter John Ruskin - agreed to join in, and their Wisteria are planted in mixed borders around the house and gardens.
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Pelargonium species, hybrids and scented leaved, Luci Skinner: Another first-time exhibitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Luci has been growing Pelargonium for the past 15 years and is particularly devoted to the small leaved species and scented leaf varieties, which are sure to attract the public's attention. Her Collection is duplicated at Woottens of Wenhaston, which is a great way to help keep it safe.
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Cosmos bipinnatus cultivars: Jonathan Sheppard is back for his third consecutive RHS Chelsea Flower Show after his gold medal winning display last year. His Cosmos for Chelsea are all grown by him from seed in Lincolnshire. Jonathan rightly highlights the importance of recognising growers' hard work amidst the showmanship of Chelsea, and is a great advocate for sustainability (his plants are grown peat free, and watered using harvested rainwater).
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Rubus species, Barry Clarke: Barry Clarke's provided some Rubus with interesting foliage for the Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden. He's also doing his own stand in the Great Pavilion. Rubus is more commonly known as blackberry, raspberry and brambles and there are around 1,000 different species. Barry is a botanist for the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire, which has 14 National Collections of its own and will have a display at the new RHS show at Badminton in July. Barry also has National Collections of Asclepias and Gomphocarpus and Calycanthus.
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Digitalis, Terry and Mary Baker developed their National Collection of foxgloves alongside their business, The Botanic Nursery. Now retired, Mary has become a regular exhibitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower show with eye catching displays that encourage the public to appreciate the beauty and variety in this plant group.
Around a dozen other top class plant nurseries who hold Plant Heritage National Plant Collections will be doing their own displays in the Great Pavilion, from David Austin roses to Dibleys houseplants, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary and have National Collections of Petrocosmea, Streptocarpus and Streptocarpus (Saintpaulia). Veteran showman Jonathan Hogarth of Hogarth Hosta will be displaying his educational display of small and miniature Hosta, focusing on how to grow them successfully and protect them from those dreaded slugs and snails.
Search all the National Plant Collections here. Find out more about starting a National Plant Collection here.