Sparsholt College’s The People Plants, sponsored by charity Plant Heritage, was awarded a prestigious silver medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.
The People’s Plants, housed within the Discovery inside The Great Pavilion, represents the story of Plant Heritage’s National Plant Collections: Past, Present and Future.
It is a showcase for the range of plants held within the charity’s Plant Guardians, National Plant Collections®.
A team of horticulture students, led by horticultural expert Chris Bird, designed and created The People’s Plants.
It tells the story of Plant Heritage’s ‘past’ with the garden highlighting groups of plants that have been traditionally collected such as Rosa, Hosta and Salvia.
The current work of Plant Heritage and its members were the focus for the ‘present’, with National Collections from Hampshire sites providing a snapshot of this national organisation; the Threatened Plants Project and Plant Guardian Scheme.
Finally, for the ‘future’, the garden highlights potential new collections including the Hampshire and Isle of Wight apples and some of the most wanted genera not currently presented in National Collections.
Sarah Quarterman, Plant Heritage chief executive, said: “We are thrilled to be the sponsor of Sparsholt College’s display this year and for The People’s Plants to receive a silver medal is the icing on the cake.
“It has been an exciting experience partnering with the team of students and Chris Bird, and we are grateful for all their hard work and efforts into bringing our plant cultivation and conservation story to life.
“We hope visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show make it a priority to find out more about how anyone with a passion for plants can become involved in our plant cultivation and conservation schemes.”
Lecturer Chris Bird added: “We are thrilled and proud to have been awarded a silver medal at RHS Chelsea which is this country’s most prestigious flower show.
“We are keen to tell the Plant Heritage story and hope our garden will inspire others to become involved in the conservation of cultivated plants.
“For our students, exhibiting here culminates two years of study during which they have acquired the skills and know-how for a career in the horticulture industry.
“And whether embarking on their professional careers or progressing on to the degree course, they each have an RHS Chelsea silver medal as testimony to their talents.”
Twenty Plant Heritage Collection Holders also picked up 14 gold medals, 4 silver-gilt and 2 silver for their fantastic displays within The Great Pavilion:
Gold medal winners:
- Ashwood Nurseries, Kingswinford, West Midlands
- Brookfield Plants, Ashford, Kent
- David Austin Roses, Wolverhampton, West Midlands
- Downderry Nursery, Wallington, Kent
- Every Picture Tells A Story, Liverpool, Merseyside
- Fibrex Nurseries, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
- Hewitt-Cooper Carnivorous Plants, Somerset
- Hoyland Plant Centre, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- National Dahlia Collection, Penzance, Cornwall
- Peter Beales Roses, Attleborough, Norfolk
- com, Crewe, Cheshire
- The Botanic Nursery, Melksham, Wiltshire
- Tynings Climbers, Clevedon, North Somerset
Silver-gilt medal winners:
- Floyds Climbers & Clematis, Calne, Wiltshire
- Hogarth Hostas, Wokingham, Berkshire
- RBG Edinburgh (part of the RHS Rhododendron, Camellia and Magnolia Group), Canterbury, Kent
- T3 Plants – Wall End Nursery, Leominster, Herefordshire
Silver medal winners:
- Bowdens, Okehampton, Devon
- Claire Austin Hardy Plants, Newtown, Powys
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