This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will look to promote a much more sustainable approach to gardens with every show garden taking into consideration the way that plants and materials have been sourced, grown and used. It is also the first year that there will be a garden completely founded on organic principles. Designed by Tom Massey for family-owned organic dairy company Yeo Valley with plants grown by Hortus Loci and advice from the Soil Association, the garden will bring together a tapestry of plants with the aim of encouraging wildlife and supporting pollinators.
Join our reader day held at the nursery Hortus Loci, where all of Tom’s plants are being grown to strict organic specifications – no last-minute substitutions allowed in this garden, so the stakes are high, but vital in showing visitors exactly what can be achieved with organic gardening methods. On the day, you’ll see all the plants being grown just before they head up to the show ground, hear from Tom Massey about his design and the challenges involved as well as hearing from Yeo Valley’s Sarah Mead and head gardener Andi Strachan about how the principles from their garden in Somerset have been translated to a Chelsea show garden – plus gain lots of advice on how to garden more sustainably and organically yourself. Your day includes a delicious lunch and time to browse the nursery and make your own plant selections with a special £5 discount voucher.
Event details
Price £85 per person, including lunch and refreshments.
Date Friday 24 April 2020
Venue The Plant Centre, Hortus Loci, Hound Green, Hook, Hampshire RG27 8LQ
Programme
10am Arrival, coffee and cake
10.30am Guided tour of the nursery and Chelsea plant stock beds
12 noon Lunch provided by on-site Hobo.co Artican Café and Kitchen
1.30pm Tom Massey, Sarah Mead and Andi Strachan talk about the Yeo Valley Organic Garden at Chelsea
For the rest of the afternoon you are free to explore the nursery and buy plants with your special £5 discount voucher. You can also sign up on the day for a loyalty card entitling you to a 10 per cent discount for further purchases at The Plant Centre Hortus Loci. Tickets and directions will be sent out prior to the event. Booking is essential. Please advise us of any dietary or accessibility requirements.
Book online here
Tel (UK) 0871 230 7156†, (Overseas) +44 115 896 0368.
* A transaction fee applies to posted tickets.
† Calls to this number from a BT landline will cost no more than 13p per minute. Calls from mobiles and other providers may vary.
The speakers
Tom Massey has already had show garden success with award-winning designs at Hampton Court, Chelsea and the Singapore Garden Festival. His gardens stand out for their clever combination of hard and soft landscaping.
Sarah Mead is creative director at Yeo Valley and created the six-and-a-half-acre organic garden at the family farm at Blagdon in Somerset that has inspired Tom's Chelsea design.
Andi Strachan is head gardener of the organic garden at Yeo Valley and enjoys the challenge that organic gardening sets in establishing beneficial relationships with nature in seeking solutions and inspiration.
Mark Straver and Robin Wallis set up Hortus Loci in 2011. The nursery has become known for its expertise in sourcing a wide range of plants from around the world and working with designers to supply plants for their show gardens, including all of the plants for the Yeo Valley organic show garden.