Suttons Celebrate Heritage & Modern Varieties At Chelsea
At Chelsea this year Suttons will be showing all sorts of varieties of heritage and modern day flowers and vegetables in 'The Secret Garden of Past and Present'.
Chelsea is celebrating 100 years in 2013 and our garden is entitled 'The Secret Garden Of Past & Present'. Working together to bring this to Chelsea 2013 are Suttons Seeds,Paignton Zoo, Solardome Industries, Hydrogarden and Horticolous Landscape & Garden Design. The garden will firstly show the public a garden of 100 years ago. It will take them back into the past with the setting, old glass house, building materials and in the main, plants of the era to include wow factor vegetables and a cutting garden of that time. The garden will be cleverly set so they will be taken by surprise as it leads them into a modern day garden which will have a superb Solardome® Glasshouse within which we are using novel and new growing techniques supplied by Hydrogarden.
T&M raises £3,000 for charity
Team completes Grand East Anglia Run
By successfully completing the Grand East Anglia Run this weekend, a team from Thompson & Morgan has raised close to £3,000 for the charity Greenfingers, bringing the total raised to over £45,000. The annual 10k run is set in King’s Lynn and is a one lap course around this historic Norfolk town, starting and finishing in the picturesque market place. Amongst the 1,500 runners taking part in the run were Thompson & Morgan employees Craig Simpson, Paul Sauntson, Mark Tibbenham, Martin Fox, Louise Girling and husband and wife team, Paul and Ruth Hansord. Once all the money pledged is collected, the team will have raised around £3,000 through sponsorship by friends, family, work colleagues and suppliers. ‘It was quite a challenge as the North Norfolk sun was beating down pretty hard on Sunday morning’, said horticultural director, Paul Hansord, ‘but we’re really pleased to be able to send another cheque to Greenfingers’. The team would like to thank everyone who supported them. Thompson & Morgan has already raised over £45,000 for Greenfingers which designs and creates inspiring outdoor spaces for children with life-limiting conditions. The charity has recently created a garden at the Children’s Hospice in Thompson & Morgan’s home town of Ipswich
as part of its Treehouse Appeal. Thompson & Morgan has raised money for Greenfingers
through cake sales, staff-sponsored events and
competitions, as well as a number of plant sales.
Anyone wishing to boost the final total can do so by visiting the JustGiving page http:/www.justgiving.com/ThompsonMorgan
Royal Horticultural Society Appoints New Head of Science
The former Horticultural Science Curator at the Eden Project has been named as the new Head of Science at the world’s largest gardening charity, the Royal Horticultural Society.
Dr Alistair Griffiths, who will take up his role with the RHS on 20 May, spent a decade at the world-famous Eden Project in Cornwall managing a team of scientists as they tackled the unique horticultural challenges that life in the biospheres threw their way.
As Head of Science at the RHS, Alistair will be responsible for ensuring that the charity remains at the forefront of horticulture by using science to influence its own practice and, through sharing knowledge, help gardeners make the best decisions for their gardens and the environment.
Upon Alistair’s appointment, the acting Head of Science Dr John David will return to his previous role as Chief Scientist of the Royal Horticultural Society.
With no other charity investing as much of its resources into the science of horticulture, Alistair will be leading a highly skilled team that is focused on furthering horticultural knowledge and sharing this information with gardeners at all levels throughout the UK.
Speaking about his appointment, Alistair said: “I am excited about working with everyone at the RHS and others in the horticulture world to raise the profile of horticultural science. I look forward to leading scientific research that will provide members and gardeners with information to create beautiful, sustainable gardens that maximise environmental benefit and human wellbeing.”
RHS Director General Sue Biggs said: “We are delighted to have Alistair join the RHS as the new Head of Science and to be a member of the Leadership Team. His wealth of horticultural science experience and the skills he developed at the Eden Project will benefit our extensive ambitions for science going forward.
“Alistair will be leading a team of talented and motivated scientists, and together will help our members and gardeners face an ever-changing horticultural and environmental world.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr John David for his brilliant work as Acting Head of Science," said Sue. "His knowledge, skills and experience have meant the RHS has enjoyed a seamless transition between the two permanent Heads of Science, and I know he is longing to get back to his scientific research.”
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Biochar compost to help save water in Crabtree & Evelyn’s 'Avant Garden' Chelsea Fringe pop-up
Carbon Gold, the world’s leading biochar company, has provided biochar-based compost for an innovative pop-up herb garden to celebrate the 2013 Chelsea Fringe Festival.
Designed by garden designer and rising star Emma Coleman, ‘The Avant Garden’, a signature project for the Chelsea Fringe, will be positioned on Covent Garden’s West Piazza from 17 May to 9 June.
Water conservation and management is a core theme within the garden’s design. The biochar-based compost from Carbon Gold will save on watering as biochar can absorb up to six times its own weight in water.
The garden is sponsored by Crabtree & Evelyn who are celebrating 15-years of their Gardeners Collection. The planting has been inspired by herbs that feature in the Gardeners Collection including rosemary, thyme and sage. An apple tree, which is native to Britain, will be a central feature.
The Avant Garden project partners - Carbon Gold, The Herb Society and Waterwise - in association with GrowUp Gardening will be on site on allocated days to offer advice to visitors on using biochar in the garden, growing herbs, and conserving water. Visitors will be able to learn and engage with the plants on display via QR codes.
Commenting on the project Craig Sams, founder of Carbon Gold, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival. This herb garden offers Londoners a chance to enjoy an accessible slice of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.”
Designer Emma Coleman, said: “I wanted to create an installation with the quality and standards of an RHS Chelsea Show Garden but with a degree of public engagement.”?