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With news the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will move to September, most exhibitors are upbeat at the prospect.
Designer and TV presenter Joe Swift said of the event, which will now run from September 21 to 26, “It’s a very wise move. It will give us a different palette of plants, with spicy colours. It will look very different.”
GN’s Medwyn Williams added: “It’s better for us, as our vegetables will be grown naturally, without lights, although varieties already planted for May will now go to waste.”
Other nursery exhibitors will be similarly challenged, particularly those with plants performing in spring, such as auriculas, alpines or bulbs.
The September show will still span six days instead of five, with reduced visitor numbers. An RHS Virtual Chelsea Flower Show will still be held online during the May show week. “We know the autumn dates may not be suitable for everyone, but with our fantastic industry partners we will do everything we can to support them,” said RHS Director General Sue Biggs.
■ With the RHS Malvern Spring Festival on May 5 - 9 also now cancelled the Three Counties shows team is planning a special Malvern Autumn Show event on September 25-26. Visit www.rhs.org.uk. important were spring-flowering shrubs and trees, including hawthorn, cotoneaster, sycamore and other species of maple or acer, cherries, plums and heather.
Dr Natasha de Vere, NBGW Head of Conservation and Research, said: “By understanding which plants are the most important sources we can provide recommendations on which plants to grow so honeybees and wild pollinators can thrive.”