Award winning nursery woman and gardening writer, Claire Austin, will be returning to the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time since 2016.
The Powys based gardener from Sarn, near Montomgery, will be celebrating her 40 year career in horticulture and the fortieth anniversary of her first visit to the show.
She and her team at Claire Austin Hardy Plants will be staging two judged exhibits next to one another at Chelsea’s Great Pavilion.
Claire’s preparations for Chelsea have been filmed by the BBC for a feature that will be aired during the BBC’s coverage of the Flower Show, as well as a live interview from the finished exhibit.
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She said: “I’ve got a great team helping me prepare for Chelsea this year, including my husband and business partner Ric, plus Rachel and Charlotte, who cannot wait to get the plants down to the show this Thursday to set up ahead of Press Day.
“The spring weather is always a challenge in preparing our exhibits.
“Irises need warm weather to bloom naturally and peonies need light. It’s been a pretty cold spring so we’re hoping for a bit of a warm spell for the irises to open in time for judging.”
Each exhibit will celebrate the specialisms of Claire’s acclaimed plant nursery at White Hopton Farm, with one shining a spotlight on irises and the other will showcase hardy perennials and peonies.
The Iris Courtyard Garden exhibit will be planted with over 50 varieties of bearded irises in a wide range of colours from pure white and pale pink to dark blues and blacks, as well as everything in between.
The Perennial Courtyard Garden promises to be a contemporary twist on the cottage garden, inspired by Claire’s front garden at White Hopton Farm, creating a tapestry of late spring flowering perennials punctuated by early season peonies.
For Powys based flower lovers, Claire and Ric will be opening their flower fields and private gardens for charity on Thursday, June 8 and Friday, June 9, between 10am and 4pm.
Visitors are invited to explore the gardens at White Hopton Farm for an entrance fee of £7.
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