Woodland Plants

Now that it is January I am getting anxious about the lack of plants for my Chelsea design and pay a visit to Chris Merchant at Orchard Dene, near my home town of Henley on Thames. We spend an extremely productive hour talking through plant combinations  suitable for a woodland setting, as well as considering the use of colour to contrast and combine with other features of the garden. I am concerned that mostly 9cm pot sizes will not have enough time left to grow on to be suitable for Chelsea in May and after failing to find a suitable place to grow the plants on locally to me I enquire with Crocus.

Peter Clay suggests that I pay Crocus a visit and I spend a happy couple of hours being shown around the extensive nursery. I get a little bit of plant envy (!) when I see Sarah Prices' Chelsea plants all growing on in the tunnels, having been potted on in the Autumn. I am relieved to be told that Crocus are happy to source, pot and grow on in tunnels and deliver to Chelsea for me. I am now looking forward to my next visit.....