East Devon blooms at the Chelsea Flower Show

For the second year running, plants from Otter Nurseries will be entrancing visitors to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The East Devon plant specialist is supplying all the flowers for the crowd-stopping Robert James trade display garden.

The garden, sited just outside the main flower marquee, is being created around a stunning collection of bronze sculptures and water features based on quintessentially English literary characters.

This year’s display at Chelsea will unveil a new figure, Christopher Robin from the AA Milne Winnie the Pooh books. He will feature alongside regulars such as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories.

The sculptures are designed by illustrator James Coplestone out of the Robert James Workshop in Tatworth. James is visiting Ottery St Mary in early May to meet with Otter Nurseries grower Roz Govier.

“I’m hoping this year’s garden design will be based around a pink peony,” explained James.

“However, it’s very exciting as I won’t know for sure until Roz tells me which plants are at their peak - it may be another flower altogether.”

As many as 300 plants from the garden centre’s own growing nurseries will be shipped off to West London for the garden set up on May 12. The Otter Nurseries growing team is renowned for using biological methods for pest control rather than chemicals, resulting in healthy, enduring plants that will look their best for the duration of the show, taking place on 20 ‒ 24 May.

Otter Nurseries MD Jacqui Taylor, said: “I am delighted that our plants will once again be a part of the Chelsea Flower Show.

“The team at Otter Nurseries feels a particular affinity to the show this year as it’s the 50th anniversary of RHS Britain in Bloom and our own 50th birthday,” she added.