THE Hardy Plant Society’s Kent group is staging a celebration of the Kent landscape at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Downs to Dungeness display will feature the various types of garden which can be seen in Kent and link them to some of the important and influential gardens and nurseries, plantsmen and women, past and present, who are associated with the county and the well loved plants they have introduced that flourish in gardens everywhere.

The geology and soil types in Kent include chalk in the area of the North Downs, clay soil in the Weald, light more acidic soils to the west of the county and dunes and shingle along the coastal areas. This varied landscape allows a great diversity of plants to be grown and gardens of different character to be created.

Divided into different areas, the display shows some of the different soil types and habitats and regional architectural features of Kent.

The county is well known for some beautiful gardens and notable garden designers and these are reflected in the different areas of the display.

A selection of plants on display has been introduced by plantspeople of Kent or are plants that have links with Kent, including: Geranium phaeum Samobor, collected in Croatia by Elizabeth Strangman of Washfield nursery, Kent; Astrantia major Ruby Wedding, also from Washfield nursery; Viola Nellie Britton, named after the founder of Washfield; Abutilon Kentish Belle, raised at Hever Castle; Clematis bred at the nursery of Cripps and Sons of Tunbridge Wells in the second half of the 19th century; Disporum megalanthum, introduced by Graham Gough of who found it in China 10 years ago; Hosta Silver Spray which arose as a seedling from a packet of mixed seeds by one of Kent HPS members; Buddleia davidii Florence arose as a sport in a nursery in Kent and has variegated leaf.

Most of the plants have been grown by HPS Kent members with a selection coming from local nurseries. Plants are being dug from gardens all over Kent for the display.

A welcome return for the bees

Downderry Nursery’s Chelsea exhibit, The Beekeeper’s Garden, is inspired by the wealth of wildlife, particularly bees that smother lavender and the welcome return of the humble honey bee following devastating varroa mites.

There will be a breathtaking range of lavender on display at Chelsea. Hardy lavender for the border, frost hardy for specimen planting and pots and half-hardy for patio and conservatory.

Downderry Nursery in Hadlow, Tonbridge, is set within a walled garden. The wonderful display garden is bursting with more than 200 different types of lavender and rosemary from four continents.

The owner of the nursery, Dr Simon Charlesworth, said: “There are three beehives at Downderry so we can produce our own honey in the future.”

This garden is set in stone

One of the show gardens, The Pavestone Garden, is designed by Geoffrey Whiten of Geoffrey Whiten & Associates, Walmer, Deal.

The Pavestone Garden is a traditional, even classic, garden design with an easy informal style. Distinct areas provide space for outdoor living, seating and space for relaxation.

Water is an important natural element of the garden. A still pool with waterside planting and drifts of pebbles in the foreground give an air of tranquillity. A dramatic boulder outcrop draws the eye up from the pool. the scene is framed by dense, lush planting.

A mass of rhododendrons, conifers, evergreen and sword-shaped foliage give the garden a dramatic feel.