The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, the charity who award scholarships to students studying horticulture, and Sparsholt College are working together to bring a garden to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show entitled Plants, Routes & Branches.

The display, in the Floral Marquee, explores the history of plant introductions from the colleges home county of Hampshire, whilst celebrating the impact of prominent horticulturists and the role the college has played. The garden also looks to the future generation of horticulturists, a key function of the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, by exploring the numerous and exciting career routes they may follow. The display aims to signpost the potential career routes and opportunities provided by the horticultural industry. 

As well as sponsoring students at the college, the Foundation is working alongside the students and staff at the college including sourcing plants. Five new plants are incorporated in the garden, all entries into the RHS Plant of the Year competition, including the new Petunia x atkinsiana Nicola from Cambridge based plant breeders, Kerley & Co. Tim Kerley was himself winner of a scholarship and has bred this Petunia and is donating a proportion of the Royalties to the Foundation as his way of saying ‘thank you’. 

Other new plants will also feature in the display, Prunus Starlight a new subhirtella type flowering cherry, and a brand new eating apple named Peter’s Gold, both from tree specialist Frank P Matthews in Worcestershire. The apple was found and developed by the late Peter Seabrook, a founding Trustee  of the charity, and after 10 years of development work is now coming to market for the first time. A donation from the sale of each tree will be made to the Foundation.

The Foundation's podcast Cultivate Your Future, has been following the work of the student, talking to them while they develop aspects of their design, and the final recording will be made once the show is open and you will be able to listen to their journey and all the networking and collaboration they have achieved via the charities website colegraveseabrookfoundation.org.uk

GTN Xtra will be visiting RHS Chelsea Flower Show to photograph the finished garden and meet the student team as well as catching up with the many horticultural and gardening businesses that are talking part in this year’s show.