As the garden retail industry’s most beloved charity, Greenfingers’ inaugural presence at the forthcoming RHS Chelsea Flower Show is something we can all take great pride in. Here the charity reveals further details about its proposed planting scheme, something the charity is encouraging retailers to offer in-store to help consumers recreate the ‘Chelsea look’ within their own garden spaces. 

The Greenfingers Charity Garden, designed by Kate Gould for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will feature a soothing palette of green and white, with little explosions of yellow. Featuring trees, shrubs and beautiful flowering bulbs and plants, the garden will be a feast for all the senses, created to provide a sense of tranquillity, where life-limited children and their families can experience an uplifting and interactive garden experience.  

Featuring a dual-level design, over 2,000 plants will be used, made up of over 60 different species, including trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, grasses, annuals and bulbs.

Linda Petrons, Greenfingers’ Director of Fundraising & Communications, said: “The Greenfingers Charity Garden on Main Avenue (336) is going to be truly stunning. It will be a true festival of textures and gorgeous soft whites and greens, beautifully accented by splashes of yellow that capture the eye. And what’s really great about the planting scheme is that it is incredibly easy to replicate aspects of it, making it easy to add a touch of Chelsea in your own garden.

“With this in mind, we are encouraging retailers to consider a new merchandising idea to support our RHS Chelsea debut, whilst also helping to drive sales within the plant area this festival season. By grouping these plants – or similar varieties together – and adding some simple merchandising support material, retailers can make it so easy for consumers to recreate their own corner of Chelsea.”

One of the most exciting stars of the show will be the Aspidistra elatior, commonly known as the Cast Iron Plant. More commonly known as an indoor plant, the Greenfingers garden will be breaking tradition and placing it outdoors, demonstrative of the relatively unknown hardiness of the plant, and how a new generation of gardeners are pushing the boundaries.

Additionally, the garden will be featuring a new plant Choisya ‘Greenfingers’;  a beautiful evergreen shrub that enjoys a blanket of delicate white flowers. Thanks to Peter Catt, a donation from every sale of Choisya ‘Greenfingers’ will go directly to the charity, enabling it to continue to build even more gardens at children’s hospices throughout the UK.

Other popular varieties on display at Greenfingers’ RHS Chelsea show garden will be David Austin’s Rosa 'Claire Austin', Iris ‘Benton Primrose’, Lupinus 'Gallery Yellow', Paeonia ‘White Emperor', Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen’ and RHS Plant of the year 2011, Anemone ‘Wild Swan’. Look out for hardy tropicals, textured foliage and grasses such as Carex 'Ice Dance’, the neon green of Deschampsia 'Tatra Gold’, the ‘furry’ Stipa tenuifolia, plus the topiarised domes of Carpinus betulus and Taxus baccata.

To find out more about Greenfingers Charity, and how to get involved in a range of fundraising events please email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

You can also join in the conversation by joining Greenfingers on social media - https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/, @GreenfingersCha on Twitter, and @Greenfingerscharity on Instagram and LinkedIn.