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Chelsea Flower Show

We’re delighted to be featuring at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

Kingston Maurward College is delighted to announce that it has been selected to build a garden at the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.

Following enormous success with a silver gilt award at the renowned show in 2019, Kingston Maurward has once again joined up with local plant growers and suppliers to celebrate Dorset horticulture with a garden in this year’s Sanctuary Gardens category.

Using a visit to Kingston Maurward’s sister garden La Mortola, (The Hanbury Botanical Gardens) in Italy, as inspiration, the College’s own garden designer and lecturer, Michelle Brown, took ideas from these and the gardens of the French Riviera to create a space which fuses styles from Dorset and Europe. The theme is a melodic fusion of shade, light and movement, with emphasis on contrasting heights and depths throughout.

Much of the preparation will be done at the College’s Dorchester estate in the run up to the event, which takes place 24th – 28th May 2022; students are making the sub frame for the elevated walkways, platforms and dynamic Social Den structure and entrance archway with the Blacksmithing & Welding department; Construction & Horticulture students will be preparing Western Red Cedar sourced locally for the platforms, and sanctuary boundary fences. These boundaries are made up of windblown branches and trees and provide a refuge for wildlife.

Horticulture staff and students are busily rearing and culturing the many herbaceous, resticos, and hardy exotic plants for the build in the week running up to the Show. Five metre Trachycarpus palm trees and a mixture of Bamboos, Acers, Magnolias, will be some of the feature plants.

For the build itself and the duration of the show, staff and students and sponsors Goulds Garden Centre, Poundbury Garden Centre, and Holme for Gardens will oversee the day to day running of the event, which expects around 168,000 visitors over the four days. The show is organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, of which the Queen is patron, and traditionally takes place mid-May every year.

Project Lead and Head of Horticulture, Joanna Jeffery, and Designer, Michelle Brown, said: “We are really excited to be collaborating with our local garden industry and proud to show what our college can create, whilst highlighting climate change and sustainability. We are also keen to demonstrate our contribution towards zero waste by sourcing as many materials as we can from Kingston Maurward College’s 750 acre estate, and ensuring our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.”

Michelle & Joanna

Michelle Brown, Garden Designer & Lecturer and Joanna Jeffery, Head of Horticulture

Elevation drawing of new plan for Chelsea Flower Show.

Chelsea Flower Show Drawing plans.

Master plan of Chelsea Flower Show.

Day 1

Day 1 of set up – larger plants and the walkway framework have been placed in position ahead of organising the rest of the layout.
Posted 12th May 2022

Odette - welding

Odette is a College student who has been welding the post which will form part of the structure for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 5th May 2022

Final preparations

Final preparations are underway at the College ahead of the set up of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Posted 29th April 2022

Final preparations

Final preparations are underway at the College ahead of the set up of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Posted 29th April 2022

Final preparations

Final preparations are underway at the College ahead of the set up of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Posted 29th April 2022

Kyle welding

Kyle has been welding the post which will form the structure in the garden.
Posted 29th April 2022

RHS Chelsea

One month to go and our teams are busy organising plants and logistics ahead of the Cheslea Flower Show!
Posted 24th April 2022

Set Up

Our Horticulture staff and students have been laying out the garden in preparation for the full installation!
Posted 21st April 2022

Welding Workshop

The team have been back in the welding workshop and working hard on constructing elements.
Posted 1st April 2022

Welding workshop

The team have been back in the welding workshop and working hard on constructing elements such as the entrance step.
Posted 1st April 2022

Potting plants

Our Horticulture students have been busy potting plants ready for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 10th March 2022

Plant Delivery

Our Horticulture students have been busy potting plants ready for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 10th March 2022

Walkway

Our Blacksmithing, Welding and Fabrication students have been assisting on constructing the walkway frame.
Posted 8th March 2022

Plant Delivery

We were delighted to receive our first plant delivery from The Gardens Group for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 4th March 2022

Plant Delivery

We were delighted to receive our first plant delivery from The Gardens Group for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 4th March 2022

Plant delivery

We were delighted to receive our first plant delivery from The Gardens Group for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted 4th March 2022

Decking Frame

Welding, Fabrication & Blacksmithing student Dean has been helping with the decking frame.
Posted 21st February 2022

Chelsea Design

Our Head of Horticulture Joanna & Garden Designer Michelle have been busy visiting our garden site to carry out a survey of ground levels.
Posted 19th February 2022

Marking Out

Our Level 3 Horticulture students have been busy marking out the design to establish the scale of the design.
Posted 16th February 2022

Chelsea Team

We have a brilliant team who are working hard behind the scenes in order to get ready for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Posted 10th February 2022

Plant Week

The Digitalis ‘Silver Fox’, is a regular performer at the traditional May Chelsea Flower Show. This silver and grey foxglove is beautiful and elegant, growing in dappled shades.
Posted 30th January 2022

Plant Week

The often unrecognised, delightful Loreopetalum, also known as Ruby Snow, was a showstopper in our 2019 Chelsea Garden, although this time we are trying the beautiful white variation.
Posted on 29th January 2022

Plant Week

The Buxus sempervirens provide ‘full stops’ amongst a relaxed and flowing planting scheme.
Posted on 28th January 2022

Plant Week

The low growing grass, Hakoneochloa aureola, has striking yellow and green striped leaves which provide a splash of brightness along the edges of the paths.
Posted 27th January 2022

Plant Week

The Betula utilis ‘Jacquemontii’ is a ghostly white form of our familiar Silver Birch tree, with the multi-stems glowing with bright white bark.
Posted on 26th January 2022

Plant Week

The Dasylirion longiflium is a plant for warmer gardens, unusual, sculptural and one to watch for the future.
Posted on 25th January 2022

Plant Week

This week, we will highlighting the plants which will feature in our Sanctuary Garden. The Trachycarpus Fortunei is a statement plant, giving height, tropical vibes and adds a sense of drama and opulence to any garden.
Posted on 24th January 2022

Sanctuary Garden

Plans are underway for our Sanctuary Garden titled ‘The Space Within Garden’. The garden is described as ‘a secret jungle of foliage planting inspired by the sub-tropical gardens of the Mediterranean and punctuated by specimen architectural plants and trees.
Posted on 20th January 2022

Supporting suppliers

We’re delighted to announce that we are  joining up with local plant growers and suppliers to celebrate Dorset horticulture with a garden in this year’s Sanctuary Gardens category at Chelsea Flower Show.
Posted on 14th January 2022

Throwback Thursday

We are delighted to be exhibiting this year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 in The Sanctuary Gardens category. Find out more at: http://ow.ly/bNCa50HrXSk
Posted 13th January 2022

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