Herald - Issue 414

Page 50 • The HERALD • 28th October 2021 v GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE HERALD v Fred Hurst 023 8084 2191 or 07761 467217 • Grass Cutting • Garden Clearance • Hedge Cutting • Fallen Trees Cleared • Mini Digger Hire with Operator • Property Clearance • Small Demolition • Tractor Flail Cutting FULLY INSURED v FREE QUOTATIONS | DOWN THE GARDEN PATH | ALLIUM ‘LAVENDER BUBBLES’ WOWS JUDGES AT RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW With the return of visitors allowed to the later than normal RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Fairweather’s jumped at the chance to enter a plant. It wasn’t di cult to decide which plant was to be entered as Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’, had won earlier in the year at the HTA Virtual Plant Awards, not only ‘Best in Category’ but ‘Best in Show’ too! At Chelsea the plant can’t be entered by a Nursery so Patrick Fairweather and Peter Seabrook MBE, made the decision to enter the Allium in collaboration. Peter Seabrook is a BritishGardenwriter and television broadcaster with a love of plant introductions. Every year Peter displays the nest examples of horticulture by many top growers in the Grand Pavilion, through the Sun newspaper. e decision to put forward this plant was not unnoticed by the judges as it was shortlisted to the top 20, beating hundreds of other entries. en on the nal judging day, it was just pipped at the post by a rather wonderful Cercis canadensis ‘Eternal Flame’. ey were informed that the decision was a tough one as Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ was the real winner with gardeners because is produces its deep purple orbs of owers in August (rather than in spring, like most other alliums). Patrick Fairweather says: “At 2ft high, this rhizomatous allium is perennial and the grey foliage has an attractive twist, so, given a sunny position, it will light up the dog days of August. It came out of a breeding programme at Walters Gardens in Michigan in the United States, so it’s terrifically hardy, perfect in containers and for a smaller garden”. Plants are available to buy at Fairweather’s Garden Centre and via: www.fairweathers.co.uk Woodlands Gardening Club meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings start at 7.30pm at Hanger Farm in Totton, and their next meeting takes place on Tuesday 9th November for a talk by Lyn Miles titled ‘A Love of Snowdrops’. Visitors will be very welcome at £2.50; formore information about the club, call Susanna on: 023 8029 2953. Patrick Fairweather with firm favourite Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ A Love of Snowdrops