To jog your memory, here is a snapshot of our most recent years at the Chelsea Flower Show.
2011 at Chelsea saw us involved in more great associations on our stand.
Our main stand on MA10 featured our Messenger greenhouse and a conservatory. We strongly feel that the greenhouse was our best yet! Always inspired by the great Victorian greenhouses, and designer of that era Thomas Messenger, it showed more authentic detail than ever before. To compliment the glasshouse, we were joined by National Trust Nymans who, under the watchful eye of Head Gardener Edward Ikin planted the inside beautifully.
Sharing the stand was our take on a modern conservatory kitchen. We joined forces with local kitchen designer Johnny Grey – the pioneer of the ‘unfitted kitchen’ in the 80’s and together created an eye catching and inspiring living space. We had lots of fun on Press Day inviting people to talk about their favourite meal as they played in the kitchen - http://www.flickr.com/photos/alitex/sets/72157626776150666/
It is extremely rewarding to the whole team when we receive the Trophy for stand presentation – and this year was no exception.
Finally we were part of the launch of the National Trust Garden Collection on stand PW38 – showcasing the best of British craftsmanship. Our Hidcote greenhouse planted by Glynn Jones – the Head Gardener of National Trust Hidcote sat in a garden designed by Louise Harries, and was such a success we are planning to exhibit at 2012 Hampton Court Flower Show.
It was a great week – largely blessed with
good weather, and what seemed very busy days, it made for a wonderful atmosphere.
It was great to see so many of you on our stand – seeing old friends, and meeting many new ones.
We had a few changes this year, which seemed to go down well. Just to remind you we showed one of our bespoke greenhouses, with personalised finials and cresting, and internally it was fitted with bow strings, and colour coordinated spandrels. Off white benching to match the greenhouse was packed with a range of plants – many grown by Thrive Gardening Charity.
Our conservatory was a small floor area, but with
a 45 degree roof, felt very lofty and spacious. The bi-fold doors went down well,
and allowed a clear view into the 'artists studio' where botanical artist Billy
Showell worked for the week.
It was great to have Billy on the stand, and seeing her at work was inspiring.
The gardens were again designed by Taylor Tripp – and possibly featured one
of the most photographed flowers at the show – the stunning dark Iris (Before
the Storm if you wanted to know!!).
Finally, we did not completely desert the National Trust greenhouse this year. Lisa Rawley of Fleur de Lys used our Hidcote in the Pavilion for her display of conservatory plants – and won herself her first gold medal!
This year we will have our popular Mottisfont National
Trust greenhouse, with cold frames to the gable end – in our new National
Trust colour, greensand.
Next to the greenhouse, we will have a substantial bespoke conservatory at just
under 7 metres by 4 metres, this is also in one of our National Trust colours –
Woodsage.
The gardens have been designed again by Taylor Tripp associates, and give us one of our largest stands to date at the Show. We have joined forces with like minded businesses who, in our mind, provide the ingredients of the perfect garden, and we are thrilled to have all their work on our stand.
The stunning and extremely comfortable oak garden furniture is by Gaze Burvill –
and every pot on the stand comes from Italian Terrace.
Inside the conservatory the soothing sound of water comes from a Daivd Harber water
wall.
The conservatory also features an indulgent boudoir inspired day-bed, decked in shocking pink, that is picked out in the vibrant bougainvilleas above..
You can also see us in the Great Pavilion. Lisa Rawley of Fleur de Lys has used one of our Hidcote greenhouses for her stunning display of lush conservatory plants.
Monday was Press Day and saw the official opening of our new Mottisfont National
Trust Greenhouse.
We had David Stone the Head Gardener of Mottisfont, and Dame Fiona Reynolds the Director General of the National Trust on the stand to do the honours.
The day was great with lots of positive interest in the new greenhouse, and visits to customers planned.
The judging was going on all day and tensions were mounting on the show gardens, as dreams of gold were within reach! Tuesday morning brought with it a great suprise for as at Alitex with our 5th consecutive Sundries Trophy, setting the scene for a great week ahead.
This year we had a tricky logistical brief as we
were fitting in a Plant Conservatory, 2 National Trust greenhouses and a canopy!
After some juggling we did it. And Taylor Tripp managed to yet again create some stunning planting to create an oasis in the sometimes frenzied atmosphere of Chelsea Flower Show.
We had to work around an unusual conservatory configuration as it was going to its home immediately after the show.
This resulted in a brick frontage onto Main Avenue but, once inside, Lisa Rawley put together a stunning plant collection for us.
A hectic Chelsea that gave us our fourth consecutive Sundries Trophy.
This year saw us with another large stand. We presented
the Plant Conservatory whilst at the same time launching a new range of greenhouses,
which had been created in association with the National Trust.
We showed the new Hidcote and Scotney greenhouses in a garden setting inspired by the Hidcote gardens and designed by Taylor Tripp.
The stand was divided into 2 and the Conservatory was set in a stylish and contemporary urban back garden designed by Sue Ashton and yet again planted inside by Lisa Rawley.
A great year that saw us gain yet another coveted Sundries trophy.
Our biggest ever stand, as we launched our new Plant
Conservatory to cries of “I must have one”… “I can’t
believe it’s not timber”… “How can you grow plants like
this in a conservatory?”
It was planted by Lisa Rawley, of Fleur de Lys, and created a genuine oasis of fragrance, colour and calm.
We set the conservatory, and a wood sage Messenger Greenhouse, in a fabulous garden inspired by the Medieval Garden at the Priory of Our Lady of Orsan, which was designed by Taylor Tripp.
The gardens are a stunning series of rooms, which have individual character but an overriding sense of tranquillity. This stand achieved a real sense of Orsan and we were rewarded with our third Sundries Trophy.
This was the first year of our union with Nicolas
Tripp and Richard Taylor, of Taylor Tripp Associates.
The garden epitomised their classical approach to garden design and showed the greenhouse in a stunning setting of Lime trees, under-planted with elephant grass and a box spiral labyrinth!
This successful partnership gave us our second Sundries Trophy.
We again
worked with Garden Organic on a vegetable Potager, inspired by the sculptor George
Carter.
Carter took his love of geometry and architectural form into garden design and his strong forms and shapes we clearly visible in our garden.
Again we showed our Messenger greenhouse with a lobby and cold frames.
We joined forces with the HDRA - now known as Garden Organic - who designed and planted a beautiful organic garden combining vegetables and flowers, all set between an avenue of limes.
Again we displayed an off-white lobbied Messenger Greenhouse with cold frames.
This association also celebrated the Alitex Greenhouse, which has now been moved to the Garden Organic base in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, which is open to the public all year as a place to learn about organic gardening.
It was a successful alliance and we were awarded our first Sundries Trophy.
This year we teamed up with Barbara Damrosch a garden
designer and writer from the USA. Who, as well as being a columnist for the Washington
Post, has written The Garden Primer, a classic manual for organic gardening as well
as pioneering organic market gardening in America.
We displayed an off-white Messenger Greenhouse with cold frames. It was set on a timber potting shed in a classic organic kitchen garden setting.
We were awarded a Certificate of Merit.
The design team involved in this stand wish to remain
anonymous!
How things have changed. The marquee was more 'local village fete' than the stylish designs we now expect of Chelsea Flower Show.
We particularly love the brick base wallpaper!
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