Right Plant, Right Place - Notcutts Know How!

The theme for Notcutts Garden Centres' exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show 2004 'Right Plant, Right Place' was based on the highly successful blue pages of the long established Notcutts Book of Plants. These pages, which are dedicated to identifying plants to suit the gardener's particular purpose, have been turned to by gardeners of all generations for many years.

Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winning designer Jason Lock, General Manager of Notcutts Landscapes, created this year's design. This was Jason's seventh consecutive year at Chelsea and he was supported by the Notcutts Landscapes team, many of whom are also RHS Gold Medal winners.

Notcutts Nurseries in Woodbridge, Suffolk and Bagshot, Surrey grew all of the plants in the exhibit. The preparation principally took place within the Shows Department glasshouse at Woodbridge, which measures 9,000 square feet. Additional plants were drawn from the container nursery, which totals in excess of 100 acres, and the field nursery of 450 acres.

The exhibit was split into five areas, based on soil type or aspect:

Clay Soil is a common problem for many gardeners throughout the country. This area displayed the plants that are suitable for growing in soils that are wet in the winter and dry in the summer. The design was based on a classical garden, featuring roses from Mattocks Roses, the specialist retail rose brand, and also incorporated a Rose arch and other clay loving plants. An elegant canal and peaceful seating area added to the tranquility of this area.

The Damp Shade area boasted a dense canopy of lush foliage surrounding a pond with rustic paths, and the area set the scene for the collection of plants which thrive in damp/wet shady conditions, such as Aucuba, Dryopteris and Gunnera.

Dry Shade represents the most difficult of problem areas to many gardeners. Our representation included a rustic path through to the central timber shelter, surrounded by plants that thrive in this situation.

Hot and Dry conditions present a real challenge, especially on very light soils. This section showed a wide range of plants adapted to coping with this environment and it included grasses, alpines and flowering shrubs. The planting naturally complemented the timber shelter and included ornamental pots around an attractive patio setting.

Windy and Exposed conditions can periodically dominate the entire country, but usually these conditions challenge only a select number of frontier gardeners. The right choice of plants need not be difficult and Notcutts blew away the myth that all plants that tolerate these situations need to be dull and boring! In fact, plants that tolerate varying degrees of exposure can still provide spectacular colour and interest throughout the year.