Guernsey Clematis owner Raymond Evison kept a small group enthralled when they toured the Vale site to start Floral Guernsey Spring Festival Week. (Pictures by Steve Sarre, 0565774)
FLORAL Guernsey Spring Festival Week is under way.
It started on Saturday morning with a container workshop at Queux Patio Plants and a guided tour of Guernsey Clematis Nursery by Royal Horticultural Society gold award winner Raymond Evison.
He showed visitors the newest variety, named Rebecca after his eldest daughter. It will be on display at the Chelsea Flower Show next month.
‘It will be launched on 19 May. It’s a clematis that is ideal for today’s modern and more compact garden and maintains its colour very well.’
The special event gave a rare opportunity for people to visit the St Sampson’s nursery.
About a third of the 30 or so who bought tickets had come from the UK.
Mr Evison spoke on the development of new clematis cultivars and allowed the visitors to see the eight-and-a-half acres of propagation and production glasshouses, which are among the most advanced in the world.
As a former vice-chairman of Floral Guernsey, Mr Evison said he was a big supporter of the event.
‘I’m very much behind what Floral Guernsey is doing. It gives gardeners of the island an opportunity to visit other gardens and encourages people to come to Guernsey from the UK and other countries.’
One of those touring the site was Gerry Tattersall.
He said it was an opportunity not to be missed. ‘We came along because we like clematis and he [Mr Evison] is known as the worldwide expert so we thought we would come and hear what he had to say.
‘I now know how to take the cuttings, which I didn’t before.’ He added: ‘It was very educational and informative and we’ll now go home and try to make clematis like his.’
Loading ...
Share this article:
What are these?