Our focus on ‘Planting with Trees’ was a real departure for us this year”, explains Andrew. “Chelsea is so dominated by the smaller new plants, that it was great to get thousands of visitors and millions of BBC viewers to look up and appreciate the sheer beauty of trees and their versatility in all sizes and styles of garden.”
Hillier’s exhibit used a colossal 3000 trees and plants, 16 tons of cement and ballast, 700 concrete blocks to raise terraces and ponds, 10 tons of paving and walling, 10 tons of bark chips, 5 tons of birch log edging and even 750 hand-written labels.
The Hillier stand took a year to prepare, 10 days to build, is on display for 6 days, and will take just 10 hours to dismantle.
Certain specimen trees are returned to the nursery for much needed rest and recuperation, whilst the rest of Hillier’s gold-medal winning Chelsea stock is sent to Hillier’s Sunningdale garden centre for a Chelsea sale bonanza. Early on Sunday morning, queues of excited bargain hunters will be awaiting the Hillier lorries, as they arrive in from Chelsea direct.
