Medals blossom once again for two Chelsea Flower Show veterans

Two west Suffolk nurseries are in the medals at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Roger Harvey of Thurston's Harvey's Garden Plants took Gold – his eighth – and Mike Clare of Potash Nursery, Bacton, won a Silver Gilt award.

Both the family-run businesses were exhibiting in the show's Great Pavilion and have taken awards at the prestigious show many times.

Roger specialises in shade and woodland plants while Mike is renown for his stunningly colourful displays of fuschias and pelargoniums.

Roger says they start work for Chelsea the year before the show and have to hold back some plants in a cold room to make sure they flower at the right time.

But his shade-loving plants react quickly to light.

Roger explained: "Eythroniums, for example, still grow in the cold room and when you take them out, within an hour they are in full flower even at 10 to 15 degrees."

Mike prefers to grow his plants naturally for the best display, but they flower spectacularly at the right time of year, though changes in the weather can have an impact.

The show, in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, ends on Saturday with a sale of the display plants from 4pm.