Ashwood at NEC Gardeners’ World Live 2023

STOP PRESS…a Platinum Medal has been awarded to Ashwood Nurseries at Gardeners’ World Live!

Ashwood Nurseries is exhibiting at NEC Gardeners’ World Live 2023 with a special exhibit that pays homage to nursery owner John Massey VMH, nurseryman, plant breeder, Chelsea gold medallist and creator of ‘John’s Garden’. The stand (FM33 in the Floral Marquee) has been designed and constructed by Steven Lampitt and the Ashwood team to showcase many of the specialist plants for which Ashwood Nurseries has become renowned and is presented in two halves of a walk-through display.

A timeline of Ashwood’s speciality plants

Nursery owner John Massey with his beloved hepaticas

The first  half of the display sees a timeline of Ashwood’s speciality plants and explores our history of RHS Medal success. This is accompanied by photos and newspaper articles showing the evolution of plant breeding at Ashwood Nurseries and transporting visitors through over 50 years of horticultural history.

The focus is placed on the cultivation of conifers (one of the first specialties of the nursery), lewisias, hepaticas and our much-loved Ashwood hellebores. The plants earmarked for the display have been chosen specially to ensure that they are shown at their best and to allow visitors to see first-hand the care and attention given to our plants on the nursery by our skilled growers.

A deeper look at the cultivation of John Massey’s beloved hepaticas is especially exciting; since the publication of his book ‘My World of Hepaticas’ in June 2022, the interest in these exquisite little plants has soared throughout the horticultural community and the gardening press worldwide.

The creative vision of John’s Garden

Steve Lampitt with plants earmarked for the exhibit

The second half of the display reveals the insight and creative vision that has influenced the design and development of ‘John’s Garden’, John Massey’s wonderful three-acre private garden nestled behind Ashwood Nurseries. Regarded as one of the finest private gardens in the UK, it has been the subject of articles and gardening programmes since its beginning in 1998.

Steve and the Ashwood team have taken the idea of all-season colour and expressive garden design to bring together a display inspired by the beds and borders in John’s Garden. Conifers and grasses illustrate the versatility of structural and architectural planting, while the inclusion of seasonal herbaceous perennials and shrubs shows how the garden is ever-evolving throughout the year.

A particularly poignant aspect of the display is a planting scheme inspired by the late Christopher Lloyd bed in John’s Garden. This bed takes examples of sub-tropical plants from the garden of Great Dixter in East Sussex and showcases the enthusiasm and passion of a much-loved gardener and friend.

Plants on sale

A selection of plants will be on sale on the stand

A selection of plants are available for sale on the stand, along with John’s Garden souvenir guides. Selected ex display plants will also be available for sale at the show on the last day

Members of the Ashwood Nurseries’ team are on hand to answer questions about the displays and offer advice.

The stand will be in situ for the duration of the show from the 15th to the 18th of June in the Floral Marquee.

Tickets for the show can be purchased at bbcgardenersworldlive.com

Stand FM33 | Floral Marquee | NEC Birmingham Gardeners’ World Live | June 15th-18th 2023

Inspiration from John’s Garden…

A look at the Ashwood specialities….