New Suffolk flower launched at show

Craig Robinson

CROWDS flocked to the newly rebranded Flower and Garden Experience for a colorful array of exhibitions and displays.

Hundreds of people escaped the grey skies and made for the cover of the popular marquee, which featured everything from Bonsai trees and cacti to orchids and roses.

One of the stars of the show was the Suffolk Splendour Fuchsia - launched by Potash Nurseries of Bacton to mark Stowmarket Flower Club's 50th anniversary.

Lady Tollemache officially unvelied the plant, which was specifically held back from last week's Chelsea Flower Show so it could make its debut today.

She said: “It is a real show stopper. It is a great credit to Potash Nurseries that having been at Chelsea all last week they resisted temptation and kept it back for the Suffolk Show. It is wonderful that we can celebrate the fuchsia for the first time today.2

Petrina Miles, chairman of Stowmarket Flower Club, added: “We wanted to have a permanent memento for our 50th year so we approached Potash Nurseries and they very kindly gave us a selection of flowers to choose from that had not been named.

“We decided on it together and this is the end result, which is lovely.”

Mike Clare, owner of Potash Nurseries, which scooped a Silver Gilt medal at Chelsea, said he was delighted to be able to unveil the flower at the Suffolk Show.

“We decided this was the best place to launch it because not only did it tie in with Stowmarket's 50th aniversary celebrations but being a county show it seemed incredibly fitting,” he said.

The Flower and Garden Experience featured five award winning exhibitors from Chelsea, including Sulman's, of Mildenhall, who collected a Gold Medal, Muir Strawberries, of Weeley Heath, Clacton-on-Sea and Pheasant Acre Nursery from Bridgend, who were both awarded a Silver Gilt and Tom Hobyn, of west Suffolk, who recieved a Silver Flora medal for his design for the Foreign and Colonial Securities' garden.