M&G Investments appoints Roger Platts to create 2010 Show Garden at RHS Chelsea
Eight years since his last show garden, one
of UK gardeners’ favourite designers returns to London’s premier event.
4 February 2010 – M&G Investments, sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, has
appointed Roger Platts to create The M&G Garden at this year’s event.
It is eight years since Roger created a Chelsea show garden and his long-awaited
return will be welcomed by many gardeners.
Roger’s design is a celebration of the traditional – a garden which he believes
will stand the test of time. A crescent of paved paths leading to an oak summer
house and a hidden sandstone-edged pool are complemented by Roger’s signature lush
planting. The RHS predicts the garden will be a big crowd-pleaser.
“We want a garden that visitors will really love – a design that is quintessentially
British yet containing one or two surprising features. Roger will use mostly locally-grown
plants and locally-sourced materials to create a garden of the highest quality,”
said Jacqui Haskins, Marketing Director of M&G.
“Given Roger’s reputation for delivering excellence, both at show gardens and in
his own plant nursery, we are confident that he will rise to the challenge to deliver
a world-class spectacle in just five months.”
The M&G Garden is a celebration of the traditional: a garden of paved paths
bordered by lush planting. Key plants include rambling roses, lavender, fox gloves
and myrtle.
Roger said; “I am hugely excited to be back creating a big garden at Chelsea. I’ve
had other offers to be at the show, but the time feels right and M&G’s brand,
values and aspiration to bring something special to Chelsea for people who love
gardening is a fantastic opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”
About M&G Investments
M&G is one of Europe’s largest active investment managers, serving individual
and institutional savers for nearly 80 years. Total assets under management are
£169 billion.*
M&G has signed a deal with the Royal Horticultural Society to be the sole sponsor
of the Chelsea Flower Show and Charity Gala for the next three years, including
the Olympic year of 2012.