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Press Day at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show

 

CARMINA McCONNELL

On Monday, May 19, I travelled to the famous site of Chelsea Hospital for the press day of the 2008 Chelsea Flower show for the experience of a lifetime.

From the moment I showed my special pass at the front gate entrance, to my 3 o’clock departure, it was a day of tremendous pathos and excitement.

I was there for the launch of the Keith Maughan rose, produced by Peter Beales Roses, in Attleborough.

This was the culmination of months of planning and anticipation for a project that was really close to my heart - from my initial conversations with Joan Beales, Peter’s wife, exploring the possibilities of the naming, meetings in 2007 with Amanda Beales, Peter’s daughter, and Jennie, Keith’s wife, through to seeing the rose in all its rampant glory on display at the Beales Roses’ gold medal winning Chelsea stand.

Peter Beales with Jennie and Anna Maughan

Carmina with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison and friends

Carmina with chef Nigel Slater and Jennie and Anna Maughan

Flowers in the Great Pavilion

The Motor Neurone Disease garden

Flowers in the Great Pavilion

The Keith Maughan rose is named after a much loved drama teacher from Attleborough High School who died suddenly of cancer in July 2006.

Peter Beales, whose grandchildren, Laura and Alexander, attend Attleborough High School, when agreeing to this naming of one of his new roses, also pledged 10per cent of sales of the Keith Maughan rose directly to the Big C appeal for the next two years.

The Big C is a local charity which has grown from strength to strength since its conception in 1980, expanding its provision of research, support and care for families in Norfolk & Waveney, affected by cancer.

In addition to funding vital equipment and treatment facilities at local hospitals, they also fund world class research at the University of East Anglia's Bio Medical Research Centre.

In May 2006, Big C opened the Big C Centre, a support and information centre at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. As someone who has used this service, I know what an invaluable haven for both patients and their families this centre provides during very trying times.

Therefore, not only will the rose serve as a beautiful reminder of a superb teacher, but it is also hoped that sales of the Keith Maughan rose will benefit this valuable local charity.

Keith had taught at Attleborough High School for over 20 years and was one of those rare people who had a tremendous impact on everyone he came into contact with.

He was well known in the local community for his involvement in the Attleborough Carnival, the yearly Talent Shows and many wonderful public performances.

Keith’s death was a shocking and terrible loss for his wife Jennie and daughter Anna. It was also an enormous loss for his huge circle of friends and for both present and future drama students at the school. As both a good friend and fellow teacher at the school, I miss him enormously.

Keith had an exceedingly original take on life. He could be guaranteed to provoke a side-splitting uncontrollable belly laugh on a daily basis – and how many people can you say that about? So, to have the chance to honour his memory, and have a stunning aromatic rose named after Keith, is an incredible pleasure for everyone who knew him.

Now, here I was, on a sunny May morning at Chelsea, to see the Keith Maughan launched to the aficionados of the gardening community, assorted celebrities and the world press – and what an exciting event it turned out to be!

The day began on the Peter Beales stand, where, among beautiful arches of awe inspiring colours and scents, the roses seductively tumbled forth. Among the incredible display of Peter Beales’ world renowned roses, the Keith Maughan held its head high. The rose itself is as original as he was.

It has beautiful flowers of apricot to buff with only five petals, borne in small clusters on a broad growing plant. It's habit is such that it can be used to festoon an already mature hedge just as easily as it can be grown as part of a shrubbery, or allowed to tumble down a bank - as diverse as Keith. One of the pleasures of the day was to listen to rose experts who came specifically to view this new rose and who commented on the return in fashion of single petal roses of this type.

Peter Beales, looking dapper in boater and smart suit with a Keith Maughan in his buttonhole, welcomed us to the stand. Jennie and Anna Maughan, Keith’s wife and daughter, myself and Amanda and Richard, Peter’s daughter and son, toasted the rose with champagne.

Also at the stand were representatives for East Anglian Children’s Hospices, including their patron actress Helen Fraser (who you may remember as the lead in the series Bad Girls) to launch the lovely rose Child of My Heart for the benefit of this wonderful charity.

As we waited for the press to arrive, and the official launch to begin, we kept catching glimpses of passing celebrities.

Piers Morgan, taking an early morning jaunt away from the traumas of judging Britain’s Got Talent, rushed past at breakneck speed, Nigel Havers, as debonair as always, strolled smoothly by and Melinda Messinger looked very pretty and tiny perched on a rock.

Anneka Rice was discussing one of the show gardens and the legendary Patrick Moore loudly held forth from his wheelchair. When Nigel Slater came to the stand to view the roses, Jennie, Anna and I took the opportunity to praise our favourite of his recipes– as foodies all three he is one of our heroes – to which he responded with humility and grace!

At around 11am, when the press had gathered at the stand, Peter officially launched the Keith Maughan, describing its beauty and hardiness and explaining how it was named after his grandaughter’s drama teacher at Attleborough High School. It was a very moving occasion, with Jennie speaking about her husband and how as an experienced and keen gardener he would have relished the naming.

This was followed by the launch of the Child of My Heart rose, then everyone toasted both roses in champagne and we all answered questions from the attendant members of the press.

After this powerful, emotional ceremony Jennie, Anna and I explored the wonders of the flower show. In the Great Pavilion was the most astounding display of flowers: Alpines, tropicals, begonias, delphiniums, tulips, pelargoniums, orchids, irises, alliums, sweet peas, clematis, lavenders, lilies, hyacyinths, peonies, fuchsias, chrysanthemums, cacti, and of course, roses - just a few of the numerous beauties presented in their resplendent glory of vibrant colour and scent by these tremendous gardening experts.

As we toured the show gardens outside, many familiar faces from the television gardening world appeared, often with television cameras in tow - Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Diarmuid Gavin sitting beneath his daisy structure canopy designed garden, and the brilliant Carol Klein recording that night’s spot for Gardener’s World.

A highlight for us of the Show Gardens was the peaceful organic Summer Solstice garden designed by del Buono Gazerwitz, which incorporated a green wheat field flanked by native trees, alongside a stunning kitchen garden, with a lush array of vegetables in attractive wicker woven raised beds.

Our arrival at the Show garden From Life to Life: A garden for George - sponsored by the Material World Charitable Foundation and designed by Yvonne Innes and Olivia Harrison in memory of the ex-Beatle, George Harrison, coincided with the arrival of some illustrious musical icons.

This garden was divided into four areas to represent George’s life: his early childhood in Liverpool; the psychedelic 1960s; his later mature gardening years and his ongoing spiritual involvement. The planting in each area and designer additions like the huge glass sun with George’s song titles spiralled into the glass, reflected each of these elements.

As we admired the contrasts, a surge of press reporters surfed towards us like bees at pollen and as the crowd parted where we stood at the barrier to the garden, Ringo Starr brushed past us into the enclosure. Somehow Anna and I found ourselves at the front of the press pack. We had the delight of listening to the insulting humorous banter rival papers rallied across to each other, whilst being able to take close ups of not only this icon, but also, Barbara Bach, his wife, George Harrison’s wife and son, Jools Holland and the legendary music producer George Martin who accompanied him.

As our day drew to a close we toured the smaller gardens, which were particularly delightful. Designer Sue Hayward, had created a 1940s idyll depicting a typical Shetland croft house for the motor neurone disease garden. It was hard to believe that the croft garden, planted with tough shrubs such as Rosa rugosa, Fuchsia magellanica and Lonicera periclymenum, and rare Shetland plants like Edmonston’s chickweed, had not rested in this spot for the last 60 years, but rather was a three week old transient structure, ceasing to exist by the time the week at Chelsea was out.

This, and the uniqueness and beauty of other small gardens we viewed, provided a perfect end to a truly memorable day.

For the launch of the Keith Maughan Rose,The Chelsea Flower Show 2008 provided a life affirming backdrop of growth and vibrancy for a cathartic ceremony of remembrance.

As Amanda Beales said: “We at Peter Beales are delighted to be able to put Mr Maughan's name to such a classic rose. Peter's granddaughter, a current student at Attleborough High School, experienced his passion for his subject first hand and it is always nice to make a local connection with a rose. We hope it will go on to help Big C and be a welcome reminder of such a lovely man and wonderful teacher.”

Carmina McConnell May 2008

 

> To order a Keith Maughan or Child of My Heart rose contact Peter Beales Roses Limited at www.classicroses.co.uk or tel: 01953 454707

> To find out more about Big C visit www.thebigcappeal.co.uk or tel 01603 619900

> To find out more about East Anglian Children’s Hospices contact EACH Head Office, 42 The High Street, Milton, Cambridge, CB24 6DF, Telephone 01223 205180. Website www.each.org.uk