The Duchess of Edinburgh is co-designing a feature garden at the Royal Windsor Flower Show this year, in collaboration with Alan Williams of Landform Consultants. The annual one-day event, set in Windsor Great Park and celebrating horticulture, food, nature and traditional crafts, will take place on 6 June.
Sophie has long had a particular interest in plants, says former royal gardener Jack Stooks, who spent over two decades working at Highgrove House for King Charles. The royals share a love of scented flowers, he explains: ‘Sophie had Stephanotis in her wedding bouquet, which has a very unique and sweet smell. Lily-of-the-valley is also a flower they mutually love. It was famously Queen Elizabeth’s personal favourite and has been a firm favourite amongst the Royals for years.’
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Charming Lily-of-the-valley
You don’t need a royal budget to plant these, he explains: ‘Lily-of-the-valley is a prolific seed spreader, so once planted, they never stop growing. As a result, you need less of them to fill your garden, making them a perfect option for those looking for cost-effective choices. They’re often used in arrangements and are fantastic gifts to give, as they last multiple days.’
Stephanotis, however, is a different story, says gardening expert Dan Cooper. ‘It hails from Madagascar, so it’s a plant for indoors or heated greenhouses only! In summer, it requires indirect sunlight, high humidity, and temperatures of at least 21ºC, so keep it away from bright windows and stand the pot on a tray of damp pebbles. During winter, when Stephanotis grows more slowly, it can be moved to an unheated room, so long as it’s above 15ºC, but keep the humidity up – central heating makes the air very dry. You can plant Stephanotis any time of the year, but if you’re transporting one home from the garden centre, don’t allow it to get cold in transit, as this may cause the leaves and flowers to drop off.’
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White and pink azaleas
What else might appear in Sophie’s show garden? ‘Sophie has always adored azaleas,’ says Jack, speaking on behalf of Savoo. ‘In 2020, she shared an image of her garden, which she shares with Prince Edward, and it was bursting with pink and orange azaleas. The King also loves these plants. In the garden at Highgrove Estate, there’s a walkway with Italian pots. In these pots are gorgeous yellow azaleas.’
Technically Rhododendrons, azaleas share the family’s habit of producing gorgeous blooms in a huge spectrum of colours from early spring until early summer, says Dan: ‘They are woodland-edge or understory plants, so they must have partial shade and a humus-rich, acidic soil. If you garden on chalk or limestone, your best option is to grow them in pots of ericaceous compost. As with all shrubs and trees, your optimum planting times are autumn and spring when the ground is warm and moist.’ So now’s the time! Get planting!
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