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.
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| Peter Beales with Jennie and Anna Maughan |
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| Carmina with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen |
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| Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison and friends |
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| Carmina with chef Nigel Slater and Jennie and Anna
Maughan |
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| Flowers in the Great Pavilion |
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| The Motor Neurone Disease garden |
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| Flowers in the Great Pavilion |
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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