Irish horticulturalist wins gold at Chelsea Flower Show with primeval Kerry forest
Billy Alexander of Kells Bay Gardens in Co Kerry received a gold medal at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
A primeval forest of tree ferns in Kerry recreated in London won gold at one of the world’s most prestigious garden shows and is attracting rave reviews.
Horticulturalist Billy Alexander arrived at his stand at the Chelsea Flower Show, which opened on Tuesday morning, to see the sought-after award.
Normally found in the southern hemisphere, the tree ferns are also, thanks to Mr Alexander, now synonymous with south Kerry, where they grow at Kells Bay House and Gardens, between Glenbeigh and Caherciveen.
And in recent weeks, Mr Alexander packed up plants and ferried them by container lorry to London to take part in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which this year, for the first time in the show’s 108-year history, is taking place in September rather than May.
“I created a microcosm of that [the Kells Bay forest garden] with a fern bench in the background and a lot of tree ferns surrounding it and then rare and unusual ferns of the world — a lot of southern hemisphere ferns that I specialise in and enjoy growing.
"All of these grow in Kells Bay, too, so it was a labour of love,” Mr Alexander told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
The award is the second such prize that Mr Alexander has received from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for his subtropical fern display, after receiving a gold medal at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival three months ago.
Seeing a gold medal on his stand this morning "means everything" to him, Mr Alexander added.
"I am absolutely delighted, I came here for the gold and really wanted the gold," he said.
This garden attempted to portray a “tranquil peaceful vibe” he added.
Mr Alexander said he feels he achieved the feat — in spite of the arduous journey of transferring all needed for the exhibit to the UK in just one 40ft container lorry.
“The logistics were quite difficult; transporting tree ferns is not an easy task,” he said.
“The moss, everything, the rocks — we’ve huge rocks here — everything came on one big huge 40ft lorry with the Brexit issues, the Covid issues — everything came from Kells.” But the hard graft paid off for the Kerry horticulturist.
The display was praised as “probably the most outstanding exhibit of ferns I have ever seen at any Chelsea show,” by Jon Wheatley, the senior RHS judge.
“The range and quality of Billy’s plants is quite exceptional, congratulations — he is a credit to his country,” Mr Wheatley said.
The display showcases world fern species in all their glory, the RHS said, highlighting “the elegance of the fern fronds, centred around a Victorian fern-bench which is backed by a forest of tree ferns”.
“The overall design, use of sandstone and sphagnum moss which is also sourced from Kells Bay Gardens, reimagines the wildness of the Wild Atlantic landscape,” noted the RHS.
Kells Bay Gardens, home to 600 Dicksonia Antarctica tree ferns, is well known in horticultural circles for its primeval ferns, added Mr Alexander.
Kells Bay Gardens are situated overlooking Dingle Bay, on the Ring of Kerry.
The gardens span 17 hectares and feature numerous subtropical plants.
The centrepiece of the gardens is the extensive tree fern collection, many of which date back to the mid-19th century after being brought to Ireland from Australia. The plants have adapted well due to the microclimate in the region.
The UK's Royal Horticultural Society postponed this year's show, which had been due to take place in May, due to the pandemic.
It had also taken the 2020 event online.
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