Gardener plans to plant Kerry bogland in London 

Billy Alexander aims to simulate his local landscape at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with ferns and ancient rocks typical of the Iveragh peninsula 

Billy Alexander of Kells Bay Gardens in Co Kerry.

An Irish gardener plans to bring Kerry bogland all the way to London next year. Billy Alexander of Kells Bay Gardens has announced his most ambitious ideas to date for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show as organisers have agreed to showcase his rare ferns in a prime position.

Building on this year’s success, as he was awarded gold medals at both the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the RHS Hampton Court Palace for his rare ground and tree fern display, Billy is keen to secure another gold medal in 2023.

The south Kerry master gardener’s displays showcase the uniqueness of world fern species, all of which grow naturally in the idyllic microclimate at Kells Bay Gardens overlooking the Dingle Peninsula. 

Billy Alexander's fern display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Demonstrating the respect organisers have for the horticultural specialist, the Kells Bay Gardens exhibit will be positioned in a central area in the Great Pavilion in May 2023.

It will be inspired yet again by his local environment, says Billy, whose many accolades arrived after he pursued a passion for gardening fulltime having previously worked in banking.

“The design will simulate a Kerry bog, and along with a myriad of fern varieties, native sphagnum moss will feature amidst small peaty bog pools,” he says. 

Kells Bay Gardens and Skywalk. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

“Offsetting this will be large ancient rocks typical of the Iveragh peninsula landscape in Kerry.”

Billy is seeking corporate sponsorship for the exhibition, providing exposure to the 157,000 annual attendees of the show that are predominantly of an ABC1 demographic, he says.

Ferns from the Kells Bay Gardens collection can even be found in the grounds of royalty — including King Charles’s private place of residence Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, UK.

Kells Bay Gardens.

“Without a doubt, the 2023 collection will be our most ambitious plan to date,” says Billy. “I intend to increase fern numbers, the range of sizes and include a greater variety of species. 

"While this level of complexity is not without challenges, it will allow us to display additional ferns of individual species in various stages of their lives from sporlings to fully mature specimens — it will be a real visual delight!

“I am confident that Chelsea 2023 represents an excellent opportunity to achieve the high-impact brand awareness associated with successful participation at this major event, and I am looking to partner with an established Irish brand to further build on past success.”

Billy Alexander.

The Chelsea Flower Show is coordinated by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and takes place from Monday, May 22 to Saturday, May 27, 2023. The 2021 Kells Bay exhibit wowed judges, with Jon Wheatley, senior RHS judge, describing Billy’s display as “probably the most outstanding exhibit of ferns I have ever seen at any Chelsea show”.

Kells Bay Gardens features many sub-tropical plants. Much of its tree fern collection dates to the mid-19th century when it arrived from Australia.

See kellsbay.ie.