Kent’s only rural and land-based college shone at what is often called ‘the greatest flower show on earth’, winning a bronze medal in the Discovery Zone at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show which ran from 21 May to 25 May.
Its innovative ‘Grow Your Mind’ exhibit highlighted the importance of modern horticultural practices in food production, biodiversity conservation and landscape design, whilst celebrating the many, and varied, careers available in horticulture and floristry and how horticulture affects and influences the modern world.
Divided into three sections, the design included a modern vertical orchard, tomato glasshouse and a public garden, all centred around a large, upturned tree stump incorporating a bonsai tree, symbolic of the vital work of horticulturists within the fields of landscape and amenity design.
The exhibit also looked at the year-round hydroponic production of edibles, including climate monitoring and integrated pest management; whilst the orchard section showcased the ‘fruit wall’ production method, demonstrating cutting-edge techniques in irrigation, frost protection and autonomous monitoring and management.
Alan Harvey, Head of Curriculum for Horticulture & Floristry at Hadlow College, said: “We were delighted to exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year and absolutely thrilled to win Bronze for our display. Our students were involved in the build of the garden and growing the plants which were included in the design. It was a pleasure to take so many people around our show garden and help them understand what we offer as a college.”