Page 19 - Twist93

Twst
orth gold
Centrepiece of the recent RHS showcase at Chatsworth was a spectacular creation by Coal Aston’s Jonathan Moseley and his team
A S one of the country’s top floral designers, Jonathan Moseley spends a great deal of time away from his home in north
Derbyshire.
So his latest assignment at the second Royal Horticultural Society Flower
Show at Chatsworth provided a rare chance for him to work on the doorstep. “It’s an absolute treat
to have been able to return home to Coal Aston every night as my work usually involves travelling vast distances,” he said.
And what a project to showcase Jonathan’s innovative skills in his home county; creating the largest ever display of British-grown moth orchids - more than 5,000.
Jonathan and his team filled a 21st century version of Chatsworth’s Great Conservatory, originally built by celebrated head gardener Joseph Paxton in the Victorian era.
Jonathan’s mass impact design was a nod to the ‘orchidelerium’ displayed by the Victorians who were obsessed with the plant.
During Paxton’s time
at Chatsworth, the
estate had one of the
country’s most
extensive, and probably
expensive, collections of
orchids. Many of the
plants collected are still grown all over the world while discoveries have been used to breed many new hybrids.
North Derbyshire flower arranging personality Jonathan Moseley was delighted with his team’s display of more than 5,000 moth orchids
The spectacular moth orchids – or to give them their proper name Phalaenopsis – were in a palette of lilacs, pinks, purple and white, cascading from chandeliers and adorned a central waterfall and gate.
The blooms – over 100 varieties – were grown by specialist Hampshire- based Double H Nurseries and 20 florists worked for three days on creating the exhibit. Among those involved were floristry students from Sheffield.
Jonathan described the immersive floral spectacular - full of colour and texture - as providing “a touch of orchid heaven” for visitors, who flocked to Chatsworth in their thousands for the event.
And he spoke of his own joy, as a local designer, at the stately home once again being an attraction for orchid enthusiasts.
The popularity of orchids has soared again in recent years and Jonathan stressed that they are easy to care for and have an ability to bloom in any season as well as offering glorious, long-lasting flowers.
He said: “Orchids look like divas of the flower world but they thrive on neglect and are ideally suited to busy lifestyles.”
Left: Actors Robert Powell and Liza Goddard inspect the 2018 show’s Macmillan Cancer Support garden
Far left: The striking display of orchids in the Great Conservatory
19