2007: Review of the Year

2007 was an exceptional year for Jekka’s Herb Farm. As well as scooping our 12th gold at Chelsea, we also won the acclaimed ‘Tudor Rose Award’ for Best Floral Exhibit at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, a first for a herb display, an organic display and a first for the farm!

May – Chelsea Flower Show

Using a dramatic red theme, Jekka selected a vibrant array of plants for their striking red foliage, fruits and flowers for last year’s Chelsea display, which Jekka believes was her best yet. The display demonstrated how practical plants can also be visually stunning, while showing how to make the most of the very smallest outdoor space.

The stand was separated into two distinct spaces: a traditional herb garden and a relaxed patio area, featuring an assortment of beautiful sculptural pots by the acclaimed potter Gordon Cooke.

Many unusual and exciting varieties were included in the display, such as the Chinese water pepper, bronze fennel, purple shiso, pomegranate, red valerian, purple sage, blue borage and blue basil.

Jekka also launched her new ‘Reds in the Bed’ salad seed collection at Chelsea, including mustard red frills, red lettuce, bull’s blood beetroot, red pak choi and amaranth red army, all of which contributed wonderfully to the riot of red in the display. Click here to buy the collection online.

July – Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

It wasn’t only the medal that was gold at last year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – so too were many of the plants in Jekka’s display – a powerfully rich and evocative array of beautiful summer herbs. Majestic golden hop and bay were complemented by the deep red shades of Jekka's thymes, such as Thymus "Red Start", "Creeping Red" and "Red Elf", as well as Red Rubin Basil, Purple Shiso and the attractive, deep purple Chinese Water Pepper, with its fiery tasting leaves. Included within the display were some magnificent handmade pots kindly provided by Alexander Macdonald-Buchanan from The Brooke Pottery.