From CARIBBEAN360

LONDON, England, Tuesday May 19, 2015 – Barbados and Grenada have copped prestigious gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The Barbados Horticultural Society (BHS) impressed the judges to take the gold – the 17th in 28 appearances at the show – with its 20 ft by 20 ft ‘Gully Adventure’ display which recreated a Barbadian gully using foliage and blooms grown by members and supporters across the island and featured recorded sounds of whistling frogs and crickets.

The Grenada-Cathy John exhibit entitled ‘Pure Grenada’s Rainforest’ brought Grenada to life with a scale representation of the mountainous rainforest and volcanic crater lake at the heart of the island.

In a move away from the traditional emphasis on magnificent tropical flowers, this year’s Barbados display mainly comprised the wide variety of plants and vines that can be found in a gully, including: Bearded Fig Tree vines, Golden Pothus vines, Dracaenas, Schefflera, Philodendrums, Alocasia, Aralias, Monstera, Strelitzia, Crotons, Bromeliads, Anthurium leaves, several species of Ferns and a number of tall Palms. A stunning selection of Orchids, Ginger Lilies, Heliconias, Anthuriums and Ornamental Bananas was also arranged in key locations.

“A gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show is the most prestigious accolade in the horticultural world and the Barbados team worked extremely hard to get this one!” a release from the BHS said.

“The tremendous ongoing success of Barbados at the Chelsea Flower Show is very much the result of a great collective effort, whereby many people willingly share their skills and resources.”

In addition to the 17 gold medals won over the years, Barbados has taken one Silver and 10 Silver-gilt.

Meanwhile, Grenada’s exhibit emphasized the rich rainforest ferns and flora typical of Grenada’s Grand Etang National Park.

RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show-2015-Pure-Grenada’s-Rainforest1

The greenery and spices were grown in Grenada by members of the Chelsea team and arranged to John’s design experts.

“Our exhibit promotes Grenada’s extraordinary biodiversity, and showcases the different spices that thrive at different levels of vegetation,” John said.

“We’re delighted that the exhibit, with its bold scale representation and use of Grenada’s famous spices, has been awarded a Gold Medal here in London. My personal inspiration for the Pure Grenada’s Rainforest design comes from my love and respect for the cool, calm serenity of the rainforest and the vital role it plays in the life of my island home. In addition to a providing visitors with a treat for all the senses, the rainforest is the source of our precious water, upon which we all depend.”

IMAGE: THE 2015 CHELSEA GOLD TEAM AMIDST THE WINNING ‘GULLY ADVENTURE’ DISPLAY.

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