In the UK this week, the RHS Hampton Court Flower show is in full flow. In the podcast we get the chance to go behind the scenes at these big flower shows with a Hosta grower. How do you keep your plants in peak condition? What are the logistics of moving hundreds of Hostas around the country? Some of you may remember that we met Vicky Meads back in May when she gave us advice on all things Hosta including how to fend off the snails.

I first met Vicky a couple of years ago at the Chelsea Flower Show when I saw and loved her amazing display of Hostas. We chatted and she gave me a card with the recipe for her Garlic Wash which keeps the snails at bay and she should know because she literally has thousands and thousands of Hostas at her specialist nursery. I was struck by her warmth and sense of humour. I chatted to her a couple of times that Summer when I was first exploring the idea of the podcast and always seemed to catch her just as she was loading or unloading Hosta plants from the van! A year on and I now have a much better sense of the rhythm of life for a nursery owner. It is hard work preparing your stock for those shows and once they start it is relentless as you transport your staging and your plants from show to show, often heading back to collect stock during the shows. Then at the end of a show, you pack up, go home, fulfil the orders for the sales you have made, and then pack again for the next show.

When I called Vicky last week she was in the final preparations for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and down at the greenhouses selecting the plants. Her husband had gone on ahead to build the set. She did confess that she had stumbled across one of those large bars of Cadbury’s milk chocolate and sometimes when there is a bit of a mountain to climb, it is just what you need. But climb that mountain she did and at Hampton Court she has added another Gold Medal to her collection, for which huge congratulations.

If you see New Forest Hostas at any of the remaining flower shows in the UK - maybe at Hampton Court or Tatton Park - do go and say ‘Hi’ to Vicky and let her know you heard her on the podcast. Her passion for Hostas really is infectious. If you have had a tricky year with snails (I have!) we can just arm ourselves with Garlic wash - the recipe is on the episode page, and try again next year!

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