King and Co Makes Finishing Touches to Chelsea Flower Show Exhibit

Paul King and his staff are adding the final touches to their upcoming exhibit and are keen to ensure their entry is on top form for the centenary show, which kicks off on 21st May.

With a week to go before keen gardeners flock to the undisputed mecca of the horticultural industry, the team at renowned tree nursery King and Co have been pulling out all the stops to ensure their exhibit blows its competition out of the water.

Having won Gold in 2012 for his involvement in a topiary-led representation of a Formula One pit-scene, Paul is eager to show judges his most recent collaborative project. He and his tree specialists have been working closely with staff and students at the nearby Felsted School for many months in order to create an intricate living sculpture that tells the dramatic story of the devastating fire that left one of its girls' boarding houses, Follyfield House, irreparably damaged last June. The garden is being created to represent the sense of loss of such a beautiful and historic building but also to communicate the spirit of hope for future generations of Follies girls. The new 'Follies' boarding house will open in 2014, the year in which Felsted celebrates its mammoth 450th anniversary.

Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, the Chelsea Flower Show is famously attended by Her Majesty the Queen, who is usually guided around the grounds by organisers before members of the general public are able to view the stunningly diverse collection of exhibits that are presented from nurseries up and down the UK. Paul is excited to be bringing such an exciting and innovative sculpture to the fore at the Chelsea Flower Show's 100th anniversary event, but is quick to note that such a sculpture cannot be created overnight.

"I am immensely proud of the staff and the students at Felsted for all of their hard work throughout the last few months," says Paul. "The exhibit is an excellent testament to their ability and also to the overwhelmingly positive spirit of Follies. I'm certain it is going to be much appreciated by judges and spectators alike."

Paul's exhibit, aptly named Ex Cinere Surgemus ("from the ashes we will rise") will be showcased at stand GPH1 in The Great Pavilion for the duration of the show.

King and Co is the leading supplier of large semi-mature trees, screening trees, shrubs and evergreens in Essex. The company's tree nursery in Rayne boasts over 2000 containerised plants encompassing hundreds of different species. To browse some of the extensive range of trees available onsite, or to contact the sales and aftercare team at King and Co, please visit the website.