“I am so delighted to have won a Silver-Gilt medal this year, particularly give n that I nearly pulled out of the show due to the bad weather” says Claire Austin. “I am really pleased with how the exhibit looks, and am delighted that the judges felt the same way. I am now looking forward to hearing what the Chelsea visitors think.”

It was a particularly challenging growing season for Claire Austin in Shropshire this year. “Over half our show stock of bearded irises were damaged by the succession of nights of heavy frosts and temperatures below -10C. The central, flowering fans were frosted, which ruled them out for Chelsea. Then the high light levels of this spring and the high temperatures of June saw the remaining stock romp away and into flower, even though kept in shade.

“Thankfully, the peonies were sensational. Peonies love the continental conditions of freezing winters and hot springtimes and grew tall and came into flower much earlier than