Chelsea gold clematis snapped up in pouring rain

The man behind it all, horticulturalist Raymond Evison, was delighted at the response. ‘It’s nice we can share the success at Chelsea with islanders and that they can benefit by buying these plants,’ he said.

All of the plants were on sale at £10 each, where normally they would sell for £23 or £24, he said.

The clematis were all cut back to a few centimetres after Chelsea but many were blooming again. ‘It just proves the quality of our breeding and development,’ said Mr Evison.

Some of the money raised will be used by the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden.

‘We’re amazed that in the pouring rain people arrived about 30 minutes before the sale started,’ said volunteer in charge of public relations Cathy Morgan. ‘It was a steady stream after that.’

This was only the second time the event had taken place in the wake of Chelsea and last year all the plants sold out within about an hour.

This time there were more plants on offer but they were quickly disappearing from the stands.

The Guernsey clematis had a reputation all of its own, said one buyer.

‘It’s just such a great name,’ said one woman, who declined to give her surname. ‘I live in Alderney and I’m taking some back with me.’

Her mother lived in a local care home and some flowers were going to be planted by her in the home’s garden.

Zoe Warlow had seen the blooms on the display in the UK.

‘I went to the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time this year and that inspired me – I want a piece of the Chelsea Flower Show in my garden and I want my father to have some too.’

She had bought three of the purple variety, Lindsay, named after Guernsey Clematis board member Lindsay Reid, and she also snapped up a standalone display of several of the Guernsey flute clematis. ‘Just don’t tell my husband how much I paid,’ she said.