Award-winning Herm daffodil to reside in chapel garden

HORTICULTURIST Rae Beckwith visited the island last week to deliver the first 10 bulbs of the official new flower, the Herm daffodil.

Rae initially began nurturing the flower in 2001. The first seeds were sown in July of that year and they first flowered in 2006. The name Herm was registered with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2010.

Rae is also a Britain in Bloom judge who – along with Roger Burnett – awarded Herm the gold award in 2008.

While in Herm for that visit, he fell in love with the island.

'I was particularly struck by the chapel garden, which seemed a lovely, quiet place to sit and contemplate.'

What has become known as the 'white garden' is the perfect place for the Herm daffodil, which is a white flower. It is already award-winning, having secured a prize at the Harrogate flower show in 2009.

Of the 10 bulbs presented to head gardener Brett Moore, five will be placed in the chapel garden. The other five will be kept safe where they can be split and replanted, generating more flowers every year. More seeds will be sent over in around two years.

Herm is the only place in the world where this particular daffodil will be found.

'My wife and I think the island is such a special place,' said Rae. 'This is our way of giving a little bit of ourselves back to Herm.'

As Rae has already judged the island twice, he isn't allowed to return again in his Britain in Bloom capacity. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to have a community meeting and to take advice on what the judges are looking for. It was interesting to know the exact criteria they want entrants to meet and to realise just how many places are judged every year.

Hopefully, it will stand us in good stead for our attempt to win for the third time in 2012.

With the announcement this week that the finals will be held in Guernsey, it would be nice to bring the award back to the Bailiwick.