Chelsea Flower Show
20-24 May 2025
We are pleased to announce a collaboration with Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge for their Blooming Numbers exhibit at the RHS Flower Show 2025.
The Pollinator Patch
We will be creating a mini garden to champion pollinators, highlighting the University of Cambridge’s Sainsbury Laboratory plant science research, with a focus on the flower.
While flowers are beautiful to us, their true purpose is to attract pollinators. Through co‑evolution, both the flowers and pollinators have developed specialised traits that benefit one another.
The Blooming Numbers exhibit, which is in a new science and technology focused section of the Great Pavilion called GreenSTEM, will explore the growth and development of these specialised plant organs.
As a gardener, I’ve always been passionate about creating spaces that support wildlife, particularly pollinators. We also had bee hives and learned a lot about how to care for bees and what pollinators need.”
Melanie Sadler
The Pollinator Patch has been designed by Melanie Sadler, who has been instrumental in fostering wildlife-friendly spaces for decades at the Garden Centre.
The Pollinator Patch showcases the incredible diversity of plants that can be grown in a small area to support bees, butterflies, and other important species. Additionally it also demonstrates other simple things that everyone can do to support pollinators, such as providing resources for them to build their nests, housing and, most importantly, a safe source of water.
The design also pays homage to iconic elements of Cambridge, featuring a willow bicycle, a water feature symbolising the River Cam, and a beehive repurposed for solitary bees that is painted in the signature Cambridge Blue.
The team
Joining Melanie in this ambitious venture are her daughter Patricia Sadler, who is overseeing the coordination of the project, and Oakington’s nursery manager Ali Chappell-Bates, who is growing all of the plants featured in The Pollinator Patch and planters forming the Fibonacci spiral of the exhibit.
Ali has expertly curated the plant selection for the exhibit: “Growing the plants for The Pollinator Patch has been a rewarding experience. Every plant has been carefully selected to ensure it not only thrives in this environment but also provides sustenance for pollinators. We are growing a mix of native and ornamental plants that meet the needs of different pollinators. I have an allotment filled with wildlife-friendly plants, and some of the plants I’m growing for Chelsea actually came from there.”
It’s been an incredible journey to see The Pollinator Patch come together. My family and the team at Oakington Garden Centre have all worked tirelessly to make this a reality. This garden represents everything we stand for as a business – our commitment to nature, sustainability, and community. We hope visitors will leave with a renewed appreciation for the importance of pollinators and how we can all contribute to their protection."
Patricia Sadler