The Chelsea Flower Show is a breathtaking extravagance of floral splendour and horticultural excellence.

For the last 4 years GBG has taken part in Orchid Conservation Chelsea, a collaboration between international botanical and horticultural institutions including RBG Kew, Chicago BG and Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden in Hong Kong. The aim is to raise awareness of orchid conservation by putting on a display at Chelsea flower show highlighting projects to protect orchids globally.

This year the display was devoted to orchids of China. China has more than 1,700 species of orchid spread over 181 different genera. GBG has loaned plants for the display each year and for the last 2 years I have attended with both my RHS Orchid Expert Group hat on and to do a shift on the Orchid Conservation Chelsea display, providing information and answering visitors’ questions.

This year 6 of GBG’s orchids were on show: Dendrobium denneanum, D. infundibulum (bought by funds from the Friends in 2013), D. hercoglossum, Coelogyne schultesii, C. prolifera and Thunia alba.

One of the most unusual plants on the display was Gastrodia alata, a saprophytic orchid that obtains its nutrients from dead organic matter. It is probably the first time a Gastrodia has featured at Chelsea. Gastrodia has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Plants were taken from the wild because the cultivation method was not understood and this led to over collection and a threat to the species’ survival.

State funded research discovered that G. alata needs 2 different fungi, one at the seed germination stage and one as an adult plant to survive. This knowledge enabled the plant to be cultivated and took the pressure off the wild population.

Tuesday at Chelsea is medal day when exhibitors find out the results of the RHS judging. I was the first to arrive at the display on Tuesday morning. As I approached I could see the colour of the medal wasn’t silver but from a distance wasn’t sure if it was bronze.

The first year the display got a silver, the second year a silver-gilt, last year a gold and this year…? A few moments later Jacob from Grow Tropicals who had been involved in much of the logistics- collecting plants from all over the UK and Europe, sorting out CITES and phytosanitary certificates, co-ordinating the design and build, came running in to see what we’d got – Gold!

The experience of Chelsea is much much more than the final colour of the medal; the thrill of seeing GBG’s orchids beautifully displayed on such a famous stage, the opportunity to collaborate with fellow orchid professionals and enthusiasts and highlight orchid conservation.

However a gold medal is definitely the icing on the cake with a cherry on top.