We are delighted that our bee-FFs at Bees For Development won a silver medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their Hives For Lives tropical garden, which we were very proud to sponsor!
In line with the overall show theme of focusing attention on sustainable approaches to key issues, our ‘Hives for Lives’ forest garden won a silver medal for raising awareness of the life-changing power of bees to address issues of chronic poverty, loss of biodiversity and climate change.
Across the week, over 160,000 visitors buzzed by the honeycomb encased forest to enjoy the lush canopy of vibrant greens, with pops of fiery orange from nectar rich flora, complete with beehives made from natural forest materials. Visitors also enjoyed exploring the Rowse honey market at the edge of the forest, to learn about the different flavours and textures of our delicious honey.
Our visitors were intrigued to learn that whilst Rowse has a strong British heritage, our honeys come from over 20 countries around the world… even from Ethiopia, where we work to improve livelihoods through beekeeping, with Bees for Development.
visitors160,000
The icing on the cake was a special ‘out of hours’ event where we hosted Queen bee royalty at the ‘Hives for Lives’ Garden… Thanks to Ellie Goulding, Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton, Lucy Seagle and Arthur Parkinson for their support in raising awareness for the great work achieved by Bees for Development in Ethiopia. See if you can spot our bee-list celebs here.
For tropical inspiration for your garden this summer, check out the full planting guide here.
Find out more about the work we have achieved with Bees for Development and how you can support this wonderful charity and visit them here.
