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TV’s best-loved barman Merlin Griffiths (First Dates) is working with garden designer Jane Scott Moncrieff and Avallen Spirits on Plan Bee – a permanent home for the unused plants from the cancelled RHS Malvern show.
Avallen, which was sponsoring a garden at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, is a multi-award winning new calvados brand – and a My Green Pod Hero – that’s on a mission to save the world’s bees.
‘As a small company, sponsoring a garden at RHS Malvern was a huge opportunity for us to connect with like-minded people who share our love of nature and our passion to protect it.
‘Even with the show cancelled, we are committed to delivering on our promise to save the bees one sip at a time and are delighted to be working alongside our industry friend and legend that is Merlin Griffiths and his local village pub to bring Jane’s vision to life.‘
STEPHANIE JORDAN
Avallen co-founder
In 2019 Avallen pledged to plant 10,000 flowers across the globe over the next three years to help our declining bee population.
The company also donates €0.50 of the profit from every bottle sold to organisations that are dedicated to restoring and protecting bees.
The next event on Avallen’s planting schedule is the planting of 380 RHS show plants at The Maltsters Country Inn in Badby, a Northamptonshire pub owned by Merlin.
‘I’m delighted to be supporting Avallen’s ‘Bee Positive’ message and to give the plants a life beyond the show. I’m busy preparing the garden at the moment and we hope to plant in May when the plants will be at their best.’
MERLIN GRIFFITHS
First Dates barman and owner of The Maltsters Country Inn, Badby
The show plants are currently being grown at Hortus Loci in Hampshire. ‘Mark Straver and his team produce exceptional plants and I have always been determined to find a home for the plants after the show’, explained garden designer Jane Scott Moncrieff.
‘Following the cancellation of the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, this is even more important’, Jane continued. ‘I am thrilled to be entrusting them to Merlin’s care, and for the show garden to have a life after all.’
The Plan Bee garden will commemorate Violette Szabó GC, a WWII SOE agent who operated behind enemy lines in Normandy, the home of Calvados. ‘It will be a lovely, permanent memorial to an extraordinarily courageous young woman’, Jane explained.
The other 350 show plants will have a permanent home in London.
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