Tales of love, inspired by European folklore – our Chubby heart becomes a miniature crest, adorned with nettle leaves for protection. And the characters of Wishing Tea wind their way round the stand. Folklore has it that the first person you set eyes on on Valentine’s morning will be your true love, so bunny covers its eyes – taking no chances – while Green Man carries a poetic love token. Spot birds in a bonded pair, a love potion of leaves and earthworms, along with flowers of the season – snowdrops and marigolds. Atop, colourful flower-crowned hand carved figures spin ‘you are my sunshine’ and steal a kiss.

Everything begins with nurturing. Seeds grow as rain falls, winter gives way to spring, day breaks after night, blown by the fresh breeze. Spot the weathervane, a north star – the mothership – guiding us through the seasons, protecting us from the elements. ‘In like a lion, out like a lamb’ so the saying goes, see a wind-blown tree settling into spring. Find a wood anemone, flower of the season, and wild daffodils blooming. A hare and her leveret embrace, while one sad hare sits aside – a nod to the melancholy this time can bring. And on top? The sun and moon turn around our take on the mythical Green Man, a symbol of rebirth and the cyclical nature of life. 

A celebration of spring planting, our allotment curves around the stand, those tiny seeds emerging as tiny shoots and then, a bumper crop – rhubarb, sunflower, carrots, greens, turnips, radish, a spring feast. The tiny spider spins a web, symbolising patience and skill. Here, the orchard – trees filled with blossoms that will become fruit. And more spring bounty – tomatoes on the vine, a fresh crop of peas, sweet strawberries and beautiful green cabbages. The figures crowning the stand proudly exhibit prize vegetables – a giant radish and spring cabbage – basking in the sunshine as they turn. 

Fittingly, an egg silhouette becomes a repeated motif here, harking to ancient easter games – rolling, tossing, shaking – and representing new life. Each outline is painted with spring symbolism – marigolds, pine needles for stamina, a snake for the circle of life and the sun, for light, fortune and growth. Depicted alongside the moon, it shows spring light conquering darkness. Swallows soar while seeds sprout, new life for plants as well as animals. Spot wild garlic, the herb of the month, and our spring tree, bursting into life. The central vignette? The Goddess of Easter, Ostara, holds a baby aloft dressed as a hare, Morris dancers kiss the baby as Ostara spins.

The May Pole and Morris dancers swirl around this stand, along with the sun and moon, and fire too – imitating the heat of the sun. Our Wishing Tree characters gather greenery and flowers, bringing a harbinger of spring into our homes. The Green Man is drunk on milk, symbolising the prolific production as spring is in full swing. As the green mist swirls around the stand, the scene returns to summer’s lushness, a party. And find a Beltane celebration – the mythical Green Man clashes sticks with our Morris dancers, each clad in miniature spring boaters. 

To mark the Chelsea Flower Show, the paintings depict a celebration of flowers – our Wishing Tree characters find the pavilion where flowers are judged, blooming across every part of the stand. A bouquet of flowers cascades from the Maud. then moves into a floral wilderness, with a host of spring flowers. A tiny spider symbolises patience and skill, vital for prize winning blooms. Here too, is Chelsea Flower Show carved in miniature – a figure clutches a prize winning bouquet of flowers, complete with a little first rosette, as she spins gathered ladies bend to catch the scent.