Top Cheshire gardener Sue Beesley, owner of Bluebell Cottage Garden in Dutton, near Northwich, is one of four gardeners representing Cheshire’s prestigious Gardens of Distinction at this year’s RHS Tatton Show.

This top North West event is the pinnacle of the horticultural year in the region.

If we occasionally complain about keeping on top of our garden in the height of summer, spare a thought for Sue Beesley and all the feverish activity currently taking place across the site of RHS Tatton’s annual Flower Show in the run-up to the opening on Thursday, July 19.

Sue said: “For at least two weeks before the show, anxious gardeners and landscapers work day and late into the evening to bring what is only a plan on paper to life.

“But in a way, it is a welcome relief to get started because for months careful preparations have gone on behind the scenes to fine-tuning designs, bring on hundreds of plants and sort logistical issues.

“It can be stressful – especially if, as a representative of Cheshire’s Gardens of Distinction, I am showcasing the richness and diversity of the county’s horticulture - but it is also exhilarating.

“‘Don’t chop me down’ is the theme of my entry. It is a simple idea and one that almost any gardener can adopt.

“My design feature borders filled with colourful hardy perennials and grasses in their summer finery but all the plants have been selected to also look wonderful in winter too, if left alone and not cut back in autumn.

“This is about getting the garden to ‘work harder’ but with no extra work.

“Visitors to Cheshire’s Garden of Distinction area will see that I have display panels of ‘plant portraits’ that show how the cones, spikes, spears and flat-head plants of the garden’s summer flowering plants can be transformed by winter frost, providing great structure for winter interest.

“What’s more there will also be seeds for birds and hibernating homes for insects.”

Sue Beesley, Bluebell Cottage Gardens is one of the RHS Tatton's Cheshire Gardens of Distinction. Credit Andrew Pratt
Sue Beesley, Bluebell Cottage Gardens is one of the RHS Tatton's Cheshire Gardens of Distinction. Credit Andrew Pratt

Last year, Sue’s garden won a silver gilt medal at RHS Tatton, success underpinned by over a decade of working hard to build up her Cheshire business.

Since 2007, Sue, a former BBC Gardener of the Year in 2006, has transformed Dutton’s Bluebell Cottage’s garden into an imaginative and inspiring gardening ‘gem’ that is open to the public. Its nursery is one favoured by professional and amateur gardeners alike and she and her five experienced staff are on hand to give practical advice and guidance.

Despite her success, Sue does not rest on her laurels.

Earlier this year, her nursery gained nationwide recognition for being one of the first in the country to sell plastic-free mail order plants.

Sue said: “A lot of people look at their gardens and think ‘what can I do to make my garden look better this year?’

“My ethos is keep it simple. Get proven, reliable plants from a good nursery.

“Give things time and don’t over-think things – plants intermingle naturally in a bid to find the light and over time will fill spaces that saves you from weeding.

“If you want new ideas, come along to a show like RHS Tatton and take some pictures on your phone and pick up the planting guides available with almost all the gardens.

“What you want for your garden will be there somewhere.

“You are the expert on your garden, trust to your instincts and you will know the idea when you see it.”

The hard landscaping for Bluebell Cottage’s garden at Tatton is being done by Eden Landscape of Warrington, experts in natural stone who have worked with Sue Beesley for years.

This is Eden Landscape’s debut at RHS Tatton.

Cheshire’s Gardens of Distinction was formally launched in 2008, to celebrate Cheshire’s Year of Gardens.

It is a consortium of 20 gardens whose aim is to raise awareness by promoting the richness and diversity of Cheshire’s horticultural assets.