Chelsea Flower Show 2013: nurseries that stood the test of time "In 1960 we had 40 members of staff and 12 used to stage the exhibit, rather than the two we have now," Rosemary recalls. Everything was sold by mail order and the grand estate owners, with their head gardeners, would come and select man-high delphiniums for their borders, right up into the Sixties. Now most of our orders are from gardeners and they prefer shorter 5ft varieties. We still have to hire a furniture van to get them to Chelsea, so as not to damage them. The delphiniums tend to steal the show, but Blackmore & Langdon is also famous for tuberous begonias, which front the Chelsea stand. In 2007 it launched a fragrant, coral-pink frilly begonia called 'John Smith'. The real John Smith, now in his seventies, has worked at the nursery since he was a boy. It sums up the spirit of this family nursery that he is so honoured. Root to the rescue In 1995, when I visited Langport in Somerset to see Kelways Nursery, I found a flattened site where it had stood. The only evidence of the great Kelways, which once employed 400 staff on 3,000 acres, was a rusty metal arch inscribed with its name, and pieces of peony and iris root sticking up out of the rough ground. Finally, I located David Root, then the new manager, now owner. He was literally picking up the pieces. I can still recall the aptly named Mr Root winning his first gold medal in 2000, after six near misses. He now has a tally of six. This year Kelways is supplying five designers - Ulf Nordfjell, Christopher Bradley-Hole, Jo Thompson, Michael Balston and Kate Gould. James Kelway (1815-1899) started at Langport in 1851. His favourite flower was the gladiolus; he named his own house Gladioli Villa. Kelways also bred and sold vegetable seeds, a venture that led to its downfall after it invested in America and was hit by the depression of the Thirties. This year's exhibit is the biggest Kelways has ever tackled. London florists Rebel Rebel will display vegetables and gladioli associated with James Kelway (he was also a cucumber fanatic). The display also features a pear tree, as depicted on the Kelway coat of arms in its old catalogues. In recent years Kelways' peonies have created a stir, partly because garden designers showcase them so well. 'Kelway's Glorious' (1909) is still a stunner, David says, "with double white flowers lightly flecked in red." 'Baroness Schroeder' (1889) is "a blush-pink that fades to white. Both are fragrant with strong stems. David has just updated James Kelway's Peony Book (written by the original James's grandson in 1952), to be launched at Chelsea. In 1948, Kelways began to breed intermediate irises, crosses between tall and dwarf varieties, all bearing the name Langport. Fifteen of the 50 launched between 1968 and 1973 survive; the star is the brown-bearded, sultry purple 'Langport Wren'. The nursery also works with Somerset iris breeder Cy Bartlett and regularly introduce his new seedlings. 'Orinoco Flow' (Dykes Medal winner 1994) is a frilly white with ink-blue picotee edging. It's the irises that cause most concern at Chelsea time. Staff have been anxiously feeling for the telltale bulge in the stems. "We're short of bud following last year's dull summer," Dave laments. Despite all this, Disco Dave (as he's affectionately known) would rather be at Chelsea in May than anywhere else. As he says: "Where else can you get all that energy and passion?" A wealth of orchids McBean's Orchids has been owned by the Johnson family since 1996. It began when James Ure McBean, a Scotsman, moved to Cooksbridge near Lewes in East Sussex in 1879. He specialised in ferns imported from South America, which often arrived with orchids attached. He found he could sell these for more than his ferns. His son Albert made the business world-famous. Jim Durrant has worked at McBean's for 42 years, and has been involved in winning 39 golds. He says: "In Albert's day a rare orchid could fetch thousands of pounds. Every stately home had a McBean's collection and new orchids were added every year. Until the Twenties, five days at Chelsea paid the running costs for the whole year. Times have changed, however, and two factors have made it harder. First, heating costs keep rising, and Jim has half a million plants to nurture for a full five years in order to produce a saleable plant. Second, micropropagation. McBean's adopted the technique in 1962, but it has been a double-edged sword. Some orchids, particularly phalaenopsis, have reached a wider audience. However, it has also brought down the price of others, many of which are difficult to raise. McBean's specialises in oncidiums and cymbidiums. One of the veterans on its stand, C. lowianum var. magnificum, is 113 years old. This bright green orchid with red tips to the flowers was probably the very plant on McBean's first Chelsea display 100 years ago. Jim Durrant is planning to replicate the original display of 1913, complete with rows of palm trees behind regimented tiers of orchids. Chelsea may have changed, but he's as intent as ever on winning a gold. Blackmore & Langdon (01275 332300) Delphinium 'Conspicuous' AGM Lilac-mauve with gloaming flowers studded with a dark eye. Stake and keep the slugs away. Delphinium 'Loch Leven' AGM Frilly-edged, soft blue with a shot-silk look with mauve overtones framing a white eye. Fresh and summery. Paeonia suffruticosa 'Yachiyo-tsubaki' Easy to grow, this coral-pink tree peony has a darker centre to each flower, which picks up the purplish tinge of the smoky bronze foliage. Iris 'Quechee' This tall bearded iris is a regular in show gardens. Warm mahogany-red flowers with honeycomb beards. McBean's Orchids (01273 400228) Cymbidium Strathbraan 'Cooksbridge Pearl' AGM Cymbidiums like it cool with good light, no direct sun. Up to 2ft tall (60cm), the pale cream flowers have raspberry pink spots in winter. Oncidium 'McBean's Polly' Trickier to grow, oncidiums must be watered with rainwater and kept cool. The arching sprays of flowers, in this case orange-red, last for many weeks. Like all orchids, it performs better if fed.