Author Archives: McBean's
Chelsea Flower Show 2020
Due to the Chelsea Flower Show being cancelled this year the RHS has introduced a digital version. They very kindly asked us to produce a short film about our famous Cymbidium Loewianum magnificum, which has been going to the show since it began in 1913. This will be aired on Saturday 23rd May and we are looking forward to the final edit, knitting together our amateur filmmaking extracts using an iPhone! You can rewatch here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/virtual-chelsea/saturday/mcbeans-orchids
Sunday Telegraph 22/03/2020
Cancelled Open Day 21st March 2020
It is with regret that we have decided to cancel our planned open day on 21st March 2020. We will also be closing the shop until further notice. We are still offering our online shop and delivery. At this time keep an eye on our YouTube Channel where we will keep you updated with what is happening in the nursery and for tips on how to look after your orchids. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiKcmYLihZ5GeNZDXEQXA_w
Battersea Decorative Fair
Some McBean’s orchids made there way to the Battersea Decorative Fair last week as part of Martin D Johnson Antiques stand. Alongside the fabulous Buddha statues, stones bowls and beautiful Georgian windows they looked fantastic!
Orchid Care Course
We had our first orchid care course of the season. Thank you to our lovely students and we hoped you enjoyed the day. If you are interested in attending a course please ring 01273400228 for more details.
DECEMBER OPEN DAY
Thank you to those who came to our first open day of the Cymbidium flowering season. We hope you enjoyed the array of orchids and informative tours by Jim!
Subscribe to our mailing list for future open days, which will happen once a month during the flowering season.
Chelsea Flower Show 2019
This years stand took inspiration from our own long history, emulating an Edwardian glasshouse.
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CFS19
We placed Cymbidium Loewianum magnificum and Oncidium Edwardii, two of our oldest plants, centre stage & surrounded them with many other unique McBeans orchids. Cym.Lowianum has been to every Chelsea Flower Show, and records show Onc. Edwardii first flowered in the nursery in 1905, the flowers this year were outstanding.
Brighton based specialist garden designer Daniel Bell helped install a living wall, and though the Vandas did not enjoy the trip, the overall effect was a soft and nostalgic, it was very well received.
We came home delighted with a RHS Silver Gilt medal, there is always room for a little improvement!
Botanical Art School comes to McBeans.
Eleanor Darley hosted a botanical art class here at McBeans last Friday. The students studied a range of our beautiful orchid flowers creating excellent pieces of work.
Eleanor is an Art Therapist specialising in working with flowers and plants.
If you are interested in any future events email Eleanor at: artsbotanical@gmail.com
Plus keep an eye on our events page for any future events.
McBeans collaborate with three young artists. Chelsea Flower show 2018
09
May
We were proud to present ‘Lowing’ a commission made by artists Elinor Stanley, Ned Armstrong & Steph Hartop, creating a sculptural support structure to display orchids.
Drawing from elements of the Sussex landscape and interior architecture, the artists sought to transplant McBeans locality into a set displaying the orchids and emphasising the structures required for the development of this vast and varied species. Working intuitively, the artists chose materials that articulate the chalky Sussex landscape surrounding McBeans. As the project progressed it became apparent that within the world of orchids the boundaries between natural and artificial become obscured. If the success of a species is measured by variety and abundance there is surely none more successful the orchid.
Elinor Stanley (b.1992) is an artist based in London. She completed her BA at Glasgow School of Art. Recent shows include Strong Currents, Botany Bay, Margate 2018, With Kin, Manor Farm Dorset 2017, Fort Bravo, Caledonian Road Church, Glasgow 2017, June, Set Space, London 2017, Pendolino, Glasgow New Society 2017, Hedging, House for an Art Lover, Glasgow 2016, MONO, URG3L, Madrid 2016, Glasgow to Leeds, Blip Blip Gallery Leeds 2015. She is a member of BART WALTZ Collective who exhibited in 2016, The Glue Factory Glasgow and Gayfield Gallery, Edinburgh. In 2016 Elinor received the HAL20 scholarship and was artist in residence at House for an Art Lover, Glasgow. In 2018 she was selected for Chisenhale Art Place’s Into The
Wild program and is currently an associate to Open School East, Margate.
Ned Armstrong (b. 1992) is an artist based in London, he completed a BA at Edinburgh College of Art where he received the George Jackson prize for excellence in painting. Recent exhibitions include G.E.L., Basic Mountain Gallery, Edinburgh, 2018, Places I want to be, P.S. Miracle Gallery, 2018, Paperworks, The Popular Rectory, London 2018, Stuffstarts, New Glasgow Society, Glasgow 2017, Dirty Den, Forrest Road, Edinburgh 2017, June, Bermondsey Projects, London 2017, Camberwell Arts Festival 2017, Further Away, India Dickinson Gallery, London 2017, Spindleshanks, All Saints Rectory, London 2017, Annuale, St Margarets House, Edinburgh 2016, Fourth, India Dickinson Gallery, London 2016, Gubbins Ran, St Margarets House, Edinburgh 2016, Kiosk, Gayfield Creative Spaces, Edinburgh 2016, Painting Now, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown Wales 2016
Steph Hartop (b.1991) graduated from Goldsmiths in 2014 with a BA in Fine Art and Art History. Previous exhibitions include: June, Set Space, London 2017, Paralysis, Ellis King, Dublin 2015, Gesamt, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copehagen Art Festival 2012. She lives and works in London.