Planting for the coronation of King Charles III
The coronation of King Charles III on 6th May is an opportunity for communities to come together in celebration. In fact, many councils, community organisations and Britain in Bloom groups across the UK have been planning their celebrations for several months.
With the addition of an extra bank holiday on Monday 8th May and events such as the Coronation Big Lunch taking place, people are likely to be in the mood to celebrate. One of the ways that communities are choosing to mark the occasion is through the creation of floral displays designed to showcase their region during the festivities.
So, if you are planning to create floral displays with a regal theme, what plants should you opt for?
With the coronation taking place in early May, many traditional summer blooms won’t flower in time, so the coronation provides a great opportunity to showcase some beautiful spring blooms.
Involving the four nations
If you want your floral displays to reflect the four nations of the United Kingdom, the national flowers of each country, daffodils (Wales), roses (England), shamrocks (Ireland) and thistles (Scotland) would be the obvious choice. However, thistles and shamrocks don’t bloom that early, so suitable substitutes could be Scottish bluebells, varieties of heather or Scottish purple primroses which are particularly apt as purple is a colour long associated with the monarchy. Flax would be a fitting alternative for Ireland, while daffodils would need to be a late flowering variety such as the jonqilla daffodil.
Paying tribute to the King
Floral displays could also include the king’s favourite flowers as a tribute to His Majesty. In 2020, King Charles revealed on social media that his favourite flower is the delphinium, saying, "For me, the magnificent, gloriously apparelled delphinium, with its impeccable bearing and massed in platoons, holds pride of place in my botanical affections.”
Tall and regal in appearance, perennial delphiniums are easy to grow, flowering in early summer. They grow well in self-watering floor standing planters as well as in beds and borders. They bloom in different shades of blue, purple, dusky pink, red and white, so could also be used to create a display theme of the colours of the Union Jack flag.
King Charles is also a fan of wild meadow flowers and was instrumental in launching the Coronation Meadows Project, led by Plantlife in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The project came about as a way of promoting and preserving disappearing wildflower meadows in the UK. It was launched in 2013 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. So, including wildflowers would be an apt choice to raise the profile of something that King Charles feels passionately about.
Lily of the valley will also be in bloom during the coronation period and is another suitable choice as it was one of the late Queen’s favourite flowers, helping to symbolically unite the last monarchy with the new one.
A self-watering planter for every occasion
Whichever combination of flowers, shrubs and plants you choose, Amberol has a suitable self-watering container. For example, primroses and bluebells nestled in a bed of heather look equally stunning in barrier boxes which are a great way of brightening road ways and frontages, or as part of a larger display in barrels, troughs or metre squared planters. Plus, our tiered planters can be used to create a fabulous centrepiece bringing the wow factor to any display.
Mark the occasion with a tree
Tree-planting has often been used to mark important royal occasions. Last century, a significant tree-planting programme was carried out across the UK and in some Commonwealth countries to celebrate the coronation of King George VI in 1937. Similar initiatives were launched during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign to mark her coronation in 1953 and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The most recent scheme was the Queen’s Green Canopy, which encouraged people to plant a tree for the Platinum Jubilee.
Amberol’s large floor standing planters work well for smaller varieties of tree such as miniature apple trees, olive trees and Japanese maples. One big advantage of using containers is that it makes it easier to include trees as part of floral displays in concrete or urban areas. Amberol’s self-watering planters are designed to ensure that there is plenty of space for healthy root growth. They are also double insulated to protect young roots during the colder months of the tree planting season which runs from autumn through to March.
Amberol’s self-watering planters come in a variety of 18 standard colours as well as bespoke options on request. We can also create customised signage to display civic logos or commemorative plaques to mark the coronation.
How can we help?
To find out more about how Amberol’s self-watering planters could help you create a stunning floral display to mark the coronation, call 01773 830 930 or email sales@amberol.co.uk. We can also arrange a bespoke virtual demo to view our planters in more detail.
