It’s been a whirlwind start to 2026 here at the Kitchen Garden Plant Centre. Between the early spring sunshine waking up the plants on the nursery and the incredible honour of a five-page spread in the April 2026 issue of RHS The Garden magazine, we’ve barely had a moment to put tools down!
We are still buzzing from our third consecutive RHS Chelsea Gold Medal and receiving the Colin Spires Award for the third year running. It’s a huge testament to the team’s hard work—you can take a look back at our 2025 award-winning Chelsea display here to see the standard we’re aiming to beat this May!
But as we gear up for RHS Chelsea 2026 (19–23 May), the garden waits for no one. We’ve been busy reacting to an unusually early growing season to ensure our exhibit—and your gardens—look their absolute best.
Early cutting material: Lemon Verbena
Because the sunshine has been so consistent this year, growth has arrived much faster than usual. In fact, we’ve already started propagating our Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) weeks ahead of schedule!
If you’ve followed our Sage Survival Guide and Complete UK Thyme Growing Guide, you know we love a hardy survivor, but Lemon Verbena is the elegant member of the herb world. It has the purest, most intense lemon scent of any plant—perfect for a refreshing tea or a sophisticated twist in a G&T and reminds me of lemon sherbets.
Pro Tip: Because we grow peat-free, remember that Lemon Verbena hates wet feet. Ensure your pots have excellent drainage to keep those early roots healthy.
Sunshine Head-Start: Prepping our Cuttings
One of the biggest surprises of the 2026 season has been that early heat. In a recent Facebook video, Neil showed exactly how we take these soft tip cuttings from our stock tunnel to keep up with the rising sap.
As you can see in the photos, we already have fantastic root development! These cuttings spend a few weeks on our heated benches before being potted on. This is the Chelsea Pressure in action—managing the nursery so every plant is at its absolute peak for the show opening on 19th May and for the parcels arriving to your door.
Important Note: Taking cuttings in March is not typical for home gardeners. We were only able to do this because our stock plants are in a protected polytunnel structure, and our cuttings go straight onto professional heated propagation benches. If your plant at home is still waking up, or still looking stick-like don't worry—Lemon Verbena is often late to produce foliage and it is perfectly normal to wait until June or July for your own propagation!
If yours has lush looking growth, don't be tempted to put it outside yet. Lemon Verbena is half-hardy, if you are unsure if your garden can facilitate this, keep yours on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse until the Chelsea Flower Show week in late May or even beginning of June to avoid late frost heartaches.
Surviving the Early Season: Expert Tips
With the sap rising early, your home herb garden needs a little extra attention:
- Check Your Watering: Early growth means thirsty plants. A spring breeze can dry out a pot faster than a summer heatwave.
- The Chelsea Trim: If your Sage or Thyme is putting on soft, leggy growth, give them a light tidy-up. This encourages the bushy habit that wins Gold Medals!
- Feed for Strength: We recommend a liquid seaweed feed starting now. Because it’s packed with minerals, it strengthens cell walls, helping your plants resist those unexpected late-spring frosts.
See Us in Person
We are currently hand-picking the starting lineup for our Chelsea stand.
- Visit our Stand: Find us at RHS Chelsea from 19–23 May.
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Read the Feature: Pick up the April issue of The Garden (as part of RHS membership) for a peek at our unusual varieties.
Ready to start your award-winning herb garden?
- Shop the 2026 Cocktail Collection: Get your hands on our early-season Lemon Verbena and other mixology must-haves.
- Read the Sage Survival Guide: Make sure your hardy herbs are as prepared for the season as ours are. Or check out our Complete UK Thyme Growing Guide
- Visit us at RHS Chelsea: We’ll be at Stand GPC031 from 19–23 May. Come see our Gold Medal display in person!
- Find us in RHS 'The Garden' Magazine: Grab the April 2026 issue via RHS membership to read the full 5-page feature on our nursery and unusual herbs.
Quick Tips: Your Early Spring Questions Answered
Q: When is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026?
A: The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 takes place from 19–23 May. You can find the Kitchen Garden Plant Centre in the Great Pavilion, where we will be showcasing our award-winning, peat-free culinary herbs.
Q: Why has my Lemon Verbena started growing so early this year?
A: The unusually warm and sunny start to the 2026 season has triggered early growth in many tender herbs. At our nursery, we’ve already begun propagating our Lemon Verbena to keep up with the sap rising. Keep these plants under glass until late May to protect the soft new growth from frost.
Q: What is the Colin Spires Award?
A: The Colin Spires Award is presented for an outstanding exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We are incredibly proud to be three-time consecutive winners (2023, 2024, and 2025) for our displays of unusual and expertly grown herbs.
Q: Can I plant out my herbs in April if the weather is warm?
A: Hardy herbs like Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary can be planted out now, provided your soil is well-draining. However, tender herbs like Basil and Lemon Verbena should remain indoors or in a greenhouse until after the Chelsea Flower Show (late May) when the risk of frost has passed.
Q: How do you get such successful cuttings so early?
A: We take soft tip cuttings as soon as the sap starts rising in the early spring sun. The secret to our gold-medal roots is using peat-free compost and providing consistent bottom heat on our nursery propagation benches.
Q: What is the best way to strengthen herbs against spring temperature swings?
A: We swear by liquid seaweed feed. It’s packed with natural minerals that thicken the plant's cell walls, making them much more resilient to those tricky early spring frosts.
About the Author: A Decade of RHS Gold Medal Excellence
This guide was written by Neil and Niamh Jones, the award-winning team at Kitchen Garden Plant Centre. With over a dozen RHS Gold Medals—including three consecutive RHS Chelsea Golds and the prestigious Colin Spires Herb Trophy awarded three years running—we have been recognised by the RHS with Gold Awards over 12 times for our specialist herb expertise.
We are also thrilled to be selected as RHS Master Growers 2026. You can see our specialist herb expertise and gold-medal standards in person at our Master Grower exhibit at the RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026.
The Grower's Guide: From Soil to Plate
Every plant is grown on-site at our Gloucestershire nursery. Your herbs will arrive happy in peat-free compost and recyclable pots, snugly tucked into sturdy cardboard packaging. From our nursery beds to your kitchen garden, we ensure our plants are as sustainable as they are beautiful.
