The Peony Girl and Peony of the Month Team Visit Chelsea Pensioners
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is more than just a festival for gardeners and garden lovers across Britain. The show also holds a special place as an important annual event for all Chelsea Pensioners. Each year the Chelsea Pensioners look forward to taking in the sights of the special event held on The Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chelsea Pensioners have missed two RHS Chelsea Flower Shows in May, with the recently announced postponing of the show to September this year. With this in mind, The Peony Girl, Siyuan Ren has decided to give back memorably.
On May 20th, the founder and artist of The Peony Girl, Siyuan Ren, will lead the "Peony of the Month" team Billy Carrathus and Heath Urquhart of Binny Plants and Master Florist Jens Jakobsen to hold this special event.
Together the group will:
• Honour the fallen with a specially designed red peony wreath. The Peony of The Month team will also donate and plant seven "Buckeye Belle" peonies in the memorial area of Cadogan Court.
• Present a limited-edition print of the May "Peony of The Month"– Velvet Ruby.
• Record a special edition Peony of the Month Chat Show on hospital grounds with special guests discussing the hospital garden, the chosen peonies, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as how the pensioners have copied with the pandemic
• Siyuan will then create a painting from this special day to auction at her RHS Chelsea Flower Show stand in September, with all the proceedings to the hospital.
The group is thrilled to give back to the frontline carers who have been working around the clock to keep us safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and to pay homage to the Chelsea Pensioners that stay at the hospital.
"I think it's important to find joy wherever we can," said The Peony Girl, Siyuan Ren. "I am very excited at this opportunity, and I would like to thank the hospital for allowing us to make the most out of this special day.
During this time last year, Siyuan donated over 100 face masks to the carers at the hospital during the pandemic. This year she is excited to be giving back again.