Plants are often named after well-known people – but there is a growing trend for them to be associated with a particular good cause or charity.

At Chelsea, Matthewman Sweetpeas is launching a vivid magenta sweet pea called ‘Milly’ in memory of Amanda ‘Milly’ Dowler, the 13-year-old who was abducted and murdered on her way home from school in March 2002.

The idea was conceived at last year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, where a memorial garden was being exhibited for Milly’s Fund, a charity founded by Sally and Bob Dowler in October 2002 to promote the safety of children and young people.

That garden, The Old Police House, designed by Penny Smith, won the Tudor Rose Award for Best Show Garden and was awarded an RHS Gold Medal, for its impressive planting of cottage-garden flowers and vegetables and its detail in recreating an old police house garden of the 1950s.

David Matthewman said: “Mrs Dowler approached us at Hampton Court and asked us if we might name a sweet pea after Milly. We don’t normally do that with our sweet peas but she loved these flowers and we had a new variety that we had yet to give a name to – so it all came together.”

Twenty pence from every packet of seeds sold will be forwarded to the Milly’s Fund.

Something for everyone

Variety provides the spice for this year's Hampton Court Flower show

Background

• Concrete jungle

• Out of Africa

• They live by night

• Remembering Milly

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

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