New clematis ‘Queen’s Nurse’ celebrates the enduring partnership between the National Garden Scheme and the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing
The National Garden Scheme began with a seed of inspiration, an idea put forward in 1926 by Elsie Wagg, a visionary Council Member of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN). She proposed that private gardens be opened to the public to raise funds for community nursing, a simple but transformative concept that would shape a national charity for generations to come.
In 1927, that idea came to life when over 600 gardens, including Sandringham and Blenheim Palace, opened their gates. Visitors paid one shilling each, raising more than £8,000 in that first year. From this extraordinary beginning – intended as a one-off fundraiser – the National Garden Scheme grew into the independent charity it is today and has become the largest long‑term funder of the QICN, the UK’s oldest continuously operating charity.
As the National Garden Scheme approaches its centenary in 2027, its legacy continues to flourish across the UK and in the Channel Islands where a remarkable collaboration has taken root. In Guernsey, renowned clematis breeder Raymond J. Evison CBE worked with local Queen’s Nurses to establish the Scheme on the island. Their partnership has now blossomed into something truly special: a new clematis named ‘Queen’s Nurse’, celebrating the dedication of community nurses and the enduring relationship between QICN and the National Garden Scheme.
The story began in 2016, when Queen’s Nurses Patricia McDermott, Ellie Phillips, Alison Carney and Theresa Prince set out to promote their profession. Encouraged by Mr. Evison, they embraced the challenge of launching the National Garden Scheme locally. Although progress paused during the pandemic, the partnership strengthened when the nurses helped deliver a “mini Chelsea Flower Show” in Guernsey, raising vital funds for nursing education.
By 2022, the first Guernsey gardens opened under the National Garden Scheme banner raising over £10,000 to date. It was as part of this growing relationship that Mr. Evison developed a hardy, compact, twice‑flowering clematis reflecting the Queen’s Nurses’ colours.
The ‘Queen’s Nurse’ clematis will make its official debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2026, but you can buy it now via the Raymond Evison website, with £2 from every sale donated to both the National Garden Scheme and QICN.
You can BUY IT NOW
Click here: Queen’s Nurse™ New For 2026. – Raymond Evison Clematis
Clematis Queen’s Nurse EviGsy159(PBR) launching at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May; Top L-R Alison Carney QN , Ellie Phillips QN, Lady Cordier ( Patron), Patricia McDermott QN; Bottom: 2020 L-R Ellie Phillips QN, Patricia McDermott QN, Mr Raymond Evison CBE, Alison Carney QN
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