Sarah Price

“Two years ago, I visited the Royal Academy’s Painting the Modern Garden exhibition. Getting up close to Monet’s huge paintings, you could see layer upon layer of really quite clashing colours and it was electrifying. I was determined to create a garden that has a similar, luminous use of colour.

“Each time you do Chelsea, you really want to conjure up a different atmosphere. My last garden in 2012 was very understated, and used British native flora. This time I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and experiment with plants that originate from Mediterranean climates. There’ll be amazing horn poppies, the exotic Daucus carota subsp. gummifer, lots of euphorbias and Crithmum maritimum, a lovely umbellifer. Many drought-tolerant plants are included, which are perfectly suited to our warming climate.

“I always start a design with strong spatial geometry. With this garden, I started off with a square, divided it into four and took a 45-degree angle off the side. Although it’s quite an elaborate design, essentially I wanted to expand on the timeless idea that a wall, a tree and a seat can create an intimate and beautiful place to be.

“Rammed earth, which I used in my 2008 garden, is the most beautiful material to work with. This time I’ve chosen a more orange clay with purple tones and I’m using it to make an archway, steps, platforms and seating. Because there are a lot of things going on in this garden, I want the rich tones of this earthy landscape material to bring cohesion to the space.”