News from the gardening world
Show gardens aim to inspire a greater connection with nature
Evocations of the natural world and countryside will be high profile at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Trees and woodlands will be much in evidence with seven-time Gold medal-winning designer Andy Sturgeon drawing inspiration on the regenerative power of nature for his headline woodland garden for M&G Investments, depicting a landscape of young trees, ferns and other woodland species. The Forestry Commission will illustrate the crucial need to safeguard forests against our changing climate and the ravages of pests and diseases.
Inside the plant pavilions award-winning rose breeder David Austin will be celebrating their 50th anniversary by showcasing some exciting new introductions. Eight nurseries will be making their Chelsea debut, including Newlands Herbs, Andy’s Airplants and New Forest Hostas and Hemerocallis. The Plant Heritage National Collection of Allium will display a huge range of colour, shape and form of these popular bulbous plants. l For tickets visit www.rhs.org.uk/shows.
The Morgan Stanley Garden Designer: Chris Beardshaw Sponsor: Morgan Stanley This modern design celebrates the marriage of traditional herbaceous borders within a contemporary garden setting. Large, structural trees flank a path and central rill that leads to a louvred timber relaxation pod. Dramatic domes of yew punctuate a porcelain terrace.
The M&G Garden Designer: Andy Sturgeon. Sponsor: M&G Investments Inspired by rock formations seen on an Australian beach, huge burnt timber sculptures on a dramatic scale slice through a woodland planting composed of mainly pioneering North American trees and plants, set around a series of pools and streams trickling through the landscape.
The Welcome to Yorkshire Garden Designer: Mark Gregory Sponsor: Welcome to Yorkshire Celebrating the county’s industrial heritage and regeneration, the garden depicts a towpath running alongside a perennial meadow bordering narrow canal lock gates and a lodge with garden and vegetable patch.
The Manchester Garden Designer: Exterior Architecture The design celebrates the immense value of urban green spaces and reflects the importance of creating sustainable landscapes. Trees are chosen for their resilience to climate change and plants to clean and improve urban soil.
The Resilience Garden Designer: Sarah Eberle. Sponsor: The Forestry Commission Commissioned to celebrate The Forestry Commission’s centenary, the garden, set in the British countryside, looks to the challenges facing forests. It explores how our woodlands can be made resilient to the effects of a changing climate and increasing threats of pests and diseases.