From Bees to Thailand: Gardens at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2010
The
UK’s biggest gardening show is back in full bloom this summer in the dramatic and
historically rich grounds of Hampton Court Palace, with an array of gardens to capture
the imagination of visitors.
This year’s highlights include:
The Copella Bee Garden, designed by Sadie May Stowell
Award-winning landscape designer Sadie May Stowell has joined forces with Copella
apple juice to celebrate the behaviour and nature of the British bee. The garden,
designed from a bee’s point of view, highlights the issue of bee decline in the
UK and shows what people can do in their own gardens to help. The layout of ‘The
Copella Bee Garden’ will take inspiration from the rhythm of the bee’s ‘waggle dance’
movement, whilst the overall concept will reflect the bee’s journey from plant to
hive. An interactive sculpture based on a natural bee hive will be the main focal
point of the garden, overlooked by three mature apple trees. Wildflower species
and grasses will be planted to the rear of the garden, with blue and mauve coloured
‘bee-friendly’ plants included in order to attract and support bees.
Plants include Geranium pratense ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’, Hyssopus officinalis
(blue), Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ and Melianthus major.
Sadie May Stowell has a flair for imaginative and creative design work and a passion
for spectacular plant combinations. Initially trained in fine art, she started to
explore colour, texture, form and shape through the use of paint and textiles. Basing
her work on natural forms and plant material stimulated her to move on to explore
the three-dimensional aesthetics of landscape design.
Tourism Thailand, designed by James Clarke at Elevations Exhibition Design and Management
This garden is based upon a section of a river in a rural location in Thailand.
It is designed as a showcase for plants from Thailand as well as focusing on a way
of life away from the cities.
Visitors to the garden will be able to cross the river into a lush garden and pass
by an accurate recreation of a Thai Sala.
The Thai Sala is located on the opposite side of the river with steps down to the
waters edge. This serves as a shelter from the rain and the sun and becomes somewhere
to rest and contemplate away from the house. The steps to the water allow the house
owner to leave daily offerings to passing Buddhist Monks along the river.
To represent the natural lush landscape of Thailand the key structural plants will
be large Musa, Areca and groupings of bamboo together with Ficus
and possibly Plumeria. Other large palms will give height to the rear of
the site. Alocasia and smaller Musa will be combined with Heliconia,
Canna. Codiaeum and various gingers as under-planting.
Nelumbo (Lotus), Hydrocharis and Eichhornia are the main
water plants. Lotus has religious links to Thailand and the flowers are
offered as gifts to the passing monks. The garden will also include a small number
of species relevant to Thai cuisine, lemongrass, chilli and kaffir lime. Curcuma
(Siam Tulips) and many grasses and reeds will be planted along the riverbank.
An Uprising in Kindness, designed by Bill Butterworth
This is a symbolic garden representing the beginnings of the homeless charity Emmaus
in 1954, when Abbe Pierre stormed Radio Luxembourg and appealed to the French public
for donations. The overwhelming response, described by Le Figaro as “an
Uprising of Kindness”, enabled him to set up the first Emmaus Community in his own
garden in France.
Garden designer Bill Butterworth makes many references to the Emmaus story using
symbolic features throughout the garden, created by local artists and Emmaus “companions”.
A glass and light artist has created the garden’s 'Lantern' and 'Frozen Lady,' and
the entrance to the arbour has been designed and built by a recycled metal working
sculptor.
The plants in this decorative garden have been carefully selected to be edible,
to be a symbolic reference to the mission statement of the charity, and for their
visual effect in simulating the feel of a typical French orchard. Plants include
Passiflora Caerulea, Rosa ‘Compassion’, oregano, thyme and olive
trees.
Bill Butterworth has designed and built gardens for almost twenty years across the
North East of England, Yorkshire and currently East Anglia. During this time he
has designed and built two previous RHS Show gardens. The first won a Gold Medal
at BBC Gardeners World Live at the NEC, the second a Silver Medal at RHS Chelsea
Flower Show.
Urban Serenity designed by Neale Richards Ltd Garden Design
Framed by hardwood timber screens and sheltered under the cooling dappled shade
of multi-stemmed Prunus serrula, Urban Serenity is a clean, uncluttered
design with an overall feeling of calm and unity.
Unwind as you stroll over the reflective pool and across the floating sawn York
stepping stones, which lead you down into a sunken seating area that envelopes you
with textural planting and fills your head with soothing sounds of flowing water
and the visual intrigue of an infinity edged pool.
The planting style is predominantly relaxed with an evergreen structural presence
of Buxus domes and a Hedera screen that contrast and celebrate
the textural and colour of the perennial planting.
Urban Serenity was designed for a busy city couple who desired a garden that could
harvest the water collected from their new glass and stone extension and provide
them with a space to unwind, giving them a feeling of calm and tranquillity away
from their hectic working day lives, a place that looked inviting.
It’s only Natural by The Plant Company designed by Marianne Krogh Ali
“It’s only natural” illustrates that it is possible to create a beautiful and elegant
yet truly sustainable wildlife-friendly area that attracts and supports a diverse
range of creatures. It also shows that a garden does not need to look untidy and
neglected in order to encourage wildlife to visit and find a refuge.
The three interlocking circles of the garden are symbolic of ‘the cycles of life’.
The pond provides the opportunity to sit and watch the wildlife activity attracted
to it from the tranquillity of the nearby log bench.
A wide range of plants have been chosen that are attractive to wildlife which are
also a pleasing visual impact of colour, form and structure. Most of the plants,
including Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Eva’, Lychnis flos-cuculi
and Passiflora caerulea are colourful and nectar-rich attracting beneficial
insects into the garden.
All materials used are completely biodegradable and, if the garden was left untended,
nature would claim it back and it would become part of the ecosystem, not an impediment.
The Garden Lounge by Wixon Gibbs Ltd
Bringing together classic elements of historical garden design in a modern context,
“The Garden Lounge” encapsulates the relationship between design and horticulture
to present a visually outstanding and relaxing living space.
The garden avoids the use of structures in favour of terraces to create drama and
privacy in a relatively sheltered location. The planting has been chosen to tolerate
widely varying soil types.
Wixon Gibbs has integrated neatly clipped squared Lavendula with a Ligustrum
topiary centre to introduce a contemporary look and feel. The trees at the entrance
bring a flutter of romance whilst the standard Carpinus pleached trees
at the rear wall offer a fresh interpretation of a formal historical theme. In addition,
there are various water features that help create an intimate, reflective meeting
place. Other plants include Artemisia, Anemone, Digitalis
and Eryngium.
Recycled materials have been chosen wherever possible, both to minimise environmental
impact and for their inherent beauty.
The LEGOLAND Pirates Landing Garden, designed by Paula Young
The LEGOLAND Pirates Landing Garden has been created with families with young children
firmly in mind. A pirate ship has unexpectedly landed inside the Johnson family’s
garden as children are happily playing. LEGO brick models of a mischievous band
of pirates can be seen emerging from the undergrowth as they search for precious
treasure.
The majority of the plants are hues of green, chosen for their foliage texture and
colour. Other key plants bring the garden to life and create a theatrical feel to
the setting.
Paula Young moved to the UK from South Africa in 2000. After travelling around the
world she started a summer job at LEGOLAND Windsor as an attractions assistant.
Ten years on, Paula is now a landscape designer at the Berkshire theme park and
has been able to pursue a career in this field by combining work and studying at
the University of Greenwich. Paula graduated in 2008 with a BA (Hons) degree in
Garden Design.
More Information
For more information on all of the gardens at Hampton Court Palace Show please click
here
Tuesday 6 – Sunday 11 July, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, KT8 9AT
Tickets from £14 - £32. Children under 16 free with an accompanying adult.
To buy tickets:
www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt
0844 338 7528