Quilted Velvet Garden At The 2009 Chelsea Flower Show
Quilted Velvet will be unveiling
a hat-trick of spectacular show gardens this year, opening with the Quilted Velvet
Garden at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Working with medal-winning garden designer, Tony Smith, Quilted Velvet will also
be showcasing two further dazzling creations at the Hampton Court Flower Show and
Tatton Park Flower Show RHS events in July.
Tony’s Chelsea Flower Show garden has been carefully designed to bring to life Quilted
Velvet’s message of a little bit of luxury every day. The garden is based on a dream,
taking the form of a long, arduous journey through the everyday world of work and
domestic chores, eventually arriving at a place of comfort and luxury. The foreground
invites the onlooker into a sunken bed of lavender Busy Lizzies, punctuated by rising
stepping stones winding around to a central seating area filled with oversized quilty
cushions which provide a haven of comfort. A raised area behind the protective purple
slate walls creates a strong contrast and is densely planted with spiky Yuccas,
Palms and Cordylines, whilst the surrounding walls create varied perspectives in
the garden.
Three Cypress trees stand between the stepping stones in the garden, with just one
tree appearing behind them, reflecting Quilted Velvet’s commitment to ensure that
three trees are replanted for every one it uses.
Tony Smith, the Quilted Velvet Garden designer, comments: “The Chelsea Flower Show
is such a prestigious event to be involved in and I am producing three show gardens
for Quilted Velvet this year, which makes this project extra special. I have been
given a lot of artistic freedom and by considering the individual character of each
show and the unique attributes of Quilted Velvet, it has been possible to construct
a narrative across the three gardens – which I hope comes through in the subtleties
of the designs”.
The garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show is a conceptual design. The floor of
the garden is a forest of 30,000 miniature oak trees, reflecting Quilted Velvet’s
commitment to the environment through its extensive tree planting initiatives. This
is surrounded by a series of oak structures which protect the seedling trees, just
as SCA protects and manages its forests responsibly. A line of purple heather runs
through the seedlings as 'the spirit of the forest' and is reflective of the Quilted
Velvet brand.
At the Tatton Park Flower Show, the garden sits within a picture frame. A giant
purple flower is created from 5,000 colourful bedding plants, while green slate
makes up the flower stem and the leaves creatively comprise 1,000 lettuces, all
set within undulating levels of turf which curve up to meet the flower and picture
frame.
The Quilted Velvet Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show will be situated at site number
RHW31 on the Royal Hospital Way Main Avenue at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on 19
– 23 May 2009.
About Tony Smith
Tony Smith owns his own garden landscaping company,
Hortus Infinitus, and has a passion for creating unique gardens that sit
perfectly in their surroundings and exceed their owners' needs and expectations.
His gardening credentials are as follows:
- Hampton Court 2005 Silver Gilt award
- Hampton Court 2007 Gold and ‘Best in Show’ for his conceptual garden
- Hampton Court 2008 Gold and ‘Best in Show’ for his conceptual garden
- First ever art installation at Chelsea Flower Show 2008
- Hampton Court 2008 “Star” art installation
He has also produced designs for the Eden Project in Cornwall and Kew Gardens Millennium
Seed Bank.
“I have been described as a horticultural artist, and indeed my approach to gardens
is that of an artist; very instinctive. I find myself by accident somewhere between
design and art.”