The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the pinnacle for many in their horticultural calendars. There is excitement months before the show from those exhibiting their creations, those that watch the show on television and those fortunate to attend the show.
This year the Landscape Institute again attended RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Carolin Göhler FLI, President-Elect & Rob Hughes, CEO, Landscape Institute, joined on Monday, the first day of the show, to speak with industry leaders, stakeholders and members. On Thursday Tracy Whitfield, Research & Technical Manager & Oliver Ryan Communications Officer, spoke with members that were exhibiting and looked at the trends at this year’s show.
This blog provides a snapshot, including interviews with exhibitors, key takeaways, standout moments and reflections on this year’s exciting RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Carolin Göhler FLI, President-Elect, Landscape Institute
‘Nature and sustainability together with bringing the younger generation into gardening and horticulture are the key themes at this year’s show. The first Eco Medal launched, and this award highlighted the garden with the lowest carbon impact. In addition, the RHS for the first time also initiated a carbon audit of its designed garden and confirmed a 28% reduction of the impact of carbon. This has been mostly achieved by looking at procurement of lower carbon-incentives. This can be using peat-free, UK/locally sourced plants and a big focus on repurposed materials to build structures.
‘The next generation are the key to a greener future. This was reflected in the introduction of children as co-designers as well as show judges. This brings a refreshing angle to the world of horticulture and landscape design, involving young people at an early age with gardening and nature will also bring long-term benefits for our industry.’
Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden Designed by Dr Ed Barsley AMLI & Naomi Slade.
Silver Medal Winner
“This garden highlights the diverse ways in which well-designed and managed green space can cope with heavy rainfall and it is juxtaposed with the knowledge that due to climate change over five million UK homes are at risk of flooding. There is a clear sense of depth in the centre making the space feel reminiscent of a garden well, reflecting the theme of flooding and water management.”
Oliver Ryan, Communications Officer
Oliver Ryan Communications officer and Tracy Whitfield Research & Technical manager, were able to catch up with designer, Dr Edward Barsley, Associate Member of the Landscape Insitute, on Thursday at the show.
Dr Edward, it is great to be here with you today, could you tell me the inspiration for the garden?
This is a garden where we wanted it to be designed with purpose in mine, where people can see ideas and get inspiration form it. We wanted it to be a functional space but still beautiful and the planting to be dynamic. It is peaceful yet purposeful. We wanted to balance soft and hard landscaping as the garden is not big it is six by nine but by pulling the decking in on one side and letting it out on the other side, gives the feel that is it a bigger space. The garden has shown that you can still have variety in an area that has a lot of rain or flooding, there are areas where there are plants that do not mind getting their feet wet and there are fruit trees on well drained soil along with edibles that are away from the risk of contaminated flood water.
How has being a member of the landscape institute had an impact on your career?
I came runner up in the early 2010s Landscape Institute International Flood ideas competition. I put in a design for a coastal resilient settlement, and it was my first step into the realm of environmental design and looking at largescale and different approaches to flooding. That was my first interaction with the Landscape Institute. It is great to have an institute like the LI as they help to focus the mind on important topics and themes.
Here is rather a novel question but one I have to ask what is your standout plant in the garden?
Good question, the roses have been getting a lot of attention and interest. I would say though, it has to be the willow, it is really been great to see people enjoying it. The marsh marigolds have also been getting attention in the bog plant zone. The poppy’s also look great. It is hard to choose lots of good heroes working together.
Now a hard question, if you could sum the garden up in one word what word would it be?
Now that is a tough question, I would have to say ‘purposeful’.
The National Garden Scheme Garden, was created by Tom Stuart-Smith FLI
Gold Medal Winner
Could you tell us about the inspiration for the garden? What inspired you to create this garden?
I was inspired to make this garden because I admire the National Garden scheme as a charity and have opened my own garden for the scheme for 30 years. I wanted to make a garden that reflected the long tradition of garden making in the UK- so it couldn’t be overtly contemporary. It was agreed before we commenced the design that the garden would go to a Maggies Cancer centre at Cambridge so the idea of using hazel as the dominant tree came from that site which sits on the edge of an old oak hazel plantation.
In effect the garden is a model of the walk that you might make as you arrive at the Maggies centre, leaving the hospital car park and walking through the hazel grove to arrive in a pool of light around the new building to be designed by Niall McLaughlin.
Could you tell use about the planting and what are your standout plants?
The planting is quiet and natural, with many familiar plants such as foxgloves, cow parsley and woodruff but also some less common plants such as Saruma henryi, Peltoboykinia watanabie and Dystanea takesimana, all good woodlanders.
Oliver Ryan Communications officer and Tracy Whitfield Research & Technical manager, were able to meet with designers Will Dutch CMLI & Tin-Tin Azure Marxen CMLI who designed The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden.
Silver-gilt medals Medal & the People’s Choice Best Sanctuary/ All About Plants
What inspired the garden?
It’s all stems from pulp Fiction and how they started. Jessie, the founding member, she couldn’t get paid employment, she was trying to get into catering. They said she would never get a job in catering. Then Jessie started looking around and they found a smoothie bike. That is the route of how it all started. Jessie then opened a canteen space in a fire station in Nottingham. The organization’s grown from there, and they’re all about supporting their members to get, to have work skills and help them to independent living.
We have a lot of materials here, so we have gabs at the front of the garden, and so many people involved have been out collecting material in their communities.
Can you tell us about the planting in the garden?
The planting is based on a forest garden concept, it’s creating a layered canopy, so seven layers all the way through the upper canopy, right down to the floor level, into the rooting zone and so forth.
After visiting Will Dutch CMLI and Tin-Tin Azure Marxen CMLI, it was announced the following day that they received the People’s Choice Sanctuary/ All About Plants Garden.
‘To gain a Silver-Gilt medal and to also gain the People’s Choice Award for our first RHS show garden is incredible. Our category included the Sanctuary gardens which are larger and outside – so bigger budgets and actual sunlight! – so the award was completely unexpected. The Pulp Friction story has been a pleasure to tell and we have been honoured to design the garden with them over the past two years!’ Tin-Tin Azure Marxen CMLI
We asked Will and Tin-Tin if you could sum the garden up in one word what word would it be? After deliberation with members of the charity they decided the word is-
‘Community.’
St James’s Piccadilly – Imaging the World to be Different by Robert Myers CMLI – Gold Medal Winner
Carolin Göhler FLI, President-Elect, thoughts: This is a sanctuary garden, an escape very reflective in tone. The garden included sculptures and structures all of which will be relocated to its new home at St James’s to create a restorative place, a place of hope and recovery. It is a space where nature takes centre space with ornamental and wild planting working together in harmony.
What inspired you to create this garden?
I was inspired by St. James’s Piccadilly as a place, its people throughout history, and its inclusive ethos. The Grade I-listed church designed by Christopher Wren inspired the garden’s architectural backdrop. For the layout and planting we also drew inspiration from the existing St James’s gardens and our planned improvements to access and biodiversity. Our broader influence came from other churchyard gardens in London that have provided havens for people and nature. Many of these gardens, like St. James’s, were bombed during WW2 but survived and evolved into biodiverse and slightly eclectic public garden spaces.
How has being a member had an impact on your career?
Being a chartered member of the Landscape Institute has given me important professional status and recognition and enabled me to work confidently alongside other construction professionals. On a practical level, membership has given us access to important member benefits such as tailored PI insurance, and associated legal advice.
What is your favourite plant or the plant that gain the most attention from the public?
The plant that generated the most interest (by far!) with visitors to the show was a flowering dogwood, Cornus kousa ‘Ikone’, with its amazing pale-yellow bracts that really sparkled at the back of the garden.
If you could sum up your garden in one word, what word would it be?
Magnificent!
Plant Good Earth Designed by Samuel Elstub CMLI
Bronze Medal Winner in the All About Plants category.
Carolin Göhler FLI, President-Elect, thoughts: A first for RHS Cheslea Flower Show this garden within the Grand Marquees celebrities skate boarding and organic food production. This educational vibrant garden was created amongst a forest garden design, creating an immersive space which at the same time is productive, wildlife friendly and a green healthier oasis. In a wider collaboration it showcases how growing plants and recreation can work together and make a positive impact to the young in our communities and consider a more sustainable future.
Oliver Ryan and Tracy Whitfield both agreed the plant of the year, that is the plant that catches your eye garden after garden, was the striking, Iris.
Congratulations to all LI members that were involved in any capacity at this RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.
