This year we designed the stand for the Society of Garden Designers at Chelsea Flower Show, in the Great Pavilion in the Continuous Learning Zone.
Trees are an essential and important component of our landscape. The plants selected are all suitable for woodland planting and woodland fringe, highlighting how beautiful planting can be under and near trees. People are often intimidated by trees in gardens but this planting shows just how delightful and light the overall look and feel can be with good design and careful plant selection.
Some of the lovely comments from SGD design members:
“Just wanted to say that I thought the stand looked absolutely amazing – well done you!”PF
“I thought the planting was a triumph. Many people were coming over to look at it, pass comments (all favourable of course!), ask questions, take photos etc. the poster wall also looked great.” JW
“Well done for your excellent stand esp the much admired planting. A good crowd puller.”EP
“I just wanted to congratulate the SGD on an excellent stand at Chelsea, the planting was really beautiful and as good as many of the show gardens. Well done – it just showed what professionals can do!”SB
The colours combine to give a warm, light planting palette that compliments the corporate colours of the Society of Garden Designers.
Furniture on the stand has been supplied by Gaze Burvill. The solid oak Boardwalk bench, chair and coffee table are set off and enclosed by two beautiful Boardwalk planters.
The contemporary trellis is from The Garden Trellis Company and is a softwood painted with Farrow and Ball ‘buff’.
The trees were supplied by Barchams.
The stand was not a judged exhibit.
The SGD ‘wallpaper’ was designed to our brief. The ‘wallpaper’ connects the stand to the RHS theme of ‘The power of Plants’ and presents excerpts from research showing the power of plants when set within the context of a landscape.
Plant list:
Betula albosinensis ‘Fascination’ (chinese birch)
Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’ (hornbeam)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Burgundy’ (oak leaf hydrangea)
Acanthus spinosus (bear’s breeches)
Actaea simplex ‘Black negligee’ syn. Cimicifuga (bugbane)
Astrantia Gill Richardson Group & Astrantia ’Good Pink’ (masterwort)
Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ (ornamental thistle)
Epimedium x youngianum ‘Niveum’ (barrenwort)
Geranium phaeum (mourning widow)
Geranium sanguineum ‘Album’ (bloody cranesbill)
Hosta Siebolidiana var elegans (plantain lily)
Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Tanna’ (burnett)
Viola labradorica (alpine violet)
Luzula nivea (snowy woodrush)
Briza ‘Golden Bee’ (quaking grass)
Athryium filix-femina (lady fern)
Athryium niponicum ‘Red Beauty’ (japanese painted fern)
Blechnum spicant (hard fern)
Matteucia struthiopteris (shuttlecock fern)
Osmunda regalis (royal fern)
Polystichum aculeatum (hard shield fern)
“I just wanted to congratulate the SGD on an excellent stand at Chelsea, the planting was really beautiful and as good as many of the show gardens. This was a remarkable achievement given Helen got most of the plants from other show gardens during the build up. Well done – it just showed what professionals can do!”
