Chelsea: RBC New Wild Garden Blue Poppy © Alice Joyce
The Himalayan blue poppy repeated a soft hue to benefit the show garden created by The Royal Bank of Canada. A green roof upholstered the top of a cottage building repurposed from a shipping container, while the ground plane featured clean-lined pools to capture rainwater collected from the living roof. After traveling down to the pools for storage, the water would then be released into the garden.
Chelsea RBC New Wild Garden Pool © Alice Joyce
Taking inspiration from the Arts & Crafts movement, the design incorporated dry-stone wall elements planted up with arrays of succulents.
Chelsea: RBC New Wild Garden Seating © Alice Joyce
The RBC Garden’s naturalistic plantings were influenced by the philosophy of the Victorian garden sage, William Robinson. Designers: Nigel Dunnett & The Landscape Agency /Below: RBC New Wild Garden Photo Copyright Alice Joyce
Chelsea Monaco terrace steps pool © Alice Joyce
A contrasting concept defined the sleek, contemporary style of ‘A Monaco Garden’ designed by Sarah Eberle for the Principality of Monaco. Not surprisingly, each show garden in its own way emphasized the importance of water in a garden plan.
Blue water represented Monaco’s harbor; water collected from building rooftops feeds the pool; drought-tolerant plants were selected for the green roof; the garden’s vertical living walls echo the greening of Monaco’s urban apartment blocks.
As pools and fountains offer to refresh the spirit on a sunny summer’s day, the reflective quality of water plays an equally prominent role, emerging as an essential point of focus in the layout of the Laurent-Perrier Garden designed by Luciano Giubbilei.
Chelsea 2011 Laurent-Perrier Garden
My experience of the Laurent-Perrier gardens at Chelsea brings to mind a sophistication together with a romantic touch. In 2011 this held true. According to the show guide, the soft pink tones of the lyrical plantings were meant to evoke Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne. As a lover of fine bubbly, and most especially Rosé Champagne, I can’t imagine a lovelier notion.
Oh my word that is a stunning garden!
Such inspiring landscapes. Even more inspiring is the amount of work that’s put in for displaying them at the show. And one step further, it is inspiring that you have managed to brave the crowds, take photographs, and sort through them all afterwards!