City Gardening

170,000 pairs of feet tromped the grounds of the Royal Hospital in London’s posh Chelsea district, queuing for a glimpse of the 16 show gardens and 25 courtyard gardens that were the highlight of the 2003 Chelsea Flower Show, which celebrated 140 years. A showcase of all that’s new, innovative, and exciting in the world of gardening, the Chelsea Flower Show attracts everyone from HRM the Queen to couples from Brighton gawking at the towering delphiniums under the horticulture pavilions.

Although smaller than the more prestigious show gardens at Chelsea, the courtyard gardens displayed along the pathways winding through the groves of shady trees in neighbouring Ranelagh Gardens were filled with great ideas for city gardens. Small in scale but big on impact, the courtyard garden designs ranged from traditional cottage garden style to the contemporary neo-Plasticism inspired by Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian.

The success of each depended on building a theme around one “big idea”. This is a concept that I first learned to appreciate after attending a workshop led by the designer of Toronto’s Music Garden, Julie Moir Messervy. Messervy encourages would-be garden designers to think of one “big idea” to define a garden space. Working with this “big idea”, select everything from plants and pathways to pots and garden furniture to build on that idea. Afraid that if you follow this rule, you’ll end up with a garden looking as if it were built by a team of mad decorating doyens that make Martha Stewart and Debbie Travis look restrained? Have no fear – the gardens at Chelsea are proof that the “big idea” concept works.

The “big idea” could be as simple as “A Time for Reflection”, the theme of a garden designed in memory of British gardening personality, Geoff Hamilton. With rescued paving stones, recycled glass pebbles, and even used bathroom mirror tiles, the peaceful courtyard garden reflected Hamilton’s ingenuity in transforming the mundane into a personal paradise.

The “big idea” could be as elaborate as the “Garden of Elements”. Awarded “Best in Show” at Chelsea, the garden incorporated the four elements of fire, earth, air and water in a daring landscape of steamy fire and airborn tennis balls dancing above water plumes and lush greenery. “We have toys in our cars and for our computers, why not in a garden?” asks Catharina Malmberg-Snodgrass, leader of the team that created the Garden of Elements. Grappling with how best to demonstrate the concept of “air” in their garden, a science-minded member of the team came up with the idea of using a Bernoulli Blower. This little gadget creates an air stream that suspends a pair of tennis balls, for example, in mid-air, as if controlled by an invisible juggler – very elementary.

The “big idea” could be as appealing as “A Sensory Garden” – a garden not only of sight, taste, smell, sound and touch, but with a sense of humour as well. From colourful flower borders, tasty herbs, and the scents of lavender, chamomile and cat mint, the Sensory Garden also included a sound chamber of whispering grasses and a bed of furry lambs ears before having the last laugh with a cluster of smiling terra cotta pots.
The “big idea” could be as elegant as the “Tastevin garden”, a garden screened by grape vines enclosing a private, outdoor wine-tasting room. Quiet and secluded, the garden featured plants with names like ‘Claret’ and ‘Pinot Noir’, the corkscrew curls of Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’ accenting the burgundy-coloured walls – subtle and fruity with a slight floral bouquet.

By now you might have guessed that the big idea behind the “big idea” is unity. When all of the elements of a garden start working together to create a harmonious whole, you have unity. And when you have unity, it’s like winning a Gold Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.