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RHS Chelsea Flower Show

May 21–25th

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Explore Chelsea

The Telegraph Garden

Sarah Price, the designer of The Telegraph garden gives us the gen on how to use some of her design features in our own gardens.

“It’s important to exploit the natural qualities of stone”

  • Silene dioica

    Choose British natives

    Red campion or Silene dioica is easy to grow and makes a good addition to a rockery or dark corner that needs some colour. It's a native plant, which means it is hardy with a long flowering period. It is also low-maintenance, only needing dividing if it has outgrown its space. It's also fairly pest-free, even from slugs and snails.

  • Natural limestone

    Rock the look

    Natural stone is the ultimate hard landscaping material.  It's not cheap, but the merits are manifold. Use a local variety as it ties into its surroundings and is a more ecological choice. The longer it’s in place the better it looks and, of course, it lasts indefinitely. Use it sensitively, exploiting the natural qualities of the rock by laying it the right way so the lines and colours flow naturally between stones as they would in their natural environment.

  • Betula pendula

    Consider the form

    We have used Betula pendula or native silver birch multistems. It’s a common tree but it has a beautiful, graceful form. Don’t be afraid to use trees as structure, not only as vertical demarcation of space, but also because they are multistemmed, they lend a sense of horizontality as well.  Consideration of form is really important when choosing garden trees.

  • Deschampsia flexuosa

    Grasses add another dimension

    I’m using lots of grasses and one of the key varieties in the garden is Deschampsia flexuosa, which I'm using to add movement and transparency, as well as to create a foil for the more solid plant forms. It flowers a bit earlier than D. cespitosa and its delicacy complements the birches. Ornamental grasses can play a part in most gardens.

  • Gravel chippings

    Follow through with gravel

    We are using gravel chippings between the stones and the boulders which is of the same limestone as the rock for unity. It’s bound gravel, so it consists of different sized particles from 25mm to dust.

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