Exhibitors
Courtyard gardens
Green Ink Gardens
The CAF Giving Garden - Where the Wild Things Are
Designer: Tiggy Salt
Sponsor: The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
Contractor: Stewart Landscape Solutions
Click on the images to view a hi-res version
The inspiration for this garden comes from the globally famous children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
In the book the protagonist Max has been sent to bed without his supper for bad behaviour and, as he slips into sleep, he dreams that his bedroom has become a forest. The focal poing of The CAF Giving Garden - Where the Wild Things Are is his bed, which is planted with a chamomile lawn, lavender and passion flower. These are all plants with sleep-inducing properties to suggest the dreamscape of the story.
Sendak has designed many sets for opera and theatre and his work demonstrates a fascination with plants. Tiggy Salt, the garden designer, says it has been challenging but fun trying to identify the plants in the books. Irises have been selected to suggest the strong verticals at the foot of his bed, hosta to approximate the fat juicy tongue-like plants and some exuberant specimens such as banana, elephant’s ears, flowering rhubarb, artichoke and angelica to anticipate the arrival of Wild Things who appear later in the tale.
A Moon Swing is an important structual feature within the garden as the moon has always held great significance for Sendak, with many of his stories taking place at night with the moon ever-present.
This is Tiggy’s first exhibt at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.