Exhibitors
Roof gardens New for 2007
Samuelson Design
Patio Povera! A Roof Garden with Found Objects
Designers: Anthony Samuelson, Daniel Lloyd Morgan, John Camm, Lorna Mablin, Steve Westwood, Natalie Samuelson
Contractor: B S Construction
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The theme for A Roof Garden with Found Objects was inspired by a patio seventy-seven year old Anthony Samuelson created for his wife. An early purchase, a magnificent tree fern, was too big for any pot that Anthony owned. On a whim he asked his gardener to plant it in an old rusting water tank saying, ‘This is Arte Povera. You know: A found object? Objet trouvés? Ready-made? Duchamp. That lot.”
The garden is centered on using a variety of objects as plant containers. It is based on what is known in the art world as ‘objets trouvés’ (found objects) or ‘ready-mades’.
Sunflowers grow up a tall chimney stack, which is surmounted by chimney pots with television aerials, satellite dishes, drain pipes and cables in abundance. A barbeque adapted from an ancient cast stove lies against the right hand wall, with a fire extinguisher close at hand. To the right an upside-down tomato plant tumbles out of a giant ketchup bottle.
The influences of art are everywhere in this roof garden; Mr and Mrs Andrews, from the National Gallery’s portrait by Gainsborough, are represented by two life-sized window mannequins. Othello, the 2.4m (8ft) high Great Dane, which once graced the Biba Food Hall and was ‘found’ at Billy Smart’s Circus sale, stands next to Mr Andrews, as in the portrait. Secured high up on the chimney is a yellow ladder-back chair with sunflowers growing through its rush seat - an allusion to two pictures by Van Gogh.
The tubular supports of a double hammock, at the centre of the garden, are covered in Clematis montana and the tree fern, which started it all, features within the rusty water tank. Mrs Andrews’ 18th century gown is made from carpet violas, which is set into sphagnum moss fed into a stainless steel frame. Her hair is a spotted deadnettle and on her lap sits a rubber chicken planted with common sage.
This is the garden designer’s, Anthony Samuelson’s, first time at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He says that he does not have a horticultural background and admits he has never been to a flower show in his life! With no horticultural knowledge, he teamed up with plant guru Daniel Lloyd Morgan, who won a Gold Medal at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2002, to bring his design to life.
Anthony sums up what exhibiting at Chelsea means to him in three words: anxiety, fear, hope.