Interviews with the stars
Cleeve West, designer of the Bupa garden
“Chelsea is a very prestigious event and you want to display work that you might not display in another garden. Chelsea is very stressful as a designer - but very stressful and enjoyable.
"I’m really glad we kept our design simple. I think it’s going to be a vintage year; people are really pushing the boat out. It’s fantastic for Chelsea, but people make things difficult for themselves; there are only three weeks to build a garden at Chelsea and I hope they will all finish in time.
“It’s going to be a good year as there are some really stunning gardens. Some people are using more restricted palettes. Tom Stuart Smith has used a really simple palette of colours and simple designs and beautiful trees. That’s one extreme, I really relate to that. In most of my private gardens I’m using less colour and more muted designs.
"This is a sensory garden, with a nod to keeping colour at the front. You don’t need colour or scent, or even sound to make a good garden - good garden design is good use of space and for me that’s more important. A peaceful tranquil space is much more important for people’s wellbeing.
“For the last 20-odd years I’ve been using reclaimed materials, but now you can hardly get hold of the stuff. Everything you use has a knock on effect. For private gardens I believe in using existing materials. Even to the extent of using existing plants and trees to advantage.”
Interview by Jean Vernon