Curated to be a place for quiet reflection and forging connection for his visitors, the garden incorporates various elevations to play with a sense of perspective and is Ishihara’s first large Show Garden. The garden designer now has a total of 13 RHS Chelsea Gold medals, bolstered by his first RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year.
On winning the award, Mr Ishihara said: “I’m very honoured to receive this wonderful award - I never thought I’d have such a gift. I really still cannot believe it after working here for 20 years. It's such an honour to have it, thank you so much!”
Hayley Skipper, Chair of the Judging Panel, said: “Overall, the garden is a masterclass. It is exquisitely detailed and delivers immersive, beautifully composed planting. Every viewpoint delivers exquisite compositions. The beautiful foliage throughout demonstrates the power of green. Perfect in scale, the trees are excellently proportioned. The garden illustrates how designers do not have to use huge specimens, powerful exemplifying an appreciation of beauty in detail. It is an immaculate delight.”
Tom Massey and Je Ahn’s The Avanade Intelligent Garden won Best Construction for a Show Garden. The garden includes a fungal feature wall constructed from ash timber from diseased felled trees and pulp panels filled with mycelium.
In the Small Show Gardens, The Addleshaw Goddard: Freedom to Flourish Garden designed by Joe and Laura Carey took home both the RHS Chelsea Small Garden of the Year as well as the RHS Chelsea Best Construction for a Small Garden.
Liz Nicholson, Chair of Judges, said: ‘The designers have created a habitat with a mood and atmosphere that is transportational and highly evocative of north Norfolk. This is a small space successfully capturing a bigger landscape that is rarely seen at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Designers took risks in the three-dimensional aspects of the garden, confidently using water, innovative materials and exquisite planting design to create a balanced and unified composition.’
In its second year, the RHS Environmental Innovation Award was presented to Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin with Modular for The Pathway Garden, commended as a masterclass in sustainable creativity using reclaimed materials to steer the design, providing a stylish and refreshingly resourceful garden.
Best All About Plants Garden was presented to Seawilding by Ryan McMahon. Wrapping up the garden awards, Best Balcony and Container Garden went to Navium Marine: Blue Mind Garden designed by Ashleigh Aylett.
In the Great Pavilion, a total of 55 Gold Medals were awarded with Best Exhibit going to Raymond J Evison Ltd for an exhibit of clematis.
RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year was awarded to Philadelphus PETITE PERFUME PINK (‘P1’) bred by Alan Postill. The plant was praised for its beautiful pink colour on the flower, unusual for the species which is usually white.
In the new Sustainable Excellence Awards, top prizes were presented to POTR for RHS Chelsea Sustainable Business of the Year, Sneeboer Trading: Garden Scoop for RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year and MONC: MONC Eyewear RHS Chelsea Sustainable Lifestyle Product of the Year.
The full awards list is available on the RHS Website here:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/press/shows/chelsea
