Oregon – The Productive Garden

The garden

Rather than recreating Oregon’s Willamette Valley literally, the garden captures the elements that define it – fertile soils, flowing water, fruit cultivation and the essential role of pollination. Designed to be viewed from the surrounding path, visitors will see a small group of standard fruit trees arranged in gentle curves, reflecting natural pollination routes rather than rigid agricultural rows. Beneath the trees, lavender, herbs and wildflowers create a soft understorey that supports pollinators and biodiversity, while adding seasonal colour and movement.

A narrow, naturalistic water line runs diagonally through the garden, referencing the river systems that shape the valley’s productive landscapes. Woven natural boundaries frame the orchard and create a sense of quiet enclosure. Plant led and earth shaped, the garden celebrates the seasonal rhythm, productivity and ecological richness that orchards bring to contemporary garden design.

The planting

The colour scheme for this garden will be blue, white and pale yellow. The key plants, fruit trees and shrubs used in the garden, highlight the fruit growing region of The Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Key plants:

• Helianthus ‘Italian white’

• Lupins

• Lavandula

• Gaillardia

• Malus

Plants supplied by: to be confirmed

The designer – Sadie May Stowell

Sadie May Stowell (BA honors PGDipLA) is an experienced and award winning Garden Designer and Landscape Architect with a flair for imaginative and creative design and a passion for spectacular plant combinations. Originally trained in Fine Art, Sadie studied Garden Design at Pershore College of Horticulture, she subsequently qualified to post-graduate level Landscape Architecture at the University Of Gloucestershire.

In 2005, Sadie was the overall winner of the Channel 4 national garden design competition ‘The Great Garden Challenge,’ an achievement which brought both local and national acclaim. Sadie creates inspired spaces where her rich tapestries of planting shine and has won numerous RHS medals for her gardens at both RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and Chelsea Flower Show. Sadie’s design ethos combines sensitivity to the environment with an understanding of how to make spaces work for the people who will use them.

About the sponsor – Travel Oregon

Oregon is a State of natural wonders and you will find amazing beauty throughout, with historic towns and sleepy fishing villages, to ski resorts and wineries. Windswept beaches, verdant forests and snow-capped peaks give way to sweeping rangelands, towering rock formations and dramatic river valleys in this incredibly diverse land. 

Sustainability notes

Natural materials are used throughout the garden, including timber and woven natural boundaries that reflect traditional low-impact construction methods. The garden avoids large areas of paving or manufactured materials, allowing planting and soil to form the primary structure of the space. This supports healthy soils, improves water absorption and reduces the environmental impact associated with hard landscaping materials.

The garden legacy

After the show, the garden will be reused and donated to charity. The trees will be returned to suppliers, the rocks and stone will be reused on landscape projects, and the plants will be donated to charity or reused.