Chatsworth’s 2020 gardens unveiled
Natural planting styles and harmonious colour palettes define this year's gardens
Demonstrating outstanding garden design, innovative landscaping and lavish and beautiful planting combinations, five gardens at this year’s RHS Chatsworth Flower Show take the theme of mindfulness to heart, illustrating in small plots how gardens and green spaces have beneficial qualities for our mental health and physical wellbeing.
Breathe Easy by Peter Lloyd
Offering sanctuary and tranquillity is Breathe Easy by Peter Lloyd. With garden beds shaped like lungs, the space is an oasis in which to meditate, retreat from everyday life and retune. Here the sensory planting has been chosen to stimulate the mind and senses with fragrance – encouraging pollinators into the garden too.
Calm Amid the Chaos by Jackie Knight
Seasoned designer Jackie Knight provides an antidote to our sedentary and virtual lives in Calm Amid the Chaos. It focusses attention on water and the sound of it tumbling over rocks and waterfalls into a sunken pond. Tall trees frame the vista and the whole invites the visitor to focus their awareness on the tranquil view.
Little Spirits Cherry Garden by Diana Hardstaff
Drawing attention to the highly emotive subject of miscarriage, Diana Hardstaff’s Little Spirits Cherry Garden honours the memory of a miscarried child. Small spirit houses, borrowed from eastern culture, offer a shrine on which to focus. Continuing the Japanese influence a cherry tree, waterfall, moss lawn and foliage planting creates a calming tranquil ambience.
Mind’s Journey Garden by Michael Vinsun
Plants dominate in Mind's Journey Garden, created as a space in which to be immersed in nature and benefit from the sights, sounds and scents of the mossy environment.
Mankind Initiative Garden by Cheryl Sibley
Raising awareness of male victims of domestic abuse, Cheryl Sibley has designed the Mankind Initiative Garden packed with symbolic planting. A reflective pool at its heart is surrounded by calming, sensory planting.
A Reflective Garden by James Hutchison
Featuring the hallmarks of a traditional and formal garden, James Hutchison’s Reflective Garden features a long, tranquil pool at its heart, an intimate summer house to the rear, eight architectural standard Elaeagnus trees and attractive planting combinations in tones of green, white, silver and purple.
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