Artisan Gardens
Delightful designs on smaller plots, the 2017 Artisan Gardens enchanted visitors
Ishihara Kazuyuki’s ‘Gosho No Niwa’ was inspired by the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the former residence of the Emperor of Japan. The garden, which features pines, maples and moss, was intended to create a sense of peace and communal spirit and marked Ishihara’s 12th year at the show.
Winner of 13 RHS Gold medals, Sarah Eberle followed the Mediterranean theme with the ‘Viking Cruises Garden of Inspiration’ which featured date palms, citrus and succulents, and was based on the distinctive work of architect Antoni Gaudí, best known for the unfinished Sagrada Familia that dominates the Barcelona skyline.
‘The Seedlip Garden’ by Dr Catherine MacDonald, who returned for her second year, was a conceptual garden inspired by the story of Seedlip, the world’s first non-alcoholic spirits company. It was a celebration of alchemy and married 17th-century apothecary with the modern laboratory, featuring old-fashioned copper pipework and a planting palette influenced by plants listed in the influential 1651 book The Art of Distillation.
Following 2016’s ‘Best in Show’, Gary Breeze’s ‘The IBTC Lowestoft Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden’ featured the replica of an 900-year-old beautifully crafted oak boat which was found on the Norfolk Broads. The garden, a marshland environment, also featured peas, garlic, kale and chives.
Additional Artisan creations included the ‘Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Centenary Garden’ by David Domoney, ‘Hagakure – Hidden Leaves’ by Shuko Noda, and newcomer Fiona Cadwallader’s ‘The Poetry Lover’s Garden’. Graham Bodle returned with the ‘Walker’s Wharf Garden’, and design duo Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith created a garden for World Horse Welfare.
