Growing with Many Hands

The border 

Growing with Many Hands is inspired by the valuable work gardeners do to care for our green spaces. In a time of climate change, gardeners are on the ground experiencing changes first hand and are able to adapt to these changes.

Bringing together climate-resilient planting with habitat piles for biodiversity, the garden will be made as if the gardeners have just left for their tea break. Tools will poke out through the flowers, cups of coffee will be laid on the tea tables, with seed packets ready to sow.

The planting

Highlights will include feathery drifts of Foeniculum vulgare, pink pops of Echinacea purpurea, drought tolerant mounds of Cistus argenteus ‘Peggy Sammons’ and bronze shimmers of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, all chosen for climate resilience.

Plants supplied by: Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens

About the designer – Mattie O’Callaghan

Mattie is a landscape architect, writer, curator and gardener exploring how we can live better together on our fragile planet. Working at the intersection of art and ecology, they are centred around questions of climate justice, community connection and queer ecologies. Currently working as the Garden Trainee at Beth Chatto Plant’s & Gardens and as a freelance landscape architect.

About the sponsor – Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens

Beth Chatto OBE VMH (1923–2018) was a legendary British plantswoman, garden designer and author who transformed modern gardening with her ecological approach. She is most famous for her ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ philosophy, which advocates for choosing plants that are naturally adapted to the specific conditions of a site rather than fighting against nature.

Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens see the benefits of having one of their Horticultural Trainees develop a Long Border, which highlights the work of gardeners. By donating plants from the nursery, Mattie is having an active role in propagating, growing, and caring for the plants for the show. This enables them to see the full scale process of creating the show garden, highlighting also the hidden work propagating the plants behind the scenes. 

The garden legacy

The garden will be relocated to Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens to be reused in the nursery and gardens. Habitat Piles, made from harvested material from the gardens, will be relocated to the garden to continue to provide important space for biodiversity in the garden.