At a glance: A contemporary twist on an alpine garden
Rock gardens have a long history at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and John Warland has teamed up with Tom Bannister to create a modern take on genre this year. Their garden is inspired by Henri Dunant, who founded the Red Cross over 150 years ago and retired to the Swiss Alps, where he received the Nobel Prize in 1901.
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The garden will feature column-like, hexagonal interlocking planters – an imaginative twist on the alpine trough. “Hexagons are the most efficient use of material and one of the strongest ways in nature of creating an organic shape,” explains John. Unique in size but fitting together seamlessly (referencing the 191 national societies of the Red Cross around the world), they will be hand crafted by Tom in his signature hypertufa.
The garden will showcase alpine plants from around the world, including the UK, Turkey, Morocco and Ethiopia – ‘gap fillers’ that are able survive under extreme conditions, but which are under threat due to climate change. “The exquisite displays in alpine houses are done on a very small scale,” John explains. “So we wanted to take that portfolio of plants outside, into a show garden.”
The garden will be relocated to the grounds of the NHS Maudsley Hospital in South London.
Contractor Luxe Exteriors Plants Kevock Garden Plants, Kelways Plants, Beth Chatto, Ashwood Nurseries, Wright Landscapes