The Savills Garden - Gold

Gold winning show garden by Marcus Barnett and Philip Nixon. The inspiration for this garden is taken from the Modernist Architecture of Mies van der Rohe and in particular the Farnsworth House, which was completed in 1951 in Plano Illinois, USA.

Garden description

The challenge for the designers is to create a garden that pays homage to the clean lines of Modernism but also will encourage show visitors to stop and view Modernist inspired design through fresh eyes, as well as admire the beautiful planting that complements the modernist loggia. With the Savills Garden the designers want to explore specifically Modernist themes but also the idea of contrast as something that creates harmony.

The Savills Chelsea Flower Show garden is private and enclosed. The entrance is framed by trees (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii) that lead onto a polished concrete pathway. The geometry of the path then meanders through trees and perennial planting, consisting of grasses such as Luzula nivea and Stipa tenuissima and foliage plants such as Rodgersia pinnata. Vertical accents are provided by Digitalis purpurea. Drifts of Iris sanguinea 'Snow Queen' are another key feature of the planting. Elements of the planting are more structural, specifically the Buxus sempervirens cubes which run in a line from the loggia out into the garden, echo the horizontals of the loggia and provide a visual and metaphorical link between soft and hard landscaping. Finally the path leads across water creating a sense of journey, arriving at the 'Modernist' building at the rear of the garden. The building is designed as a place of refuge or for entertaining.

Plant list: (click on any of the green links below to read more about the plant and to add to your own 'Plants I want' list)

Perennials

Allium 'Mount Everest'
Aquilegia vulgaris 'Ruby Port'
Astrantia 'Hadspen Blood'
Baptisia australis
Carex testacea
Centaurea montana 'Parham'
Digitalis purpurea 'Alba'
Foeniculum vulgare
Geranium phaeum 'Lily Lovell'
Hakonechloa macra
Iris sanguinea 'Snow Queen'
Luzula nivea
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Phlomis russeliana
Rodgersia pinnata
Salvia x superba
Stipa tenuissima
Tellima grandiflora

Trees and Shrubs

Betula utilis var. jacquemontii
Buxus sempervirens

Aquatics

Gunnera manicata
Petasites japonicus var. giganteus
Typha angustifolia