The Art and Craft of Garden Making
Sarah Price’s award-winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was probably the best garden I have ever seen at the show.
This extraordinary garden was a beautiful fusion of historic and modern, inspired by the work of Cedric Morris (1889–1982). He was an artist and a plants man who became known for his painting and breeding of bearded irises in his Benton End garden in Suffolk. Cedric grew 1,000 new seedlings each year and from these he selected and produced at least 90 named varieties.
In her presentation at the Garden Museum in London, Sarah said, “The garden will be multi-layered, combining textures reminiscent of the house at Benton End with a wild planting palette and more carefully gardened moments that incorporate the Benton Iris, Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ and other Morris cultivars.” The garden shined with beauty, but also showcased Sarah's talent in "creating a low-carbon garden that celebrates the art and craft of garden making."
The rich and unusual colour palette of pink, yellow and blue in two of Cedric Morris’ paintings inspired Sarah's garden design. She explained, “It’s an unlikely combination of colours that somehow Morris makes work brilliantly in his paintings. I’m using this distinctive colour palette in the boundary of the garden to offset the complex tones of Morris’ Benton Iris and his grey poppies." Her delicious 'watercolour-like' palette includes plums, mauves, olive yellow, creamy browns.
We hope you have enjoyed this article so far.
One of the many benefits of Garden Clinic membership is full access to our website. Members please log in to view the complete articles.
If you are not a Garden Clinic member and wish to access our website as well as enjoy the many benefits of membership, including access to our Helpline 7 days a week, please visit the link below to join us.