The Garden History Society and Crocus.co.uk's 'Homage to Le Notre' |
Homage to le Notre paid tribute to one of the world's most famous designers of gardens. He is responsible for Vaux le Vicomte and the gardens at Versailles, in particular the main avenue with the grand canal and the 'Basin d'Apollo'. The garden's design incorporates elements of Le Notre's designs by incorporating his use of space, sense of theatre and use of optical illusion. The labyrinth is a down-scaled Le Notre design. Behind there is a canal bordered by 'enamelled lawns'. A mirror suggests infinite space. Stunning execution and design won the garden a Gold Medal. |
The Evening Standard/Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque 'A Garden For All Time' |
The Garden For All Time was thoroughly modern yet evocative of some of the oldest of gardens. The garden was made of different areas: colourful borders and lawn at the entrance; an island of slate edged lawn surrounded by a canal, with six knotted and twisted olive trees in the canal itself; and behind a steel frame, a sculpture on a mound circled by planted borders, with pencil cypress piercing the sky. A bay hedge along length of the garden with the canal provided a link. |
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The millennium, the 2000 years that have passed since the birth of Christ, gave rise to the garden's concept. Olives, cypresses, and water bring a Mediterranean atmosphere to the garden. The garden's designer, Arabella Lennox-Boyd, is Italian and thus well able to create this modern interpretation of an often found theme in today's gardens. The garden won a Gold Medal. |
Pencil cypresses spear the sky and olives provide a silvery note in 'A Garden For All Time' |
Detailed and colourful planting in 'A Garden For All Time' |
Gardens Sans Frontieres introduces the idea that gardeners exchange knowledge freely and know no boundaries. Appropriately, the garden was an Anglo-French collaboration. Ryl Nowell, together with the Chateau de Bosmelet, created a modern day potager with squares of planting stepping up the garden. Clear pavillions symbolised different countries, the canal the English Channel, bridged, Alice in Wonderland style, by a glass bridge. The potager garden used reds and greens of cabbages from de Bosmelet, enlivened by flashes of alliums in deep purple and bright pink flowers amongst grasses. The garden, with its witty theme, won Gold. |
'Gardens Sans Frontieres' explored the coming together of different cultures through gardening. |
Want to see more... or return to The Chelsea Flower Show 2000... here | |
