Garden Tour: Luxurious Italian Style in an English Garden
Dappled sunlight, cascading water and layers of cool stone and marble bring a dash of Italian style to the 2014 Chelsea Flower Show
The standout garden for me at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show was the chic and streamlined Italian-style design by Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz, sponsored by The Telegraph.
From the structured bay hedges and symmetrical planting to the rows of shady lime trees, this garden was calm, ordered and peaceful. Lashings of luxurious marble and stone added a layer of Italian gloss, and contemporary garden furniture completed the look. Take the tour below.
From the structured bay hedges and symmetrical planting to the rows of shady lime trees, this garden was calm, ordered and peaceful. Lashings of luxurious marble and stone added a layer of Italian gloss, and contemporary garden furniture completed the look. Take the tour below.
This chic garden was based on some of the guiding principles of historic Italian gardens, reinterpreted for the 21st century to create a bold, contemporary design.
A luxurious stone path leads through the garden to a cool, shaded seating area in front of a soothing marble water feature. A row of 12 roof-trained lime trees (Tilia x europaea ‘Pallida’) have been cultivated to provide an elegant natural canopy, providing shade and shelter.
A vertical sheet of water flows across the intricate marble feature at the far end of the garden, creating a soothing layer of sound as the water gently cascades over the surface.
Browse great garden furniture
Browse great garden furniture
The crisp white wire of the contemporary garden furniture creates a pleasing contrast to the dark green foliage and complements the uncluttered lines of the garden design.
Small fruit trees create a Mediterranean feel under the lime tree bower, while the leafy canopy throws dappled sunlight onto the seating area.
The sunken area at the heart of the space is punctuated by domes of clipped box (Buxus sempervirens) and softened by a range of herbaceous plants and annuals in soft greens and blues.
The garden is enclosed on two sides by a bay hedge (Laurus nobilis) and a generous expanse of luxurious stone creates a striking feature along one boundary wall. A sleek stone bench provides the perfect vantage point from which to view the garden.
See geometric garden designs
See geometric garden designs
Symmetrical planting creates a feeling of calm and order, which is deeply restorative, and the herbaceous plants and annuals have all been selected from a simple colour palette of blue and lime green for a calm, uncluttered look.