Garden Tour: A Fantastical Garden Designed by Children
A unique collaboration resulted in a magical garden packed with lush woodland, wetland, meadow and a hidden den
Many designers plan gardens with families and children in mind, but rarely do children become the client. In this RHS Chelsea Flower Show feature garden, however, a group of schoolchildren were invited to help design a space that was solely for their use.
They set garden designer Harry Holding a demanding brief. From hidden dens and climbing trees to carnivorous plants – and crocodiles! – their requests were shaped by Harry into a beautiful and creative garden that was on display at this year’s show (21-25 May). Let’s take a tour.
They set garden designer Harry Holding a demanding brief. From hidden dens and climbing trees to carnivorous plants – and crocodiles! – their requests were shaped by Harry into a beautiful and creative garden that was on display at this year’s show (21-25 May). Let’s take a tour.
The RHS and Harry held several planning, design and creative sessions with the children in the lead up to RHS Chelsea, where they discovered how to plant up herbs, learned about balcony gardening and got stuck into some garden design.
Their finished collaborative garden design is described as “a joyful journey through a fantastical landscape where [children] can explore the magic of lush woodland, bountiful meadows and a wetland with heightened colour and oversized bog plants”.
A key part of this unique garden design is a focus on play and interaction. There are boulders to scramble over, a natural stream for splashing in, sensory planting for children to interact with and a slide down into the den. The evolving level changes that ran through the garden are another way of offering visual interest, and are Harry’s favourite element of the design.
Their finished collaborative garden design is described as “a joyful journey through a fantastical landscape where [children] can explore the magic of lush woodland, bountiful meadows and a wetland with heightened colour and oversized bog plants”.
A key part of this unique garden design is a focus on play and interaction. There are boulders to scramble over, a natural stream for splashing in, sensory planting for children to interact with and a slide down into the den. The evolving level changes that ran through the garden are another way of offering visual interest, and are Harry’s favourite element of the design.
Along with sensory planting, the use of natural materials was designed to create a nourishing space that trod lightly on the landscape. The garden was designed using largely natural materials as well as recycled elements, such as deadwood from RHS Garden Wisley.
The garden was also intended to be completely cement and concrete free, but, in the build stage, Harry and his team had to use a small amount of concrete. However, they chose to use Cemfree, “a cement-free alternative that has 80% less carbon. Designing without or with minimal concrete presents challenges,” Harry says, “but Chelsea is the place to experiment and showcase the cutting edge of design.”
Tempted to revamp your garden? Easily find and hire garden designers on Houzz.
The garden was also intended to be completely cement and concrete free, but, in the build stage, Harry and his team had to use a small amount of concrete. However, they chose to use Cemfree, “a cement-free alternative that has 80% less carbon. Designing without or with minimal concrete presents challenges,” Harry says, “but Chelsea is the place to experiment and showcase the cutting edge of design.”
Tempted to revamp your garden? Easily find and hire garden designers on Houzz.
The planting scheme is packed with rich colour and texture, designed to fire young imaginations and to invite interaction and play. Grasses such as Melica uniflora f. albida provide soft texture and movement throughout and are mixed with bright yellow and pink flowers, such as Gladiolus byzantinus, chosen for its bold colour.
Harry also ensured the planting was highly biodiverse and wildlife-friendly, offering plenty of habitat provision as well as visual interest. Within the small space, he managed to squeeze in three distinct habitats, from a lush woodland to bountiful meadows and a wetland with bold colours and oversized bog plants.
Harry also ensured the planting was highly biodiverse and wildlife-friendly, offering plenty of habitat provision as well as visual interest. Within the small space, he managed to squeeze in three distinct habitats, from a lush woodland to bountiful meadows and a wetland with bold colours and oversized bog plants.
There are also a few more unusual varieties dotted throughout. Carnivorous plants, for example, were a common request from the children and the tall, colourful pitchers of the Sarracenia plant (seen here) were brought in to meet this request and add visual excitement.
So what was the experience of working with such young and creative clients like? “The children have been fantastic!” says Harry, who adds that he was inspired by their “unbridled creativity and ‘anything is possible’ attitude”.
But are adults allowed to visit the garden? While at first the children banned all adults from entering, they later relented on the condition that any adult visitors pledge to do one of three things before they enter:
1. Plant a tree.
2. Donate to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening to help give other kids access to nature.
3. Find a flower that starts with the first letter of their name.
Tell us…
What do you think of this young and fresh garden design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
But are adults allowed to visit the garden? While at first the children banned all adults from entering, they later relented on the condition that any adult visitors pledge to do one of three things before they enter:
1. Plant a tree.
2. Donate to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening to help give other kids access to nature.
3. Find a flower that starts with the first letter of their name.
Tell us…
What do you think of this young and fresh garden design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Designer Harry Holding of Harry Holding Studio
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While practical restraints can hold many of us back when designing our outdoor spaces, this wasn’t a problem for the clients of this RHS garden, designed by children, for children, who let their imaginations run free and, in the process, set Harry quite a challenge.
Among the design requests from the children, all pupils at Sulivan Primary School, London, aged between 9 and 10, were “a mini forest, rivers, lakes, boulders, dens, climbing trees and a wildlife habitat”, says Harry, who gamely set about answering the design brief – although some of the requests proved rather more challenging, such as “crocodiles, a four-poster bed and a café”.