Nice and rough: bello duro

by Anna Piussi

 

The tiny Artisan garden category at Chelsea Flower Show is a masterclass in designing small gardens, in which we must pay attention to every detail. But they have a common element with a garden of any dimension: proportion and balance between positive and negative spaces are essential, the picture should no be overcrowded, and the eye should always find a resting point, a calm space, and not shift restlessly between objects. Sarah Eberle, having demonstrated her command of space in the tiny Mekong garden, teaches us how to achieve this in the much larger Hillier Nurseries garden. The historical Hillier nurseries, whose catalogue is still standard textbook in horticultural studies, has won 71 gold medals with their annual extravaganza, practically a forest in the heart of the Grand Pavilion, wasn’t it risky changing their winning formula? Evidently not, because Sarah brought home the gold medal, again, with a restful sitting area at the heart of the vegetation, tastefully furnished in simple natural materials, refreshed by the sound of water, simple water pipes jutting out of a wall made with stone-filled gaboon’s. She puts air and light at the centre of the display, allowing us to appreciate the plants, naturalistically arranged, as elements of the composition around. A masterpiece.