Get inside the creative minds behind the conceptual gardens breaking new ground at Hampton |  |
Conceptual gardens make their second appearance at Hampton this year, proving that the category is here to stay. And if you thought it was just about arty one-offs, you’d be mistaken. Some of the debutantes have gone on to greater things in the garden design world: Andrew Duff has become Director of the Garden Design Faculty at Inchbald School of Design and Wayne Richards and Sarah Price debuted at Chelsea with small but perfectly formed gardens. This year the designers have taken their gardens to a new level of experimentation, many with deep philosophical ideas feeding the design. The designers have also drawn inspiration from their very different former careers, one as a dancer, another a record store manager, others in law and real estate. In Digestion Designed by Tony Smith
What it won: Best Conceptual Garden Concept: The baby lettuces surrounding the central sculpture and the carnivorous plants inside it represent nature digesting. The walls are built as a series of slides leading us through the digestive tract but they’re shuffled, suggesting a digestive problem, i.e. indigestion. The whole garden symbolizes the abundance of food we have but also the information overload created by the mass media. What does it look like: A dramatic sculpture of black and white walls set in a vivid sea of tiny lime-green lettuce leaves. What’s novel? Sowing lettuce from seed on site is a first What to see/do: Peer down the microscopes to get a close-up look at the sundews munching on insects. Anything else? Built by him and his dad who both looked slightly frazzled after a week painting and repainting the immaculate walls. Tony says he’s trying to create a platform which could be at home in a sculpture park or gallery. After Malevich - A Garden of Non-Objectivity Designed by Rik Godfrey
What it won: Silver Flora Medal Concept: If you think of a cornfield in the wind you think of the movement and the whole picture rather than seeing it as thousands of individual plants. The key elements in Rik’s garden are also intangible, focusing on movement, light, shadow, reflection and texture. What does it look like: Glimmering mirrors, shimmering coppery grasses and shiny stainless steel poles set on a bed of gravel. What’s novel? Takes inspiration from the Russian artist Malevich, who was known for painting white on white paintings and created the supremacist movement. What to see/do: Don’t be put off by the garden name! Gaze at the wave of grasses and get in touch with the emotions the garden draws out in you. Anything else? To keep to the strict budget for these gardens Rik’s used steel and mirrors recycled from a previous show garden by his friend and associate Trevor Tooth Freedom of Movement Designed by Marcus Green
What it won: Bronze Flora Medal Concept: As a former dancer Marcus has tried to capture movement in these static shapes. The colour scheme of the garden is inspired by the Rothko room at Tate Modern with dark purple, maroon, silver and glaucous foliage. What does it look like: A curving, undulating, sweep of green oak stuffed with silver and maroon plants. What’s novel? Plants springing at you at eye level and plants hidden beneath wooden platforms. What to see/do: Circle the garden to explore every nook and cranny Anything else? Marcus took life drawing classes to refine his approach to embodying the dynamism in the human body in static shapes. The Fallen Designed by Sim Flemons and John Warland
What it won: Gold Medal Concept: With one in five native UK wildflower species at risk of disappearing, because habitats are destroyed when land is built on and damaged by pollution and climate change. this garden pricks the conscience of the observer. What does it look like: Poignant rows of white headstones each engraved with the name of an extinct wildflower and fronted by delicate species of flowers still growing in the wild. What’s novel? Few designers would be brave enough to use their design space as a graveyard. What to see/do: Contemplate the past but take action for the future. Think about the message here: that our habits can change fate. Anything else? Sim and John are career changers, with backgrounds in the legal profession and real estate respectively. Advertisingspace Designed by Steven Wooster
What it won: Silver Flora Medal Concept: Advertising logos and branding are stamped on this garden, as they are everywhere in the world we live in, some obvious, some more subtle. What does it look like: A stark, contemporary pool with black water and simple decking contrasts with abandoned brick rubble strewn beneath birch trees What’s novel? Minimalism mixed with rustic. What to see/do: Figure out which logo the pond shape emulates, count the brand names in the plaque and be scrutinized by Big Brother’s intimidating eye. Anything else? Steven’s artistic streak is usually put to use in garden photography with a career that includes art direction for the books of John Brookes, Beth Chatto, and Christopher Lloyd.
| 
