A Gold medal-winning Chelsea Flower Show garden designed by landscape architects from Bath-based Grant Associates has been rebuilt in Bristol.
The Chinese-inspired garden, pictured, the first produced by the firm for the world-famous show, has been gifted to the University of Bristol’s Botanic Garden by Guangzhou, Bristol’s sister city.
Known as ‘the city between mountain and water’, Guangzhou’s approach to environmental planning is based on the concept of ‘ecological civilisation’.
Grant Associates director Peter Chmiel and senior associate Chin-Jung Chen, pictured with Botanic Garden curator Nicholas Wray, left, took inspiration from the city’s philosophy, which gives equal consideration to the needs of people and wildlife through sustainable city planning strategies, reconnecting people and nature in a mutually beneficial relationship.
China’s third-largest city, Guangzhou has a distinct environmental plan which divides it into three zones – social green space for people within the central business district (heart), protected green spaces to the north (lungs) and protected aquatic areas to the south (kidneys).
The garden’ three zones are united by an elegant, graceful drifting wave of green foliage plants including airy frothy perennials in soft shades of white, and subtle hints of blue and yellow.
Variations of these colours, including vivid lime green, are woven throughout.
Grant Associates’ approach also included one of the largest volumes of water ever to feature in a Chelsea show garden.
It was created in collaboration with Sussex-based garden design consultancy The Outdoor Room, with its prominent bamboo structures developed in partnership with Bristol-based timber frame specialists Xylotek.
The living walls came from Biotecture, also based in Sussex, and the water features were supplied by Surrey firm Bamber Wallis.
Peter Chmiel said the garden highlighted the benefits of responsible city planning and the sustainable use of natural resources – particularly water – and also how planners must work in harmony with nature to better connect people with the natural world.
It also had a focus on climate change, he added. Inspired by the holistic landscape stewardship programme of environmental planners in Guangzhou, it features a pool of water, trees, shrubs, shelters, green foliage and moisture-loving perennials, including plants in the ginger family.
“We are thrilled that our 2021 RHS Chelsea Gold Medal and Best-In-Show garden has been reimagined and given a new home at the University of Bristol Botanical Garden,” he said.
“It is fantastic that the core concepts and sustainability values of the design have been maintained but reimagined by the use of a planting mix that is purely native to China.
“We are also delighted to see that all the laminated bamboo structures, lovingly crafted by Xylotek, have been thoughtfully integrated and carefully treated to maximise their lifespan.
“We hope the Guangzhou Garden will become a loved and cherished addition to the fabulous existing gardens and plant collections at the university.”
The garden was formally opened by the university’s vice-chancellor and president Prof Evelyn Welch, with Peter Chmiel and Chin Jong Chen from Grant Associates giving a short talk about the garden at the unveiling.
The Bristol Chinese Students’ and Scholars’ Association also joined the opening, alongside Botanic Garden curator Nicholas Wray, who explained about the use of the new planting and how the garden had been adapted to its new home.
He said the plant mix from the Chelsea Flower Show Garden was not relocated to Bristol as some of the semi-mature trees weighed over a ton.
“Instead, the planting has been reimagined to feature plants entirely Chinese in origin. We hope the garden will be enjoyed and inspire visitors for many years to come.,” he added.
Grant Associates is globally recognised for its environmentally driven work such as the iconic Supertrees and Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and, more recently, the Tower of London Superbloom project, part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations 2022.
The firm, which also has a base in Singapore, has strong connections with Bristol, where it has drawn up the overall landscape strategy for the Brabazon neighbourhood on the former Filton Airfield site, the birthplace of Concorde and supersonic travel and home to more than 100 years of aviation history.
It has also worked with Bath architectural practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to create a new central African forest habitat for some of the world’s most critically endangered species on Bristol Zoological Society’s Bristol Zoo Project site.
