A striking show garden highlighting the calming value of green spaces in a world of conflict, violence and environmental catastrophe will be on display at this week’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
Designer Joe Francis has surrounded the garden itself with a disturbing collection of objects including a decommissioned bomb, coffins, a wave-shaped sculpture created from knives, an oil drum and a discarded shopping trolley.
The garden, called Calm Amidst Chaos, was inspired by the designer’s own struggle with anxiety and is designed to illustrate “the importance of creating a calm space, both internally and externally, to help manage our experience of the modern world”. The show allows guests to immerse themselves in displays showcasing over 250,000 flowers.
Visitors can stroll round the show gardens, try their hand at workshops, browse stalls with gardening products and food, and listen to talks and live music. Highlights include the Duchess of Cambridge’s “Back To Nature” garden, which is double the size of the original at the Chelsea Flower Show. The Floral Marquee is a cornucopia of spectacular plants and the Festival of Roses a stunning marquee dedicated to the flower.
The family-friendly festival allows children to explore the outdoors with The Forest School, making dens and building homes for mini-beasts. The festival, the world’s biggest garden event, runs until Sunday.
