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| Cha No Niwa - Japanese Tea Garden |
Now, on to the show gardens which are undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the show. There were 15 official show gardens and I got photos of most of them, but not all. I'm beginning with the most popular, which was the "Cha No Niwa - Japanese Tea Garden" which won the RHS Garden of the Year award and was the People's Choice winner.
This garden was designed by Japanese designer Kazuyuki Ishihara. Queen Elizabeth II referred to him as "The Magician of Greenery".
I would say the second most-popular garden (judging by the crowds) was Jo Thompson's Glasshouse Garden.
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| The Glasshouse Garden |
The inspiration for this garden came from The Glasshouse, an organization that supported women leaving prison through horticultural training, resettlement and employment.
The following photo gives you an ideal of the crowds. This garden particularly was constantly surrounded by a thick barrier of people. I tried several times to get better photos. I should have looked at this one as soon as I got there.
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"The SongBird Survival Garden", designed by Nicola Oakley, was
one of my favorites. |
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| "The Down's Syndrome Scotland Garden" was designed by Nick Burton and Duncan Hall, and inspired by Hall's nephew Liam. |
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Children with Cancer UK "A Place to Be", designed by Tom Clarke
and Ros Couts-Harwood. |
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| The ADHD Foundation Garden, designed by Katy Terry. |
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The Wildlife Trust's British Rainforest, designed by Zoe Claymore,
won the People's Choice All About Plants Garden award. |
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| The Wildlife Trust's British Rainforest |
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| The Avanade Intelligence Garden by Tom Massey & Je Ahn, so named because it has sensors that monitor tree health. This was very beautiful and this photo doesn't do it justice. |
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The King's Trust Garden: Seeding Success by Joe Perkins, featured
screen printed glass panels. |
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| Hospice UK: Garden of Compassion by Tom Hoblyn |
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| The Addleshaw Goddard Freedom to Flourish Garden, designed by Carey Garden Design Studio. This won "Small Garden of the Year" award and "Best Construction". |
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| I especially liked the gabion wall design. |
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| British Red Cross "Here for Humanity" Garden by John Warland and Tom Bannister. It was inspired by Henri Dunant, the Swiss visionary founder of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. |
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| This was on the most unique gardens at the show. These columnar concrete planters were amazing. |
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| Killik & Co. "Save For A Rainy Day" Garden by Baz Grainger. |
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Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden by Manoj Malde
was another favorite of mine. |
And that's a wrap! During the 18-day tour, we visited 35 attractions, mostly gardens but also some manor houses, cathedrals, a witchcraft museum and a cider processing plant. We stayed at seven different hotels. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, I will be going back this summer for a tour of eastern England that will include Sissinghurst and Great Dixter. I can't wait!
(Visited May 21, 2025)
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Comments
"Cha No Niwa Japanese Tea Garden" is amazing; Are those moss mounds under the maple?
Chavli