The landscape designer on the structure and meaning behind her Chelsea debut garden, a space that supports the survivors of stroke
INTERVIEW PHOEBE JAYES
My earliest memories are of hiding in the greenhouse as a kid. I’d sit amid the greenery and smell the tomatoes and cucumbers to cheer myself up when I was grumpy. It was a terrible spot for hide and seek, though, because everyone knew where I was going to be!
I started my career as an art curator with a focus on public art, and I often facilitated conversations between artists and landscape designers that I wished I could play a more active role in. So I did a garden design course and then went on to spend over four years working in the studio of Jinny Blom before starting my own practice. Art curation and landscape design are both inspirational and practical: they involve putting together a story, whether that’s plants in a garden or art in a gallery.
My planting is a seasonal tapestry held together by a strong matrix informed by a desire to connect with wildlife. One client recently said my style was like a firework going off in slow motion: I do take pleasure in creating gardens that unfold over a year.
This year I’m thrilled to be making my debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery, a Show Garden on Main Avenue. My aim with this garden was to create a peaceful, sensory space to support stroke recovery – both physical and mental. I strongly believe that being immersed in nature can have a transformative effect.
I wanted trees as the main element, and the twisted pines have battled strong climate conditions yet stayed rooted while bending with the wind. It’s an analogy for surviving a trauma like a stroke. I survived one five years ago, a
