In 2004 Janette from Running Hare Garden Design and I designed and built a show garden for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Janette and I met at college and had both always wanted to create a show garden – hence the joint project which proved to be a fascinating experience as well as many months of hard work.
About the garden: The triquetra, a Celtic knot pattern symbolising the three planes of existence; physical, mental and spiritual, was the inspiration behind the garden. The theme was reflected in other aspects of the garden: three seats, three elements (metal, stone, water), three colour groupings (white/silver/grey, pink/purple/plum, charcoal/black).
The courtyard garden was paved with plum slate paddlestones and black granite setts in the pattern of a triquetra. The three seats looked inwards on the central water feature set within a pool of dark water. Reflective panels set at the rear of the garden bounced light and colour back into the space.
Swathes of mixed shrub and perennial planting enclosed the seats and the garden as a whole. Plants included Verbena bonariensis, pink-flowered Lavandula, Elaeagnus, Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ and Artemisia ludoviciana.
Jo Ward-Ellison Gardens 