Reckless Gardener - Online Gardening Magazine. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2006. The Halifax Garden designed by Stuart Perry

Derbyshire based garden designer Stuart Perry will be making his Chelsea Flower Show debut at the 2006 show with an uncompromisingly modern garden for first time sponsors Halifax.

The garden entitled "These Four Walls" is a sleek, minimalist space inspired by Scandinavian landscapes. The Sove (Norwegian for sleep) adds a modern twist to the traditional summer cabin.

A large glass frontage provides expansive views of the garden and the curving arm section of the building houses a day bed which when retracted lies in the dappled shade of the trees.

When considering his Chelsea Flower Show design Perry worked up a blue print of what he felt would be the ultimate Chelsea Flower Show garden, complete with wow factor, unique design elements and spectacular planting including some highly unusual juxtapositions. Traditional old English climbing rose varieties such as New Dawn, Bobbie James, Rambling Rector and White Cloud will be planted up concrete plinth like walls for a softening effect on this rather hard, modern material. The colour palate will be pale pinks and whites.

The circular path of smooth limestone with level changes accented in wood, leads from the Sove on a journey of exploration. The four monolithic walls define three distinct areas, acting as both obstacles and gateways on the journey around the garden. Their imposing nature refers to the towering cliffs of the fjord land regions. The slanted gaps allow glimpses of unseen areas which encourage onward travel whilst the elegant back wall provides a strong sense of enclosure.

Another Chelsea Flower Show first is the immense water feature which can boast of being the largest single sheet of glass ever brought into the showground and possibly the largest ever used in Europe. The two tons of glass were made in the Far East as no European factory had the capacity or the machinery to handle such a large sheet. The water wall will be 2.4 metres high and 8 metres wide. This vast glass water wall sits in strong textural contrast to its strong green hornbeam hedge backdrop. The frosted glass has a glacial appearance but also has a thin cooling film of water running down its face. Huge, yet subtle and elegant, it draws together the three areas of the garden.

The vibrant under storey planting will be dominated by perennials and grasses. Perry has set himself the challenge of getting ten varieties of Hemerocallis in bloom for the Halifax Garden, no mean feat considering that these plants do not usually flower until June.

Other noteworthy features include a striking hand made bench by internationally acclaimed New Zealand designer David Trubridge. With this imaginative Chelsea Flower Show garden design Perry hopes to push the boundaries of the outdoor room in terms of theatre and spectacle while at the same time creating a soothing and relaxing environment that can be enjoyed by all.