Reckless Gardener - RHS Chelsea 06 - US Garden Club to bring Lake Michigan Landscape to London

'The Ravine Garden' - Gift of the Glacier

Sponsor: Lake Forest Gardening Club
Designer: Catharina Malmberg-Snodgrass (CMS
Design Associates) and Frank Gardner

For the first time ever, a US garden club is sponsoring an entry at Chelsea. Lake Forest, Illinois Garden Club's (LFGC) tribute to Lake Michigan Ravines is designed by Catharina Malmberg-Snodgrass and Frank Gardener and is a modern garden inspired by the natural ravine landscapes of the Chicago area, which were created by glaciers.

Lake Forest Garden Club's chief spokesperson, Anne Scott, stressed that they wanted to pay tribute to the beauty and fragility of the mid-western ravines by highlighting them at Chelsea. "These eco-systems are small, precious and, thus far, declining", explained Anne. "Survival of the ecology of these ravines requires renewed efforts of conservation and preservation. Our Club is committed to protecting and restoring these natural treasures, and we felt that creating a garden at Chelsea would be an effective way of illustrating the importance of preserving this stunning natural legacy."

The Designers visited Lake Forest to see the ravine area at first hand and to confer with club members to seek their horticultural advice on replicating the ravines for Chelsea. Lake Forest was one of the first American suburban communities to be planned - planning which followed many of the principles of English gardens. In developing and designing the Chelsea garden, LFGC and CMS sought to evoke the upland forest of the lush and varied Lake Michigan ravine ecosystem using native North American flora throughout.

The garden is framed by a forest canopy, which includes oak and maple trees. Ephemeral herbaceous plants are scattered through the forest and down the sides of the ravine, punctuating the woodland with bursts of white, pink and yellow flowers.

A multi-tiered Perspex sculpture is located at the rear corner of the woodland garden - an interpretation of the glacier - a ravine flows with melting water from the glacier towards the front of the garden.

The LFGC was founded in 1912 and is a founding member of the Gardening Club of America. Mrs Malmberg-Snodgrass won Gold, Best in Category and a BBC Viewers Decide Award at Chelsea in 2001.