Royal Horticultural Society - RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008

The 2008 Laurent-Perrier Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a contemplative space with a dreamy, slightly surreal character, designed by award-winning designer Tom Stuart-Smith.

Tom hopes to celebrate Laurent-Perrier Champagne’s 10th year of involvement with the prestigious Chelsea with a gold medal-winning garden.

The garden has an air of elegant understatement – it could easily be a private individual’s garden, but was originally conceived as an installation to show how a space could be both complex and subtle using simple and repeated elements. Tom’s garden is composed of juxtaposing opposites, with built elements comprised entirely of brick-shaped objects, orientated in one direction, and a planted element arranged in a seemingly random pattern.

One of the highlights promises to be the grove of 30 year old hornbeams which will extend over the garden, pruned so that the foliage forms a number of rounded clouds that appear to float in mid-air. The grove is interspersed with a pattern of paths laid over the garden like a net which is crafted from traditional Flemish bricks. The paths present numerous possible routes for experiencing the unpredictable nature of the garden and eventually lead to a terrace at the back of the garden featuring an informal seating area.

Positioned throughout the garden will be a number of zinc tanks, designed by Andrew Ewing, brimming with water and appearing to overflow. Zinc also features in panels forming the rear wall of the garden.

The final element of the 2008 Laurent-Perrier Garden is the predominantly green herbaceous planting that forms an undulating tapestry. Key plants include: Rodgersias, Molinias, Epimediums, Asarum, Hosta Devon Green and Astrantias. The side of the garden is completed with a Yew hedge.

Laurent-Perrier’s partnership with Tom Stuart-Smith this year follows the success of four previous Chelsea collaborations including the 2003 ‘Best in Show’ garden with Harpers & Queen. Tom has struck gold at Chelsea six times and will be looking to add another top medal in 2008.

Designer Tom Stuart-Smith comments: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Laurent-Perrier for a fifth time at Chelsea. My garden provides the perfect contemplative setting to reflect on ten successful years at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show”.

The Laurent-Perrier Garden is supported by Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut Champagne. Perfectly refined, yet with an intense red fruit character and exquisite salmon pink hue, the distinctive Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut is revered by wine-lovers and style-setters worldwide as the benchmark rosé.

As in previous years, the Laurent-Perrier Garden is being built by www.crocus.co.uk - where most of the plants on the garden will be available for purchase on-line.