Rosy Hardy’s Show Garden debut for Brewin Dolphin
Nurserywoman Rosy Hardy, already the holder of an impressive 20 RHS Chelsea Gold Medals, is to design her debut Show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show for sponsors Brewin Dolphin.
The garden, ‘Forever Freefolk’, will invite visitors to consider the fragility of chalk streams, a rare and vital natural resource. There are around 200 chalk streams in the world, under threat from pollution and climate change; 160 of these are in England – one of the best examples is the River Test which flows through Freefolk Hampshire, near Hardy’s Cottage nursery.
Rosy admits that she has been asked many times if she would like to design a Chelsea Garden and her response has always been ‘Yes perhaps one day.’ However, upon winning her 20th RHS Chelsea Gold medal last May, she considered what opportunities might arise to challenge her skills when the perfect sponsor in Brewin Dolphin cam forward and embraced her design.
“We want this garden to challenge, engage and encourage visitors to recognize the fragility and unique nature of our English chalk streams,” says Rosie. “The Brewin Dolphin garden will allow everyone to explore and experience the fragility and unique nature of these streams by walking through a dried up chalk stream bed, past lush planting onwards towards the source,” she continued.
The garden will reference the changing context and form of the landscape, the sense of loss for the stream is balanced in part by the potential for renewal and the chance to turn back and contemplate the garden: “It is also an opportunity to remind us of what water offers given that chalk aquifers supply 70% of Southern England’s water,” she stressed.
Sponsors Brewin Dolphin, one of the UK’s leading Wealth Managers with a similar responsibility to strengthen, grow and protect their client’s investments, are delighted that Rosy will be designing their Chelsea garden this year.
Stephen Ford, head of Brewin Dolphin’s wealth management, points out that in keeping with their years at Chelsea, they are proud to be associated with Rosy: “Another inspiring and challenging designer,” he says. “That Rosy Hardy is, for the first time, designing a show garden, is a testament to our mutual commitment to welcome, inspire and engage our visitors.”
The garden will showcase more than one brand new plant introduction and contain some breathtakingly beautiful features. Several planting zones are represented including: lush, shady, dry and a grassland area.
All trees, plants and hedging are representative of those grown in this part of Southern England. The garden is designed to be a sensual, accessible and thought provoking educational experience.
Landscape contractors for the Show garden will be Bowles & Wyer.
We wish Rosy and her team every success with this, her first Show garden, and look forward to seeing her ‘Forever Freefolk’ design which will be located on Main Avenue MA422.
