Apart from the few bright sparks among the Chelsea gardens, the majority of year’s main display gardens were safe, tasteful and disappointingly dull. Phillip Johnson’s Australian garden was an obvious Best in Show standout with its innovative plant palette and exciting raised studio pod, and I loved the ‘Seeabiility’ garden, ‘The East Village’ garden with its flowing sinuous lines, and the huge greenwall in the ‘Stoke-on-Trent Story of Transformation’ garden. And the ‘As Nature Intended It’ garden was refreshing in its rejection of the now ubiquitous perennial flower mix. Continue reading
Author Archives: Catherine Stewart
Chelsea Best in Show, design Phillip Johnson
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Corten steel, reddish timber, water and rocks and pebbles of all sizes dominate the hardscape elements of the Phillip Johnson designed Trailfinders Australian garden presented by Flemings at the Chelsea Flower Show 2013, but for me it’s those wonderful little … Continue reading
Aussies at Chelsea – GOLD & BEST IN SHOW
Phillip Johnson and Wes Fleming do it! The Aussie team at Chelsea has won GOLD and BEST IN SHOW. Despite the local London press fawning over Prince Harry’s garden, or the even more boring UK Telegraph and Laurent Perrier gardens, Phillip’s spectacular Australian garden stood head and shoulders above the rest. Continue reading
Ephemeral sculpture at Castel Pergine
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Why would you spend hours, days or weeks making something exquisitely beautiful that’s not going to last? The world of the ephemeral sculptor is an intriguing one. By using material that decays, rots, slumps or falls apart with weathering, these … Continue reading
Villa Massei, Lucca, Italy
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Villa Massei sits high on a hill overlooking beautiful countryside near the town of Lucca. It’s easy to argue that any garden would look spectacular in such a setting. When a 16th century hunting lodge, with its old bricks, faded … Continue reading
Windyridge at Mt Wilson
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Windyridge at Mt Wilson in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney is one of those quintessential cool-climate gardens. Growing on the rich soils of an old volcanic plug, Windyridge has been developed over nearly 20 years by Roger and Wai … Continue reading
Temperate climate tropical garden
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‘Tropical Breeze’ has been a labour of love for Helen Curran for many years. Tucked away in north-western Sydney, it is an oasis of both calm and tropical abundance where neighbours and a busy road outside seem far away. And … Continue reading
GardenDrum at TEDx Sydney
Excitement! I will be one of 2,200 selected attendees at the 2013 TEDx event in Sydney on May 4. It will be huge day with 15 inspiring speakers from human rights and environmental activists to designers, scientists, architects, historians and geographers. And all fed with crowd-farmed food & any biodegradable waste composted. Can’t wait to become a ‘TEDhead’




