A Swiss Sanctuary at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022 The charm of Switzerland created by the garden designer Lilly Gomm
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Intro
The charm of Switzerland is coming to the Chelsea Flower Show 2022 with Switzerland Tourism and landscape architect and garden designer Lilly Gomm creating a garden inspired by the country’s diverse climate.
Text by Lilly Gomm
Excitingly for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show May, 2022, I have teamed up with Switzerland Tourism to give an insight into the country’s horticulture by creating a secluded private garden that draws inspiration and showcases the unique flora that typifies the different regions of Switzerland. It will celebrate the floral variation that its diverse climate brings, mixing alpine and Mediterranean planting to illustrate the country’s distinctive natural landscapes. Features seen across Switzerland have been scaled and interpreted within the bounds of a 10m x 10m exhibit; this is a technique any garden owner can employ when reflecting their travels or influences in their own outdoor spaces, no matter the size.
We now have the opportunity with our show garden, A Swiss Sanctuary, to give those alpines a headline spot out on Royal Hospital Way, too.
As a way of collecting inspiration, I was lucky to travel to Switzerland last summer, safely between lockdowns, visiting regions linked to the garden – Bern, Ticino and Lake Geneva, as well as a stay in Lucerne. Crossing the regions, I was able to experience the balmy temperatures of Ticino and Geneva, with stops to meet a camellia expert. I toured vineyards and explored the renowned plant collections on the Brissago Islands, visited a tea plantation and wandered the streets dotted with magnolias, palms and oleander. Some of these plants will be included within the design to highlight the Mediterranean climate of these regions.
To represent Bern, we will use plants such as eryngiums, asters and achillea to display how they shine out in native meadows and grasslands, along with woodland edge-dwelling species such as galium, astrantia and ferns that bear close resemblance to those found in the wild.
Horticulturally, beyond the herb and productive farm gardens with their nursed attention to detail, probably the most eye-opening part of the trip was seeing how prevalent fruit trees are across the regions, whether standing proud outside private rural gardens, in the parks and gardens of cities, or seen from train windows occupying vast areas of countryside. Which is why an apple tree will now be placed upfront to reflect this deep, long-standing relationship with fruit growing.
We all feel the benefits of being by water when on holiday, so this is a way of bringing that feeling back into a garden to experience it on a regular basis.
To create a Swiss feel in the garden, large stones will represent the prominence that mountains hold in the landscape, while a gently cascading water feature feeds into a central pool, evoking memories of the astoundingly beautiful clear waters of Lake Maggiore in Ticino, Lake Thun in Interlaken, Bern and Lake Geneva.
The part of the show garden I am particularly looking forward to realising is the seating area. On any one of Switzerland’s many waterfront edges, you will usually find a perfectly positioned bench on which to sit back and take in the magnificent views. But instead of any regular bench, here we will have a bespoke iron seat designed to reflect Switzerland’s amazing public transport system, one that puts sustainability at the forefront while effortlessly opening up the country and unlocking views across epic alpine landscapes. The bench’s design is inspired by the patterns train tracks make in the landscape, where they cross and merge, to create a unique piece of garden furniture.
It’s a garden that shows how horticulture can reflect our favourite places, in this case with Switzerland at its heart.
Travelling across Switzerland, you begin to see the variety the country has to offer, and how there is not one typical style of Swiss garden. Emerging from those travels just as plants emerge from the soil, A Swiss Sanctuary combines elements of design, materiality and plant palettes to create a unique, highly personal space inspired by travel.