Nicholsons’ Landscape section left the office for a day recently to visit the Chaumont Garden festival in the Loire Valley in search of fresh thoughts and artistic flourish.
After trying out all of the seats on offer we tried to digest the inner meaning of the “Body and Soul” gardens designed by an international selection of inspired minds.
After trying out all of the seats on offer we tried to digest the inner meaning of the “Body and Soul” gardens designed by an international selection of inspired minds.
Some gardens were more comfortable to be in than others and some had ideas to take home, though on the whole their appeal was in the concepts behind the design rather than the detail.
The gardens needed to be walked through to be appreciated with the designers urging visitors to take off their shoes to feel the materials underfoot or to caress the giant bamboo stems.
The gardens needed to be walked through to be appreciated with the designers urging visitors to take off their shoes to feel the materials underfoot or to caress the giant bamboo stems.
By contrast at Chelsea it is possible to drift past the gardens and like what you see through the crowds without even knowing the name of the garden let alone the ideas behind it, stopping only to consider and discuss the merits of one plant variety over another.
All of which begs the question which is the better designed garden? The one with a story to tell that engages the mind as well as the senses or the one which bares all at first glance and relies on thousands of pounds worth of paving and perfect pre-prepared planting?Perhaps it’s time for a Chaumont moment in the UK?
1 comment:
Ronnie is concerned that anyone thinks he usually looks like this!
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