The Discover More Garden sponsored by Viking and designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 starts off my coverage of this year’s show.
On arriving at the event, I always make a beeline for the smaller show gardens in Ranelagh Gardens. I love gaining inspiration from these modest spaces. There are often relatable elements that I can take away and adapt for our own outdoor area.
This year, there are Balcony Gardens and Container Gardens aplenty. The Discover More Garden is a contemporary balcony garden which has taken inspiration from destinations all around the world.
With travel at its heart, the garden encourages visitors to to be inspired by their own journeys through different countries. This is not merely by collecting souvenirs. It’s also by incorporating the planting, furniture and design from varied cultures to create their own personal, meaningful gardens at home.
A key feature of the garden is a Cornus mas tree. Although this species is found globally, it’s of special significance in Egypt, where it’s used to make dye. There are Sempervivum (houseleek) plants, which are an important part of Italian history. Plus there’s also Sagina subulata (heath pearlwort) which resembles Antarctic moss.
Overhead, there is a soft wood pergola, inspired by the wooden structures of the Wintergarden. There is a Wintergarden on board each of Viking’s Ocean ships. The canopy of Scandinavian trellised wood represents the “Tree of Life” in Norse mythology. And it also represents the woodlands native to Norway.
Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking UK, said, “We have been proud supporters of the RHS for many years. And this is the third year we have sponsored a balcony garden. They provide great inspiration for how a small outdoor space can create a functional and interesting garden. All of the staterooms on Viking’s ocean ships have private verandas. So the balcony gardens align well with the design of our ships and our Nordic heritage – as well as our love of the outdoors. Over the years we have enjoyed hearing how our guests have taken inspiration from their travels with Viking to add flair to their own gardens at home. We want to inspire others to draw on their own travels to incorporate elements from gardens and natural habitats all around the world.”
Garden Designer Paul Hervey-Brookes said, “I am very pleased to be working with Viking once again, a brand which is closely aligned with my own values in terms of having a passion for good design and innovation. I am fascinated by the idea that international travel can inspire garden design. Having explored many destinations around the world with Viking myself, I have enjoyed the challenge of incorporating planting from all seven continents into the design. And I am especially pleased to have found an innovative way to represent the continent of Antarctica. As an ode to Viking’s beautifully designed ocean ships with their all-veranda staterooms, I have incorporated some of my favourite features including the Wintergarden which inspired the soft wood pergola.”
Scroll down to see lots more photos of The Discover More Garden…
Seeing the design’s Wintergarden-inspired element brought back fond memories of my first trip with Viking to Norway. I’ll shortly be featuring content from my most recent trip to Canada and the USA.
Viking, one of the world’s leading travel companies, offers river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents. For more information about their itineraries, simply visit the Viking website.
P.S. I’ve created a short video featuring the garden if you’d like to take look around. And you may also like to check out this video where Paul talks about his inspiration for the design.
(Photos | Rona Wheeldon)
