RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

mgr Changing Tides Garden

The mgr Changing Tides garden is designed for a wildlife enthusiast, with a rustic and understated aesthetic.

It aims to capture the essence of the vast protected landscapes along the Kent coast and distil the elements into a simple, sustainable garden that celebrates the resilience and adaptability required of materials and plants to survive and flourish in such challenging coastal conditions.

At the heart of the garden lies a vibrant tapestry of storm-resilient plants, each with its own story of adaptation, from hardy grasses, swaying  gently in the breeze, their deep roots anchoring them firmly in the sandy soil, to salt-tolerant succulents, each species has been carefully chosen to withstand the harsh conditions of coastal storms while maintaining their natural beauty and vitality whilst providing habitat for a diverse array of wildlife.

With thanks to Kat Weatherill Photography & Matt Sills Videography

More than a celebration of nature’s resilience,

The Coastal Garden is also a testament to the power of sustainable solutions in the face of environmental challenges. 

Reclaimed coastal tropical hardwood forms the perimeter wall with a weathered timber groyne aesthetic, providing a protective boundary to hunker down from the prevailing coastal winds. 

 

Reclaimed steel trench sheets, reminiscent of coastal shoring, have been simply repurposed into sustainable sculptural planters.

With a nod back to the Victorian rock pooling history of Pegwell Bay in Kent, an ensemble of reclaimed Kent Ragstone boulders have been hand-carved into planters.

The ground is dressed with native rounded flint beach pebbles like those found on many beaches in the south of England. They provide texture in a muted colour that compliments the rusted steel and tropical timber boundary. 

Plant List

Crataegus monogyna

Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri'

Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'Pinus

Cotula Hispida

Sedum reflexum

Sedum reflexum aureum

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'

Veronica autriacia Ionian Skies

Sedum cauticola 'Coca-Cola'

Sedum Album

Crambe martima

Glaucium flavum

Glaucium flavum ssp. auranticum

Mertensia maritima

Limonium vulgare

Plantago coronpsus

Tragopgon porrifolius

Silene Maritima

Foeniculum vulgare

Silene vulgaris

Sedum acre

Ligusticum lucidum

Athamanta vestina

Festuca Big Beautiful and Blue

Centranthus ruber Albus

Zizia aurea

Alchemilla erythropoda

Asplenium Scolopendrium Dryoperis erythrosora

Designed by Lucy Mitchell, La La Landscapes

Built by Big Fish Landscapes

with support from

The Japanese Garden Centre

Daniel Higgins