Following the success of the 2024, inaugural London College of Garden Design (LCGD) border competition at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, this year’s designs will explore the diversity and versatility of the aromatic Lamiaceae family – which includes many household favourites such as lavender, mint, thyme and rosemary.
The final seven borders were chosen by the LCGD’s judging panel in January, chosen from submitted concept designs by graduates. For the selected seven graduates, this represents their first-time exhibiting at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, giving them a unique platform in which to showcase their eye for design, creativity and knowledge.
“This is the second year we have run this exciting competition to give our graduates a fantastic opportunity to be part of the wonderful RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. This year we asked them to design a border which not only showcases the amazing variety that’s found within the Lamiaceae family, but also the College’s, and the RHS’, ethos for education, diversity and sustainability in planting and garden design. We are so impressed with the designs created, and we can’t wait to bring these to the public in July. As well as creating beautiful borders for visitors to enjoy, it is also a really great way for our students who have recently graduated to use their skills in responding to a design brief as they transition into new careers,” said Nina Baxter, Director, LCGD.
The gardens designed for the ‘Love of Lamiaceae’
Each of the seven 15 m2 borders has been carefully curated by fourteen new graduates, whom are working individually or in small groups. Designed to be circular or curved, show visitors can admire them from all sides.
- Coastal Reflections by John Howlett is a love letter to the coast. The design features drought-resistant mints and thymes, evoking the sensory experience of a coastal sunset walk. Shimmering blue and purple planting mimics the ocean, fading into warm reds and yellows to echo the setting sun. The garden reflects on the urgent need to protect the coastline in light of rising sea levels and climate change, whilst celebrating its raw beauty.
- Herbal Fortress by Marlene Lento highlights the long-recognised defensive and immune-boosting properties of Lamiaceae. The border mimics a petri dish, with vibrant floral islands showing how Lamiaceae essential oils inhibit bacterial growth, while surrounding planting represents pathogens under a microscope.
- Telling Stories, Making Memories: Lamiaceae and Olfactory Experience by Sally Holder and Ella Clarke is inspired by the brain’s ability to capture and connect different scents to emotion and memory. A cocooning seating area with planting pockets dotted throughout connects users to the space and evokes memories of times gone by.
- The Sundowner Garden by Victoria Stanton, Kate Hyslop and Dr Gina Liverton-Brown celebrates the sensory experience inspired by nature’s palette of Lamiaceae. The garden has a water source and deadwood structures for wildlife and pollinator-friendly planting. The design also pays homage to Hampton Court’s 17th-century kitchen gardens with off-set quadrants and gravel paths.
- The Garden of Simples by Susie Kennedy celebrates the healing properties of the Lamiaceae family and takes inspiration from medieval and monastic healing gardens. The border will reflect the style, skills, craftsmanship and structure that would have been used within a monistic garden, echoing early centres of medicinal plant collections that were the pre-curser to modern day physic and botanical gardens.
- The Hummingbird Haven: A Symphony of Colour and Movement by Alison Shadwell-Williams and Yvonne Price celebrates the connection between hummingbirds and the Lamiaceae family, such as Salvia and Monarda. Nectar-rich orange and red blooms reflect a garden inspired by hummingbirds and their role in pollination – with its oval shape echoing the bird’s flight patterns. Life-size hummingbird sculptures dart between the planting.
- Woman-to-woman by Ally Elphick, Gill Hall, Irene Rosazza Bertina and Charlotte Wroe (Panacea Projects)offers a fresh perspective on medicinal planting and aims to inspire visitors to consider both the aesthetic and therapeutic properties of plants. The design is inspired by how female ancient healing knowledge was shared by spoken word or song in times long before Hippocrates. The planting echoes Ancient Greek gardens where plants such as lavender, oregano and Salvia were cultivated specifically for healing purposes.
Sally-Anne Rees, one of the College’s Planting Design Diploma graduates who exhibited at RHS Hampton in 2024, said: “Together with my fellow LCGD graduates Kate Campbell and Will Murray, we created one of the Asteraceae borders at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival last year. Our border showcased foliage first planting, showing that dramatic foliage can really set the stage for flowers in full bloom, and also as a way to extend seasonal interest within a border. Exhibiting at RHS Hampton was an incredible experience, and we even featured on Gardeners’ World which was a dream come true! We can’t thank the College enough for this amazing opportunity.”