Supported by the grant-giving charity Project Giving Back, Joe Perkins MSGD has designed the King’s Trust Garden: Seeding Success, which is inspired by volcanic landscapes and the potential for life, growth and optimism contained in seeds.
The King’s Trust helps young people to build the confidence and skills they need to realise their potential. Three in four young people on King’s Trust programmes move into work, education or training.
The garden draws parallels between the potential of seeds and young people to thrive given the right conditions. With a strong focus on climate adaptation and the ability of pioneering plants to succeed in hostile environments including extreme rainfall and drought, the garden represents the resilience of young people, and their ability to overcome adversity and thrive, if given the opportunity.
Jonathan Townsend, UK Chief Executive of The King’s Trust said: “Thanks to the generosity of Project Giving Back, we are proud to have our first ever garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, helping us to celebrate the young people we have supported for almost 50 years to build confidence, get into work and create a better future for themselves. This generation of young people need our support more than ever, having shown incredible resilience and courage to battle the devastating impacts of recent years on their education, early careers and livelihoods. We hope our garden will provide the chance for others who believe in the potential of this generation to learn more about what we do and join us in our mission to ensure every young person has the opportunity to succeed in life.”
Permeable, screen-printed glass panels depicting various seed dispersal methods, weave through the garden, symbolising the social mobility enabled by the King’s Trust by helping young people facing hardship to gain confidence and start careers. A series of basalt paths guide visitors past a sinuous sunken communal area. The journey culminates in an intimate quiet space, beneath a towering 12m Pinus nigra, reflecting the nurturing environment The King’s Trust provides young people on their journeys to a stable, fulfilling life.
The materials used in the garden are either fully or partially recycled, recyclable or reclaimed and all hard surfaces and walling materials will be constructed using ‘unbound’ methods, eliminating the need for cement. This permeable approach is crucial for mitigating the intense rainfall events already experienced in the last few years and which are likely to continue in future.
Structural trees and shrubs, such as Ostrya carpinifolia and Phillyrea angustifolia feature amidst layered drifts of subshrubs, grasses and perennials in muted silvery greys and greens, accented with pops of colour. Many of the plants are renowned for their resilience and adaptability; to grow and disperse seed within a single season or to regenerate after fire.
The garden will be built by the Landscaping Consultants. After the show the garden will be rehomed at Uxbridge College, West London where it will be used, developed and maintained by young people enrolled on The King’s Trust programmes, other students and the local community.
Perkins said: “I am thrilled to be bringing this garden to RHS Chelsea and then on to its forever home at Uxbridge College. The Trust’s work has had an incredible impact nationwide, and I’ve been fortunate enough to witness the remarkable difference it can make. I sincerely hope that this garden inspires support for young people during these challenging times.”
Perkins has almost 30 years experience in designing and creating residential, commercial and public spaces in the UK, Southern France and Spain. He is a Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD)
and an associate member of the Landscape Institute (LI). He established Joe Perkins Design in 2018 and has gained a reputation for climate adaptive designs. Perkins and his team share a passion for sustainable and sympathetic landscape design with a strong commitment to working within the context of place and alongside nature. Perkins has won 2 gold medals at RHS Chelsea, in addition to winning Best in category and Best construction for his debut show garden in 2019 with the ‘Beyond the Screen’ garden sponsored by Facebook.