The design by RHS Gold-medal winner Nigel Dunnett, who also designed the walled garden at Hospitalfield, encompasses an outdoor arts studio and workspace, a setting for art practice, exhibitions, teaching and performance. The “artist bothy” studio is set in a beautiful and resilient garden, inspired by dramatic sand dune topography, with evocative coastal planting, which by its nature is resilient to different climates and weather.
Lucy Byatt, Director at Hospitalfield said: “At Hospitalfield Arts we support artists in their working lives and at all stages of their careers, inspiring young people especially, to be confident that the arts have an essential place in the world. With the incredible garden that Nigel has designed for RHS Chelsea, made possible thanks to funding and support from Project Giving Back, we want to highlight the urgent need to nurture the creativity of young people, to raise the profile of arts education and to inspire the next generation of artists.”
Garden design & planting
The planting evokes a coastal character with emphasis on foliage form, colour and texture. Mirroring a sand dune environment, all the planting is established in sand, reflecting the current horticultural interest in using mineral materials such as sands and gravels instead of ‘perfect’ soil. A dune pool collects rain water from the studio and surrounding dunes, reflecting how water works in a natural landscape. A highly-textured evergreen framework of trees and shrubs encloses the garden. This includes; multi-stemmed Lagerstroemia indica, contorted junipers and feathery tamarisk (Tamarix ramossisma) form the woody planting at a lower level, with taller gnarled Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees and narrow-leaved mock privet (Phillyrea angustifolia) forming a backdrop. Swathes of dune grasses mingle with drifts of colourful herbaceous plants, with mainly pink, blue and purple flowers.
Nigel Dunnett said: “Chelsea is a place for new ideas, for experimentation, and to take risks, and that is certainly the spirit in which we have developed our garden. Working with Hospitalfield Arts, and their exciting and important work with contemporary art and young people, has inspired me to take a very abstract and highly sculptural approach to creating a representation of the landscape of the Angus coast. Creating that dramatic dunescape has been a real challenge, and we’ve designed striking structures that hold the sand in ‘wind-blown’ shapes. The plants in the garden are all growing in the sand, and this highlights the growing interest in using sands, gravels and aggregates to create and support diverse, resilient planting, as an alternative to rich topsoils. We hope this garden will spark conversations about our changing gardening habits, as well as the importance of creating space for the arts in helping us understand and interpret our changing world.”
Relocation after RHS Chelsea
Hospitalfield Arts works closely with schools in and around Arbroath to nurture interest and talent in the arts at every level of education. The Hospitalfield Arts Garden is designed to be enjoyed by anyone who wants to use the garden as an arts space – including children – and after the RHS Chelsea Flower Show it will be relocated to a primary school close to Hospitalfield. Ladyloan Primary School is situated virtually on the beach in Arbroath and the relocated garden will be adapted to create a stimulating and important space for children and teachers alike to enjoy and for their creativity to thrive.
The designer
Nigel Dunnett is Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield and is one of the world’s leading voices on innovative approaches to planting design. He is a pioneer of the new ecological and sustainable approaches to gardens, landscapes, and public spaces. His work revolves around the integration of ecology and horticulture to achieve low-input but high-impact landscapes that are dynamic, diverse, and tuned to nature.
Dunnett is a gold-medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show, and designed 5 main avenue Chelsea Flower
Show gardens between 2010 and 2020, including the invited Royal Horticultural Society garden in Projects, which include: Tower of London Superbloom 2022; The Barbican, Beech Gardens and High Walk (Phase 1 2013, Phase 2 commencing 2022-2024); Grey to Green, Sheffield (2015-2020); Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (co-principal planting design consultant 2008 – 2014 and ongoing); Grosvenor Square, London (2020-ongoing); Battersea Power Station (2022); Diamond Garden, Buckingham Palace 2013; Bergamo Green Square (2021); Hospitalfield Walled Garden, Arbroath (2020).
The team
- Sponsor: Project Giving Back
- Designer: Nigel Dunnett
- Technical detailing and coordination: The Landscape Agency
- Contractor: Landform Consultants
- Plants: Hortus Loci
- Artist bothy: The Bothy Project
- Sculptors: Broadbent Studio
- Planting Team Coordinator: Jane Porter