The Fenland Alchemist Garden
The Fenland Alchemist Garden
Designed by Stephen Hall and Jane Besser
Design inspiration
"We found inspiration for our design in the myths and mystery of the Fens, our garden is based on a fictional Fen Tiger (a person not an animal) called Fen Ben.
The planting is inspired by the fen and alchemic theme. Natives form the basis for the eclectic planting style, planted next to cultivars from the same genus to highlight man's continuing fascination with another form of alchemy – the quest to create ever more perfect plants!
We hope this garden will demonstrate that you don't need a big budget to create an interesting garden – that material foraging (finding discarded or unwanted items) can create a garden inexpensively. We also hope that the garden will inspire the public to plant more native species in their own gardens."
Your comments
Comments
I agree entirely with Lesley Bottomley's comments - gardens should be for feeling relaxed in, in your old clothes, with a glass of cider - not dressed up in a suit, with a cocktail, showing off to your so-called friends.
Is this a gold winner, truly? No. There must be something better than gold to recognise the quality of this garden. I could lose my heart to this garden, and find my peace in it.
Extremely well executed planting but nothing we haven't seen before - thank goodness for the cutting edge show gardens and modern courtyards! That is where you can find true inspiration of how to make your garden a usable yet relaxing and enjoyable space - ideas that can be translated into smaller scale more practical solutions (as with catwalk and high street fashion). There is nothing wrong with looking to the past for inspiration but we need to look at ways to progress and evolve, these traditional gardens are all much of a muchness and really teach and show us nothing new and will not contribute to English garden design on an international scale.
the best experience of Chelsea this year - made my heart flip and then fill with warmth and happiness - STUNNING
Lovely, very quaint and simple. Would love to spend time here.
Quite agree, this garden does it all for me. What a refreshing change from all those cubes of concrete,and grey linear pretensions.Even James May has more colour and gardening sympathy with real people in his plasticine garden, than those modern designs!Give me a real garden that invokes nostalgia plus all the other senses in its simple beauty anytime.Well Done and Thankyou
what a stunning garden. It just brings back happy days in my dad's beautiful garden. Exactly what a garden should be about. Wonderful.
most tranquil and entertaining garden giving relaxation. Well done.
I could very happily sit in this lovely garden with a glass of wine, and put my feet up and just keep looking around me. This garden is enchanting. Well done to all involved.
About this garden
Best Courtyard Garden
Stephen Hall and Jane Besser win in this group.
Gold Medal Winner
See viewers' comments on this garden at the foot of the page.
Downloads
Also at Chelsea
2010 small gardens
Visit the 2010 small gardens page to explore all the Urban and Courtyard gardens.
Key plants
Apothecary’s Rose
Cow Parsley
Foxglove
Lady’s Mantle
Related links
Information from the RHS
Other related links
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Love it, a piece of my fifties youth, this to me is a garden not concrete and glass. Long may the simple garden reign.
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