You can’t fail to be drawn in to Tom Massey’s vibrant garden at RHS Hampton Court. The colourful planting is like a magnet, and who can resist a spiral path which leads to an oasis of calm.
Tom’s Sanctuary Garden – for the charity Perennial- is all about the emotional journey a person makes from crisis to safety. Perennial is the only charity dedicated to supporting everyone in the horticulture industry- and is therefore a cause close to my heart. I have made a living from horticulture for the last 25 years in one way or another. So a charity which helps the people I work with, is something I’m going to shout about.
Tom’s garden is a colour wheel, 18 metres in diameter. The changing palette poignantly symbolises the journey people face with difficulties such as illness, injury, poverty and debt. At its outer edge, the plants are hot colours, representing the chaos of being at crisis point. Following the winding gravel path, plants fade to calmer colours of blue and green. It’s a representation of what happens when Perennial steps in to offer a helping hand- guiding people from tough times to safety.
Hemerocallis Crimson Pirate, Helenium Moerheim Beauty, Crocosmia Lucifer and Dahlia Mystic Enchantment feature in the hot colour scheme.
As you walk though the garden, the planting becomes taller and more immersive with the colour scheme moving to stimulating yellows and oranges, representing hope.
Achillea millefolium Terracotta, Helenium Mardi Gras and Geum Totally Tangerine are woven with grasses Molinia caerulea Poul Peterson and stipa to form the orange swathe. The yellow planting band includes Kniphofia Lemon Popsicle and varieties of helianthus and helenium.
I don’t think anyone could miss the message of hope in the sunflowers. They sing out amongst the grasses.
Moving through the spiral of colours, you come to restful purples and blues. It has a calming influence after the whirlpool of emotions you feel as you walk though this garden. I found it hard not to cry.
Purple plants are Veronicastrum virginicum Fascination (above) Nepeta Six Hills Giant and Verbena bonariensis. Blue shades feature Agapanthus Navy Blue (below) Agastache Black Adder and Blue Fortune, and Centurea cyanus Blue Boy.
Grasses in the blue section are Calamagrostis x acutiflora Karl Foerster.
And finally as you follow the spiral path you reach the sanctuary of a green oasis. The sounds of the outside garden fade and it feels like a place of safety.
Tom’s design highlights the difference Perennial makes to thousands of horticulturalists each year. It’s humbling to read the case studies. Heartbreaking accidents leaving families in dire circumstances. Perennial – a charity many people may not have heard of before- helps with financial arrangements, navigating the benefits system and being there as emotion support. A lifeline for anyone in need.
Find out more about Perennial here . Click on the highlighted words or on http://www.perennial.org.uk
Buy Products to support the charity at shop.perennial.org.uk
Get involved. Raise money at www.hortaid.org.uk
More about Tom Massey here. http://www.tommassey.co.uk
The garden was built by www.landformconsultants.co.uk
Plants supplied by www.hortusloci.co.uk
Stone bench www.londonstone.co.uk
Additional suppliers : Linden Turf, water feature The Pot Company, self binding gravel and steel edging AllGreen Group
More about RHS Hampton Court
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A great summary of the elements of this garden and lovely pictures
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Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. All the best. Karen x
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The garden looks wonderful. It is a charity we have supported with a charity raffle at our garden club and by attending some of the events they stage each year.
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The NGS also make a donation to them each year. You can find out how much by visiting: ngs.org.uk
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Thank you Brian. I didn’t know that. Just had a look. Isn’t that wonderful news! Raises the profile of the charity even more. Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated.
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Oh that does indeed look a stunning garden, Karen – I hope they show it on GW on Friday as it would be good to see it in 3D. Thanks for sharing it with us
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Thank you Cathy. It was worth all the train and underground travel to get there. Lovely planting and the centre oasis reminded me of your garden. Thanks for reading. x
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I would be quietly thrilled if people felt our garden was an oasis of calm, Karen…
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Sounds (and looks) like an amazing garden, and yes, definitely a wonderful cause.
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Really glorious planting, Gill. I just wanted to roll up the garden and bring it all home. Might save up for the water dish feature in the centre. Fell in love with that. I know just where I’d put it……
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A most enjoyable post with lovely pictures, and excellent links. It’s a wonderful show garden for such a good cause. xx
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Thank you Mike. It was such a mixture of emotions. Sorrow at the plight of some poor souls who end up in crisis though no fault of their own. And then happy at the warmth and compassion offered by the charity. The planting was so inspiring, and you’d have loved the bright sunflowers. Thanks for reading and getting in touch. All the best. K x
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As I’m approaching the light at the end of term tunnel, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming feeling of emotion and joy at your wonderful post. I was only speaking to a friend today about how wonderful Perenniel is. Thankyou for portraying this in such a wonderful post.
I hope you are well and enjoying Hampton court. xx
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Thank you for your lovely comments. I thought the garden was spellbinding. Such a clever concept. It was immediately obvious what the garden was all about. Sometimes I struggle to understand the show garden themes. But this one was easy to see. I felt a lump in my throat as I followed the spiral path- following the journey from crisis to rescue. Some of the case studies highlighting the charity’s work is just heartbreaking. Perennial deserves all the publicity it can get, and I hope the garden wins the People’s Choice award -raising the profile even further. Thanks for reading and for your kind comments. It’s much appreciated. xx
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Karen thank you very much for guiding us through this garden and for what PERENNE does, a wonderful charity that reaches the heart and that I wish it had no reason to exist. Greetings from Margarita.
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Muchas gracias Margarita. We are so fortunate such a wonderful charity exists. Much suffering and heart ache is alleviated by their good works. I’m glad to be able to support them in any way I can. I really hope they win the People’s Choice Award at RHS Hampton Court. Thank you as always for your kind comments and for reading my blog. All the best – karen
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Such a beautiful garden with a wonderful message of hope. Thank you for sharing it.
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Thank you for reading and for your kind comments. All the best. Karen
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What a heart touching cause and delightful way of raising money for this charity. Thank you for sharing and the beautifully narrative description of the perennial.
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Thank you. It’s a charity that means a lot to me. I’m doing all I can to spread the word. Thank you again x
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