Chris Beardshaws Wormcast Garden Wins Gold at Chelsea

4 June 2021 4:46 pm
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QUINTESSENTIALLY ENGLISH GARDEN

WINS GOLD AT CHELSEA

Celebrating the elegance of all things English, Chris Beardshaw’s re-creation of the Jekyll and Mawson designed garden at Boveridge House in Dorset has scooped a gold medal at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

The Chris Beardshaw Wormcast Garden was inspired by the decadence and grace of the Edwardian era. The garden brings the geometric designs and extravagant water features of Thomas Mawson, heralded ‘the grandfather of landscape architecture’, together with the flowing and floriferous planting style or renowned plantswoman, Gertrude Jekyll.

Restoration is a key focus of the garden. In addition to Chris’ efforts in helping the Boveridge gardeners restore the original site to its former glory, by bringing its re-creation to Chelsea, he is also endeavouring to bring about a re-birth in traditional plantsmanship. Significantly, the restoration is possibly the first truly honest re-creation of a forgotten Jekyll and Mawson garden, accurately sticking to the original planting plans.

Incorporating original items from the 1920’s garden, the exhibit at Chelsea includes an expansive Mawson pond complete with a cherub statue, cast from the original mould, which is surrounded by Miss Jekyll’s favourite delicate water lilies, bred for the occasion from original stock. The graceful lines and herbaceous borders of the garden lead to a classical summer pavilion in which are the very chairs that Mawson sat and contemplated his plans. And this is all contained within 46 metres of Portland stone wall which was carefully dismantled from the original site and exactingly rebuilt for the exhibit.

In addition to winning over the judges, the garden also aims to promote horticulture to young people through the launch of the new educational initiative, ‘Growing for Life’, at this year’s show. Chris’ involvement with the restoration work at Boveridge House, which provides residential and educational facilities for children with learning disabilities, is the first project undertaken by ‘Growing for Life’. Chris has involved the children in his restoration work, introducing them to the joys and rewards of gardening using traditional techniques, and they have also been a critical part of the team during preparations for Chelsea.

The humble earthworm also plays a vital role in the garden. The Wormcast Company, sponsor of The Chris Beardshaw Wormcast Garden, employs billions of earthworms who munch their way through nutritious organic material, using their unique digestive process to create Wormcast, which is a probiotic for plants. Chris has joined forces with The Wormcast Company to bring the Boveridge House garden to life at this year’s show. All the flowers in the garden have been treated with Wormcast to ensure the garden is a blooming success.

Chris Beardshaw explains, “I created this garden with two aims in mind; to accurately portray this Jekyll and Mawson masterpiece, a celebration of the finest qualities of English garden design, and to create the ideal platform to launch ‘Growing for Life’ at the heart of which lies the commitment to give young people the opportunities I had. Having taken up gardening at the age of four, I know the joy it can bring to both children and adults. As I’ve said before, Gardening touches everybody, it’s a great leveller. I really hope that this Chelsea garden, and in time, ‘Growing for Life’, will help to reinforce this message”.

Wormcast is available from The Wormcast Company Tel: 0845 605 5000 email [email protected] or visit www.thewormcastcompany.co.uk

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A THOROUGHLY ENGLISH AFFAIR
AT CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

TV gardener Chris Beardshaw will exhibit the only quintessentially English garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

The Chris Beardshaw Wormcast Garden was inspired by a 1920’s Jekyll and Mawson designed formal and water garden at Boveridge House in Cranborne in Dorset.

The garden will act as a platform for the launch of Chris’ new educational initiative, ‘Growing for Life’, aimed at promoting horticulture to the younger generation. His involvement with the restoration work at Boveridge House is the basis for the first project undertaken by ‘Growing for Life’. The house itself provides residential and educational facilities for children with learning disabilities. Chris first came across the Boveridge garden while filming the BBC ‘Hidden Gardens’ series and has subsequently involved the children in his work here, introducing them to the joys and rewards of gardening using traditional techniques. In addition, students are part of his team helping to pull everything together for the Chelsea garden.

The humble earthworm also plays a vital role in Chris’ Chelsea garden. The Wormcast Company, sponsor of The Chris Beardshaw Wormcast Garden, employs billions of earthworms who munch their way through nutritious organic material, using their unique digestive process to create Wormcast, which is essentially a probiotic for plants. Chris has joined forces with The Wormcast Company to bring the Boveridge House garden to life at this year’s show.

Chris Beardshaw explains, “I created this garden with two aims in mind; to accurately portray this Jekyll and Mawson masterpiece, a celebration of the finest qualities of Engish garden design, and to create the ideal platform to launch ‘Growing for Life’ at the heart of which lies the commitment to give young people the opportunities I had. Having taken up gardening at the age of four, I know the joy it can bring to both children and adults. As I’ve said before, Gardening touches everybody, it’s a great leveller. I really hope that this Chelsea garden, and in time, ‘Growing for Life’, will help to reinforce this message”.

The Boveridge House garden itself celebrates a unique collaboration between the Edwardian designers Gertrude Jekyll and Thomas Mawson. Famed for their dislike of each other, Mawson and Jekyll unwittingly worked together during the 1920’s to create a truly unique and captivating English garden at Boveridge House. Mawson, a Lancashire lad from a working class family, was first employed to lay out the broad architectural plans and Jekyll, then in her twilight years, subsequently completed the planting plans by post, apparently unaware of Mawson’s involvement.

The Chris Beardshaw Wormcast Garden incorporates many of their individually famous architectural and horticultural trademark features, such as a reflective lily pond, clipped yew hedges and long herbaceous borders. It combines the strong design principles of Mawson, the ‘Grandfather of modern Landscape Architecture’ with the planting style and finesse of extraordinary plants woman and ‘Gardening Doyenne, Gertrude Jekyll.

Restoration is a key focus of the garden. Chris is not only helping the Boveridge Gardeners to restore the site to its former glory, bringing its re-creation to Chelsea, but will also endeavour to bring about a re-birth in traditional plantsmanship; stripping back horticulture to use original, organic planting methods and the skills of gardeners active in the early 20^th century. Some of the original Mawson stonework will be brought to Chelsea and re-constructed by Boveridge school children. Significantly, this restoration is possibly the first truly honest re-creation of a forgotten garden, accurately sticking to the original planting plans.

The synergy between Chris Beardshaw’s ethos for his garden at Chelsea and that of his partner, The Wormcast Company is evident. Both believe that good gardening involves a real collaboration with nature.

“The Chelsea Flower Show is the world’s biggest stage to show off the best in gardening and growing. We are tremendously excited by this opportunity to work with Chris and to bring the benefits of using Wormcast to the attention of gardeners everywhere”, says Stephen Muggleton, MD of The Wormcast Company.

Chris Beardshaw aims to breathe new life into horticulture through his garden at Chelsea and raise awareness and support for his new initiative, ‘Growing for Life’. Further information on this will be revealed at Chelsea 2006.

MADE IN ENGLAND