Gold at Hampton, two years in a row!

The purpose of our garden at this year's flower show was to provide a peaceful space where the feeling of relaxation and reflection can be achieved amongst a tapestry of colourful textured planting.

The octagonal English oak island bed is centrally elevated to show off the grand ancient Spanish olive tree with it's beautiful gnarled trunk and under planting of Erigeron karvinskianus AGM and Tulbaghia violacea.

The overal planting scheme is an array of herbaceous perennials, each carefully organised according to their colour, shape and textural relationship to the other. Deep purples and greens blend through to cool blues and whites, into creamy yellows and warm oranges.

Examples of the chosen plants include the long-flowering Nepeta racemosa 'Walkers Low', and Phygelius 'Salmon Leap' with it's orange trumpet-like flower heads.

The soft feathery Stipa barbata is interwoven with the dark-crimson Knautia macedonica and a sea of flat-headed Achillea stand tall as the garden sweeps round.

The Gaillardia grandiflora 'Tokajer' with it's large orange-gold bloom and ring of rich flame yellow deliver impact while the ever-versatile Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Chile Black' appears throughout to add depth and contrast.

A selection of quality Agapanthus also play a key role in the design, Agapanthus 'Peter Pan' and Agapanthus africanus are among the varieties.

Let's hope 2013 will bring a hat trick!

You can view all our Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2012 images on Flickr.