Urban Forest

Trailfinders Australian Garden designed by Phil Johnson won Best in Show and a Gold medal at Chelsea this year As RHS Chelsea opened its doors to the public for the third day of the centenary Flower Show, it appeared that all was not well among the horticultural fraternity when Christopher Bradley-Hole, creator of this year's Telegraph Garden, questioned the RHS judges' decision over the coveted Best in Show award presented to the Trailfinders Australian Garden. Readers may wish to read the full article here. The Telegraph Garden designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole won a Gold medal, but not Best in ShowThe crowds this week at the world's most prestigious horticultural event are a testament to the popularity of the annual Chelsea Show and it will be interesting to see who they vote for in The People's Choice competition, organised by the RHS and actively promoted on its web site. If the queues to see the Trailfinders garden are an indication of public opinion, could it be that the Mr Bradley-Hole's recent comments about the "ugly" solar panels and the "unsubtle" planting are not shared by the hordes of visitors trying to get a close-up view of the Australian garden, which occupies a prime corner position at Chelsea this year.The East Village Garden, designed by Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius won a goldChristopher Bradley-Hole is certainly no newcomer to Chelsea and has an impressive track record of five Chelsea gold medals and two Best Show Gardens. The Telegraph Garden won a gold medal this year, so the designer had nothing to complain about. Other seasoned exhibitors and gold medalists included Brewin Dolphin, Homebase, Laurent Perrier, M&G and Royal Bank of Canada - who are all delighted with the results, as are newcomers to the show who won golds, including the East Village Garden (above), which was attracting much bigger crowds than the Telegraph garden opposite and Un Garreg (One Stone) in the Artisan section. The B&Q Sentebale Garden designed by Jinny Blom won a silver gilt medalGardens that attracted a lot of publicity before the opening of the show included the B&Q Sentebale Forget-Me-Not Garden (above), with its connection to Prince Harry's Lesotho charity; Stoke-on-Trent's story of Transformation and Stop the Spread (below) - all awarded silver gilt medals. Yet none of these complained about the judging at Chelsea this year! So if you've already been to the show, do let us know which garden you preferred - Trailfinders or The Telegraph.Stop the Spread, designed by Jo Thompson, won a silver gilt medal

After publishing six short videos on Buddhist gardens on this blog last week, you can well imagine that I was delighted to find two contemporary Buddhist-inspired garden designs at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show: The Sound of Silence garden by Fernando Gonzalez and the Mindfulness garden by Martin Cook. Martin won a Gold Medal and Fernando a Silver-Gilt Medal – my explanation is that Fernando did not include flowers in his design. It is, after all, the Chelea FLOWER Show. My suggestion was that the wavy white mountains could stand in a lotus pond (following the traditional pattern of mandalas and mandala gardens). Congratulations to them both – I believe that Buddhist ideas have an illustrious future in gardens – less as representations of the Buddha than as interpretations of the Dharma. Fernando admires Japanese Zen gardens. They derive from Chinese ideas and I look forward to the day when Chinese landscape architects and garden designers recover their long-lost interest in Buddhist philosophy. That day will surely dawn.

An Alcove (Tokonoma) Garden - Best Artisan garden and Gold medal winnerIf you're visiting Chelsea this week, make sure you visit the eight Artisan Gardens, hidden away in Serpentine Walk - a cluster of small gardens that will give you ideas for your patch at home and where you can get close enough to see the finer details of the planting. Overall winner is the Alcove Garden (above) designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara, which also won a Gold."Get Well Soon" - awarded a Silver medal (designed by Kati Crome and Maggie Hughes)Right next door is "Get Well Soon", which won a silver medal. Sponsored by the National Botanic Garden of Wales and designed by Kati Crome and Maggie Hughes, this garden emphasises the ways in which plants can improve your health, and reflects many of the design features of the sponsor garden in Wales.Motor Neurone Disease - A Hebridean Weaver's Garden - Gold medal winnerThe Hebridean Weaver's Garden (above), designed by Jackie Setchfield and Martin Anderson to reflect the solitary life of an island inhabitant in the 1950s, trying to eke out a living from the land, also won a Gold medal. This is a delightful garden, that makes you realise just how far removed we are from island life in the heart of Chelsea during the Flower Show.NSPCC Garden of Magical Childhood, designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan SmithThe NSPCC Garden of Magical Childhood, designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith, and winner of a Silver Gilt medal, reflects nostalgic concepts of our early years, with an enchanting tree house taking centre stage and a collection of vintage toys. Look out for all the pebbles in the wishing pond with their individual messages, inscribed by NSPCC supporters.Um Garreg, designed by brothers Harry and David Rich, both first timers at ChelseaUn Garreg (One Stone) also won a Gold medal - this garden, designed by Harry and David Rich - two brothers who are first timers at Chelsea, who've drawn on the Welsh landscape of Brecon where they grew up - is both simple and harmonious and would be easy to replicate at home, if you knew a good dry stone waller! Walkers' Pine Garden by Graham Bodle won a Silver medalWalkers' Pine Garden, designed by Graham Bodle takes inspiration from some of Britain's great gardens including Rousham for the rill and Chatsworth for the gold leaf gilding on the obelisks, and shows just how much you can pack into a tiny space, with innovative planting and some interesting features. The wall sculpture celebrates RHS Chelsea's Centenary. Le Jardin De Yorkshire, designed by Alistair Baldwin AssociatesEven simpler is the design of Le Jardin De Yorkshire, inspired by the county's successful bid to host the 2014 start of the Tour de France. The water feature at the front of the garden lists many of the villages and towns that cyclists will visit when they set off next year. This garden won a Silver Gilt medal for designer, Alistair Baldwin Associates.The Herbert Smith Freehills Garden for WaterAid - a blaze of marigoldsThe Herbert Smith Freehills Garden for WaterAid is inspired by the the work of the charity WaterAid in India - a blaze of colour, reflecting the benefits of access to clean water, improved hygiene and sanitation, even when water is scarce. Designed by Patricia Thirion and Janet Honour and winner of a Gold medal.To see Gold Medal gardens in the Show Garden category at Chelsea this year, click here.

The Trailfinders Australian Garden by Fleming's wins Best Show Garden and a Gold medal at Chelsea 2013The Australians have taken top prize at this year's RHS Chelsea with Trailfinders Australian Garden by Fleming's winning the coveted Best Show Garden and a Gold medal. If you're off to Chelsea this week, you'll love this innovative garden, designed by Phillip Johnson, which showcases native Australian plants, set within an urban setting, while demonstrating the possibilities of sustainable landscaping. The Arthriis Research UK Garden designed by Chris BeardshawTo see the rest of the gold medal winners scroll down through the pictures below. They were The Arthritis Research UK Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw (above); the Brewin Dolphin Garden (below); the Laurent-Perrier Garden; the East Village Garden (below); The Homebase Garden - "Sowing the Seeds of Change" in association with the Alzheimer's Society (below); The Wasteland (below); the M&G Centenary Garden (below); the RBC Blue Water Roof Garden (below) and The Telegraph Garden (below).The Brewin Dolphin Garden designed by Robert MyersEast Village Garden designed by Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius

The Chelsea Fringe Garden Festival is in its second year. Congratulations to all who have helped make it happen – and especially to Tim Richardson, the Festival Director. What the Chelsea Fringe needs next is sponsors. I would like to suggest Richard Branson to sponsor the main event. He has given us the Virgin London Marathon, so why not the Virgin London Chelsea Fringe? It would also be good to have sponsors for Chelsea Fringe Show Gardens (see my suggested Chelsea Fringe Sponsorship Opportunities]. The right garden in the right place could give the sponsor more bangs/buck than an ordinary garden in the Chelsea Flower Show. London developers etc (eg of hotel gardens, office gardens, roof gardens and small public open spaces) could give them a special treatment and open them for the 3 weeks of the Chelsea Fringe. The developers of Battersea Power Station have an even better idea: they are LAUNCHING the development of a luxurious housing project with the creation of a 2.5 acre Pop-Up Park as part of the 2013 Chelsea Fringe Festival. The design is by LDA landscape architects, who also managed the delivery of the 2012 Olympic Park.

RHS Chelsea 2013 opens its doors to ticket holders on Tuesday, 21 MayThis year's RHS Chelsea promises to be more closely scrutinised than ever by the media and, on the eve of the Centenary show, exhibitors and eager ticket holders are anxiously watching the weather forecast. It's not looking good for the first day, but later in the week there may be clearer skies. Good news for all those who managed to get tickets this year, since they sold out sooner than ever before. Gnomes are being allowed to make their debut at the show for the first and last time in this centenary year. In the past they came under a ban covering "brightly-coloured mythical creatures", but they will be there in force at Chelsea this week because they are playing an active role in the £1 million RHS Centenary Appeal, with more than 100 well-known personalities including Sir Elton John and Dames Hellen Mirren and Maggie Smith using their skills to decorate the little people, which will then be auctioned on e-Bay.If the weather is wet at Chelsea, there's always plenty to see in the marqueeThe 15 show gardens normally attract the most interest at Chelsea. Many of the usual designers are there and the coveted medal results will be announced on Tuesday, 21st May. In the UK we're all used to hearing about Prince Charles' gardening endeavours, but this year the crowds will be looking out for Prince Harry's efforts in the show garden category because of his involvement in the B&Q Sentebale 'Forget Me Not' garden, designed by Jinny Blom. Sentebale is the Prince's charity in the kingdom of Lesotho in Africa, which aims to help poor and vulnerable children and set up following his gap year visit there in 2004.For those of you joined at the hip to your I-Phone, there's a new RHS Chelsea 2013 app, downloadable for free and featuring a range of useful information for visitors about exhibitors, split into sections on the show gardens, plus full details of plant and shopping exhibitors and where to find them. I'm off to Chelsea tomorrow, with umbrella and waterproof clothing, so watch this space. But don't forget Chelsea Fringe, which has its own app downloadable for free detailing all events with dates and location and there's also Chelsea in Bloom. TV coverage starts today (Sunday) on BBC1 at 17.00 and there's daily coverage on BB2 starting Monday at 20.00.

This is the sixth of 6 videos on the relationship between Buddhism and garden design. The Dragon Garden in Shey, Ladakh, India, is being made under the influence of Buddhism but is a secular school within the Indian School system. The architecture, based on an mandala, is by Arup Associates. The garden and landscape design is by the department of landscape architecture at the University of Greenwich in London. It extends the mandala concept outward from the school buildings. The Druk White Lotus School (DWLS) is under the patronage of the Dalai Lama and is funded by a UK-based charity, the Drukpa Trust. The influence of Buddhism on garden design is explained in an eBook

The Isabella Plantation in London's Richmond Park has one of the best displays in the countryAn exceptionally cold winter here in Britain means that even the rhododendrons and azaleas are blooming later than usual this year, but there are many wonderful gardens around the country where you can now see stunning colour displays as the weather begins to warm up. But what is the difference between the two plants? Millais Nurseries, one of the UK's leading suppliers, says that: "All azaleas are actually rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas." And, if you're confused, rhododendrons are a genus (a group of plants with shared characteristics) whereas azaleas are a group within that genus, but all belong to the Ericaceae family.Sheffield Park is open year round, but visit now to see the rhododendrons in bloomThe best display in London (and you might want to drop in on the way to Chelsea this week) is to be found at the Isabella Plantation (top). This is undoubtedly one of the capital's best kept secrets, hidden away behind a wrought-iron gate in the heart of Richmond Park and quite apart from being spectacular, the blooms cost nothing to view. You'll find more than 50 different rhododendron species here, as well as the national of collection of Kurume azaleas. The garden is also a notable bird sanctuary and as you wander through the woodland landscape, you'll be astounded by what you hear as well as what you see. Catch contrasting woodland colours at Ramster - open until June 9 this yearHead south from London and the notable woodland gardens with wonderful colour displays include Borde Hill, Ramster (above), Riverhill Himalayan Garden and Sheffield Park. Sadly, Leonardslee, which was famous the world over for its colour displays at this time of year, is no longer open to the public. It closed in 2010 and although you'll still see road signs directing you there, you can always visit High Beeches instead. And, as all these gardens are quite close to each other, you might want to visit more than one in a day.High Beeches offers spectacular woodland walks in Sussex and is now in full bloomFurther west, you've got Exbury, which is renowned for its show of spring colour and Furzey Gardens, on a much more personal scale, but with equally spectacular displays. Furzey exhibited at Chelsea for the first time last year and won a gold medal for its "Field of Gold" designed by Chris Beardshaw (below), which has now been recreated back at the garden in Hampshire. I haven't had a chance to visit yet this year, but know from past experience just how lovely this garden is at this time of year.Chris Beardshaw designed Furzey's winning garden "Field of Gold" at RHS Chelsea 2012And further north, you've got the Dorothy Clive Garden (below), which left a lasting impression on me when I was last passing through (despite the dismal weather that day), Holker Hall in Cumbria and Bodnant in North Wales. Many smaller gardens nationwide also have good rhododendron shows, so it's worth checking which gardens are open for the NGS in your area. But wherever you choose to visit, there's something magical about the spring light shining through the rhododendron glades around the country. Even a wet and dismal day can't dampen the colours at the Dorothy Clive Garden

Eco-Buddhism, landscape architecture and environmnetal ethics is the second of six videos on the relationship between Buddhism and the history of garden and environmental design. Buddhism declined in many Asian countries during the twentieth century but became one of the fastest-growing faiths in Europe, the Americas and Australia. This led to an encounter with the environmental movement and a substantial literature has developed on what is called Eco-Buddhism, Green Buddhism or Environmental Buddhism. Though he did not advocate a Buddhist approach, Ian McHarg’s advocacy of Design with nature and of Lynn White’s argument against the Christian attitude to nature, associates McHarg with Buddhist Environmentalism. The influence of Buddhism on Environmental Ethics is discussed in an eBook

Chan and Pure Land Buddhist Gardens in China is the fourth of six videos on the relationship between Buddhism and the history of garden design. Buddhism spread to China from India. The practice of forming monastic communities with temples and gardens also took root in China but the Buddhist-influenced gardens made in China were not the same as any which are known to have been made in the India. They were Mahayana Buddhist Gardens and appear to have been influenced by Tibetan mandalas with lotus ponds, Buddha halls and representations of mountains. They were the subject of paintings in Tibet and of garden design in China. Chan (Zen) and Pure Land ideas also took developed in China and are likely to have influenced garden design. The influence of Buddhism on garden design is explained in an eBook