RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009

The 2009 RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s ‘Urban Garden’ awards have been given for outstanding designs suitable for small urban spaces.

Designers are challenged to find clever solutions to the restrictions of space and the conflict of uses - even for roof gardens and front gardens - while providing an area for relaxation and entertaining.

This year's entries incorporated many new ideas, modern materials and planting for an urban environment with highly imaginative and innovative results.

Backhouse Jones' very own Jane Hensey, along with her husband Paul, were awarded this year's Most Creative Award!

Jane said - "To design a garden for Chelsea is by invitation only and a real honour to be offered the opportunity to submit a design for the selection committee, (even then its touch and go whether your design is selected).

This year's Chelsea garden began its life on our sofa last October, and evolved from sketches and ideas both Paul and I bounced around. Paul then crafted the concepts into detailed/buildable designs and then passed them back to me to find a way of making it a reality.

Finding suppliers and ways of making a flat design reality is a tough job and causes many sleepless nights, but in the end seeing the final finished garden is fantastic! This year we worked with Edinburgh and East London Universities to produce the concrete forms from a new process which reduced the carbon footprint by 50%, showing that selecting concrete as a material in a garden is not only now more eco-friendly but highly sculptural.

Paul and I started Elysium Design Ltd in 2002, the Company focuses on designing and building gardens and landscapes from the very large to the very small both in the UK and abroad. As well as this year's RHS Chelsea awards the Company has won numerous other RHS medals including Gold and Best in Show for previous show gardens at Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton. Our gardens have featured in national and international publications including this month's 'House and Garden'. Paul's background is industrial design and he still focuses on this in his own consultancy together with lecturing and writing for the design press."

"Paul is 'front of stage' for the Company - a member of the Society of Garden Designers, his name is well respected within the world of garden design, I now take a "back office role" after 5 years of getting my hands dirty and these days am involved in the planning and co-ordinating of the build teams, liaising with the clients, together with handling the press and PR work. Quite a challenge on top of a full time job!"

Jane and Paul created an intimate sitting area, reached via a curving path of self-binding gravel. Planting surrounds the seating area and is intersected by large structural concrete forms that divide the garden into distinct areas and blur the boundary between the walls and the ground.

A vertical planting system, which extends the ribbons of plants from the ground up the walls, further adds to the lack of distinction between the different planes. This system of planting is useful for hiding an unsightly wall as well as creating an effective noise-inhibitor and providing a very wildlife-friendly environment.

The concrete structures extend from the ground up the walls and are organic, sculptural and almost root-like. They have been made using an innovative technique that reduces the carbon footprint in the manufacture of concrete.

Why not visit the RHS website:    

http://www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/shows/chelsea2009/urban/fenchurch.asp

http://www.elysiumdesign.uk.com/