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Garden name

British Heart Foundation Garden

Designer

Ann-Marie Powell

Awards

Silver Flora

Video tour of garden

Description of garden

Verdant planting is interspersed with large blood-red stepping stones which lead you through a walkway of red arches. The arches or 'heart strings', rise out of the planting and plunge into the black pool as if in constant motion dipping in and out of the garden.

The textural planting surrounds you absolutely, even up to the boundary walls which are covered in a green wall. Above the green wall are limes, used not only for their heart shaped foliage but also for their edible qualities as young leaves. The red of the stepping stones and arches is echoed in planting by red peonies and wild strawberries.

Walking through the garden is also a lesson in medicinal plants, Ann-Marie has used many which are known for their healing properties in relation to cardiology such as Salix caprea (willow) which is an important source or aspirin.

Photo

Pictured: Sir Peter Blake. His pop art style influenced the design of the British Heart Foundation Garden

Inspiration / influences

This year is the British Heart Foundation's 50th anniversary and Ann-Marie has taken her inspiration directly from their celebrations and work. In particular Ann-Marie was inspired by a pop art image by Sir Peter Blake, the Patron of the BHF, to celebrate the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal.

List of plants in the garden

Salix caprea - pussy willow

Tilia cordata - Lime

Asplenium scolopendrium - hart's tongue fern

Rogersia podophylla 'Braunlaub'

Hosta 'Devon Green'

Strawberry 'Mignonette'

British Heart Foundation Garden

Also

A lover of hard landscaping materials Ann-Marie has embraced the opportunity to experiment with textures and materials such as the red blood cell stepping stones, which have been invented purely for this garden. She's said: "I really want the garden to feel like an experience and not something that you just look at, I want it to be interactive".

In 2010 she worked as part of a Gold Medal winning team at Chelsea. This is Ann-Marie's first solo design venture at Chelsea Flower Show.

Links

List of 2011 show gardens - Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show photographs

TV schedule - Chelsea Flower Show

List of 2011 show gardens - Chelsea Flower Show

Archive: Meet the 2010 garden designers