Kingston Maurward become the only college to win a second Silver Gilt at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its Sanctuary category garden.
Architectural plants and soft colours lead the eye around the circular walkway.
Kingston Maurward College (KMC) was celebrating last week, winning a Silver Gilt medal at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Their garden The Space Within was entered in the Sanctuary category and was designed to provide a nurturing and calming space in which to relax and unwind.
College Principal Luke Rake said: “This is the second Silver Gilt that the college has won for a garden, something no other college has ever achieved. It’s the second highest possible award and is a fabulous outcome for everyone here – and for Dorset.”
KMC is one of the UK’s few land-based colleges, providing education and training in agriculture, land and animal sciences– the skills needed for rural economies. The garden was designed by ex-KMC graduate Michelle Brown.
It was completed as a team effort by staff and students, said Luke Rake: “More than 100 people were involved in the creation, from welding and blacksmithing to countryside and horticulture specialists,
all pulling together to create something magical.
“I’m so proud of them, it’s a genuinely world-class performance and it was a real privilege to be able to see the garden in situ after all the hard work.”
The Space Within
The garden contains a contemporary arch providing an entrance to a secret jungle of foliage planting inspired by the sub-tropical gardens of the Mediterranean and punctuated by specimen architectural
plants and trees.
Elevated pathways lead to a daybed platform where the visitor can rest, totally immersed in plants. The
asymmetric social platform and seating is inspired by childhood den-making and entices the visitor with its playful shape. The sanctuary boundaries are created as wildlife habitats, using fallen trees and waste
timber to enclose the space.
If you’d like a glimpse inside the garden, it was on the BBC’s Chelsea show – click play HERE and skip
forward exactly 30 minutes.
