New border designs for RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival unveiled

Graduates from the London College of Garden Design will return to RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival this July to showcase seven stunning – and wonderfully fragrant – new educational borders highlighting the variety and diversity of the Lamiaceae family.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural border competition, this year’s innovative designs will run along Ditton Avenue and explore the diversity and versatility of the aromatic Lamiaceae family, which contains familiar herb garden favourites such as lavender, mint, thyme and rosemary. Each 15sq meter border within the ‘For the Love of Lamiaceae’ planting feature has been carefully curated by fourteen new graduates – either in small groups or as individuals – and will be circular or curved to allow visitors to admire them from all sides.

Nina Baxter, Director, the London College of Garden Design said: “This is the second year we have run this exciting competition to give our graduates a fantastic opportunity to be part of the wonderful RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. This year we asked them to design a border which not only showcases the amazing variety that’s found within the Lamiaceae family, but also the College’s, and the RHS’, ethos for education, diversity and sustainability in planting and garden design.

‘We are so impressed with the designs created, and we can’t wait to bring these to the public in July. As well as creating beautiful borders for visitors to enjoy, it is also a really great way for our students who have recently graduated to use their skills in responding to a design brief as they transition into new careers. I’d also like to thank the RHS for giving our graduates this fabulous opportunity.”

Details of the seven new borders and the graduate designers behind them

• Coastal Reflections by John Howlett: John’s design is a love letter to the coast. The design features drought-resistant mints and thymes, which evoke the sensory experience of a coastal sunset walk. The garden will also sparkle with shimmering blue and purple planting to mimic the ocean, whilst fading into warm reds and yellows to echo the setting sun. This unique design will provide a tranquil moment for visitors to reflect on the urgent need to protect our coastline in light of rising sea levels and climate change, whilst celebrating its raw beauty.

• Herbal Fortress by Marlene Lento: Marlene’s intriguing design highlights the long-recognised defensive and immune-boosting properties of Lamiaceae. The border mimics a petri dish, with vibrant floral islands showing how Lamiaceae essential oils inhibit bacterial growth, while surrounding planting represents pathogens under a microscope.

• Telling Stories, Making Memories: Lamiaceae and Olfactory Experience by Sally Holder and Ella Clarke: This intimate and immersive space is inspired by the brain’s ability to capture and connect different scents to emotion and memory. The cocooning seating area is formed from reclaimed construction materials, with planting pockets dotted throughout the design to connect users of the space and evoke memories of times gone by.

• The Sundowner Garden by Victoria Stanton, Kate Hyslop and Dr Gina Liverton-Brown: Sage, hyssop, lavender, thyme and basil are known for imbuing delicious flavours in teas, cocktails and syrups, and this garden is a celebration of that. It offers a sensory experience inspired by nature’s palette, but also is a haven for wildlife with a water source, deadwood structures and pollinator-friendly planting. The design also pays homage to Hampton Court’s 17th-century kitchen gardens with off-set quadrants and gravel paths.

• The Garden of Simples by Susie Kennedy: Susie’s design celebrates the healing properties of the Lamiaceae family and takes inspiration from medieval and monastic healing gardens. The border will reflect the style, skills, craftsmanship and structure that would have been used within a monastic garden, echoing early centres of medicinal plant collections that were the pre-curser to modern day physic and botanical gardens.

• The Hummingbird Haven: A Symphony of Colour and Movement by Alison Shadwell-Williams and Yvonne Price: This vibrant border celebrates the connection between hummingbirds and the Lamiaceae family, such as Salvia and Monarda. The design will burst with nectar-rich orange and red blooms to create a garden inspired by these remarkable birds and their role in pollination, and its oval shape echoes the hummingbird’s flight patterns. The immersive space will also boast life-size hummingbird sculptures darting between the planting.

• Woman-to-woman by Ally Elphick, Gill Hall, Irene Rosazza Bertina and Charlotte Wroe (Panacea Projects): This border offers a fresh perspective on medicinal planting and aims to inspire visitors to consider both the aesthetic and therapeutic properties of plants. The design is inspired by how female ancient healing knowledge was shared by spoken word or song in times long before Hippocrates. To do this, the planting echoes Ancient Greek gardens where plants such as lavender, oregano and Salvia were cultivated specifically for healing purposes.

The graduates submitted their concept designs which were considered by the College’s expert judging panel in January. The judging panel consisted of Alexa Ryan-Mills, Paul Hervey-Brookes, and Jo Thompson, all esteemed professionals in garden design. Excitingly, those behind the seven new designs chosen will be first-time exhibitors at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, giving them a unique platform in which to showcase their eye for detail, creativeness and knowledge learnt through the College’s courses.

Sally-Anne Rees, one of the College’s Planting Design Diploma graduates who exhibited at RHS Hampton last year, said: “Together with my fellow LCGD graduates Kate Campbell and Will Murray, we created one of the Asteraceae borders at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival last year. Our border showcased foliage first planting, showing that dramatic foliage can really set the stage for flowers in full bloom, and also as a way to extend seasonal interest within a border. Exhibiting at RHS Hampton was an incredible experience, and we even featured on Gardeners’ World which was a dream come true! We can’t thank the College enough for this amazing opportunity.”

Image – 2024 border Asteraceae Fabulous Foliage – Will Murray, Sally-Anne Rees, Kate Campbell – Image Credit Sophie Claire Gardens