"We all want quiet, we all want beauty, we all need space..." Octavia Hill
On Main Avenue at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 was The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with The National Trust, designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team.
Winner of both the RHS Children's Choice Award and the People's Choice Best Show Garden (as well as a Silver Gilt medal), the garden was designed to reflect the life and work of Octavia Hill, providing an inviting public space (in an urban setting) for all to enjoy.
Octavia Hill (1838-1912), one of the three founding members of the National Trust, "...believed that ‘the healthy gift of air and the joy of plants and flowers’ were vital in everyone’s life. She worked tirelessly to improve urban housing and protect green space, yet today, one in three people in Britain still don’t have access to nearby nature-rich spaces." (RHS website.)
It was lovely to see this Cephalaria gigantea bobbing in the sunshine, waving happily to the RHS Chelsea crowds.
The garden's warm, inviting colours looked even richer in the rain. Pictured here are Iris germanica 'Drama Queen' (we think! Please correct us if you know otherwise.) The garden's full plant list is available to download from the RHS website here.
We were delighted to meet Ann-Marie Powell, the garden's designer, whilst at RHS Chelsea. Ann-Marie popped by our stand to buy some of our Octavia Hill Leaf Quotes as "thank you" presents for her team!
- Jess Huband