nagasaki, japan
awards: winner gardening world cup and best in show
size: 110m2
The theme of this show was ‘World Peace’ and a visit to the Atomic Bomb museum was incredibly powerful and moving. I used elements from my Chelsea garden earlier in the year but totally reinterpreted them, quite literally turning them on their sides. Here pairs of walls symbolize warring tribes, or arguing individuals. From each side extend metal arms which reach out towards each other and at the point they meet they embrace a tree – a symbol of hope and optimism. The road to achieving world peace is not straight or easy and there are ups and downs represented by the indirect path on different levels, which crosses dark pools of tumultuous water symbolising the unrest in the world.
The planting, including leaf and flower colour, was chosen to harmonise with the colours of the stone, boundary walls and other materials used.
