andy’s chelsea diary: less than a week to go

Just less than a week to go until we start building the garden on site.

 

The plants are growing well at Crocus Headquarters, but we are at the whims of the weather, and so have to keep a close watch on their progress to check the timings for when they will look their best. It requires constant changes, so we are adapting our plans daily.
Just next to the greenhouses where the plants are, we’ve been working on a test wall with artisan Guy Valentine, trying out many textures and colours for the walls. Guy has been working with lime, putty, a tiny bit of cement and even oyster shells.

We’re aiming for a layered effect that is reminiscent of the Purbeck stone that we’re using, but most importantly, following our principle of biophilic design and bringing people up close to nature to help with mental health, we want these walls to be incredibly tactile. We have finally settled for the finish that will appear in the final show garden and I’m delighted – it just demands to be touched.