APHA garden at Chelsea Flower Show wins gold
APHA garden awarded gold at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
APHA wins gold at the Chelsea Flower Show - Ellie Barham (BGCI), Lucy Carson-Taylor (APHA) and Paul Beales (APHA)
Commissioned by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Beyond Our Borders garden highlights one way that global plant pest and disease threats are being monitored by the UK government.
The garden was designed by multiple Chelsea gold winner Sarah Eberle. It brings to life the network of ‘plant sentinels’ (including UK native plants) which live outside their natural ranges in botanic gardens around the world. These plants are being monitored for pests and diseases that could potentially attack our native species.
The garden is an eye-catching and innovative display featuring three climatic zones (Australasia, Arid and Tropical) divided by water features representing oceans.
Each zone contains a British tree ‘sentinel’ standing among plants native to each area. Coiled springs and pulsing lights represent pests and diseases and their movement both within countries and across borders due to the increased trade in plants and plant material, global travel and natural spread.
Garden designer Sarah Eberle commented:
“It’s fantastic to have achieved a gold medal with this fresh garden. The Chelsea Flower Show offers an innovative and creative way to inform the public about how, by working together, we can protect our environment.
“The coiled springs and pulsing lights in the garden have provided a novel talking point. I used these to illustrate the how plant pests and diseases, which are elusive and mobile, can be transferred across international borders”
Sponsors of the Beyond Our Borders garden include:
- Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International
- Scottish Government
- Horticultural Trades Association
For more information on the garden visit: www.plantsentinel.org/apha_rhschelsea/
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