Sarah Price: Designing a Cedric Morris-inspired Garden

For the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The Nurture Landscapes Garden built by Crocus and designed by Sarah Price will be inspired by artist-plantsman Cedric Morris’ garden at Benton End. To find out more about what to expect from this exciting project, we had a few questions for Sarah:How did this project come about?

Nearly four years ago, I was lucky to visit Benton End, and spend time immersed in the garden. It was April and demure fritillaries and Anemone pavonina scattered the long grass like a beautiful tracing. Entrancing, and as close to a medieval mead as I’ve ever seen, this filigree was a physical and enduring memory of Cedric Morris’ plantings.

This visit to Benton triggered memories of Sarah Cook’s mesmerising display of Benton Iris within the Pavilion at Chelsea in 2015. The poise of the Iris and their wavering hard-to-describe colours were pure, visual pleasure!

Together with Cedric Morris’ paintings, these two experiences helped to build up a picture of Benton End as a place of astonishing creativity; a place latent with inspiration for a Chelsea garden design. Knowing that the plants and materials of a Chelsea garden could support the reimagining and reopening of Benton End gave the project added depth and longevity…
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Merry Christmas from the Garden Museum!

This is our last newsletter of the year, the next Garden Museum News will land in your inboxes early January.

If you’re planning to visit the Garden Museum over the festive season, please make a note of our Christmas closure:

Garden Museum: last day open Wednesday 21 December, re-opening Monday 9 January

Garden Café: closing after lunch Friday 23 December, re-opening Monday 9 January

We hope you all have a restful break, and look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year!
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Object of the Week:
Christmas Tree Growers, c.1912

This photo from the 1912 publication One & All: Gardening Annual of Amateurs & All Garden Lovers shows two men pulling up the year’s Christmas trees, location unknown.

Gift of Tony Elphick
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Images: Illustration for The Nurture Landscapes Garden courtesy of Sarah Price Landscapes
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