The Laurent-Perrier Garden
designed by Ulf Nordfjell
The Laurent-Perrier Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013 was very much a contemporary take on a romantic garden created by award-winning Swedish garden designer Ulf Nordfjell. The garden acknowledged the heritage of the family-owned Champagne House whilst incorporating a modern elegance.
The design was inspired by the work of two remarkable women: Nicole de Vésian’s famous garden La Louve in Provence, France and Ulla Molin’s private garden in Höganäs Sweden. The gardens echo the beauty of their surrounding landscapes by using simple forms and pruned, soft shapes. Both Nicole and Ulla were renowned for modernising horticulture in their respective regions.
The composition, materials, trees and shrubs demonstrated a French style of landscaping, influenced by the terroirs of the Champagne region, whilst paying homage to its Chelsea setting by using perennials commonly found in English gardens.
Shadowing the themes of the iconic French and Swedish gardens, Ulf chose simple materials such as stone, wood and metal, complemented by perennials in a colour palette of soft pinks and blues, as well as creamy oranges, yellows and whites.
Ulf’s style of combining architecture and design, with horticulture and sustainability was evident throughout the garden and used plants that will thrive in the English climate and add beauty across the seasons.
A bronze sculpture of Orpheus, the master of music and song in Greek mythology, by internationally renowned Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, on loan from the Millesgården Museum in Stockholm, gave the garden an enigmatic atmosphere.
The planting itself provided the structure of the garden. Cypress Oak (Quercus fastigiata ‘Koster’) was used in old espalier forms as a backdrop, as well as towering spires, giving height to the garden. Specially shaped shrubs (Taxus baccata and Enkiathus perulatus) and lavender, both clipped and unclipped, provided a light geometry that contrasted with elegant Gleditsia trees. Perennials were planted in blocks in different layers, including Iris, Viola, Dianthus, Stipa and Verbascum in full sun and Thalictrum, Gillenia, Aruncus and Anemones in half shade.
