Designers: Sim Flemons & John Warland

Contractor: Piece of Green

RHS HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW 2007

Conceptual garden ‘The Fallen’ wins gold medal

The Fallen

More than one in five native wildflower species in the British Isles is considered nationally threatened, with every county losing on average one species each year. The Fallen represents a cemetery for plants that are now extinct within the British Isles, and each headstone bears the name of a lost species.

The symmetrical layout,created with Portland headstones, is punctuated by streams of wild meadow planting and strips of lush green turf. The simple colour scheme produces a gentle haze of colour, adding to the tranquil and reflective atmosphere,and encouraging the viewer to contemplate the species lost so far and to ponder the fate of those that are on the brink.

PRESS QUOTES

‘….the elegant design of Sim Flemons and John Warland entitled The Fallen suggests a tranquil cemetery whose graves are covered with lush meadow plants. The Portland headstones, however, are carved with the names such as Arnoseris minima (lamb’s succory) and Galeopsis segetum (downy hemp-nettle) and are a roll call of species that are now extinct in the British Isles.’
Anne Gatti, The Times 4-7-07

“We are thrilled to win gold at Hampton Court. When I set up my own garden design, build and maintenance business, Piece of Green, last year I never expected that I would be exhibiting at an RHS show so soon – let alone winning a gold medal”
Sim Flemons, Ealing Times 26-7-07

‘The best garden design challenges perceptions and stimulates the imagination. The conceptual gardens question and re-define classical design boundaries, and express a level of innovation and creativity that is not always possible within other garden categories. The (Conceptual) gardens on display have been selected…..by a panel of well-known and respected garden designers’
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2007 catalogue

“....to a ‘plant cemetery’, with grave headstones, that highlights the scale of British Wildflower annihilation; these gardens aim to surprise, excite and stimulate debate.”
Diarmuid Gavin, RHS selection panellist

‘….the Fallen Garden, which mourns the loss of native British species, makes a very strong point about how easily our delicate environment can be destroyed.’
Kim Wilde, Daily Mail 3-7-07