The Bridgerton Garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2024
What would Lady Whistledown make of the design?
This author found herself at RHS Chelsea Flower Show last week and who should have a Sanctuary garden at this year’s show? Bridgerton! To coincide with the launch of Season 3, Netflix sponsored a garden to be inspired by the series. And as it is Penelope and Colin’s season, the designer of the garden Holly Johnston, took Penelope’s personal journey as inspiration. She said:
‘I’m delighted to design a garden that tells an important, female-centric story of a woman coming of age, accepting her true self and stepping into the light.’
But what does that mean in reality? Well, the main focus and entry point to the garden is a moon gate, a structure that originates in China and represents birth and renewal, therefore reflecting Pen’s journey of self discovery. Moon gates were popular in British gardens in the 19th century but haven’t been seen as a focal point at Chelsea for a number of years, so its inclusion on the garden was a real treat. For those lucky enough to step onto the garden (at Chelsea most visitors have to view the gardens from behind a rope), stepping through the moon gate is akin to stepping into another world.
This ‘other world’ is the heart of the garden, which includes a sunken seating area and ornate water feature, a sanctuary where the designer imagined Penelope would take up her pen and write one of Lady Whistledown’s famous scandal sheets.
Other features of the garden are a shaded space layered with ferns and ivy, representing the woven network of secrets Penelope must keep hidden to conceal her identity, contrasted with whimsical and natural planting in sophisticated ‘Bridgerton’ colours of purple, white, and soft blues, highlighting the character’s bloom into womanhood.
Eagle-eyed fans would have also spotted an armillary sphere in the garden, an early astronomical device that was also featured at the Innovations Ball in Episode 3. Johnston chose soft, romantic plants to complement the Bridgerton theme, including roses, lupins, foxgloves and of course, wisteria, as a nod to the Bridgerton’s house.
The Chelsea Flower Show, which was first held in 1913, has grown exponentially since its inception. The site, located in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, covers 11 acres and sees 2000 tonnes of soil moved around each year, along with thousands of plants, trees, rocks and exhibition structures for one week only before it is taken down for another year. A press day is held before the show is open to members of the public and this year members of the Bridgerton cast including Hannah Dodd, Ruth Gemmell and Adjoa Andoh were all in attendance.
I’d love to know what you think of the garden. Do you like it? Is it a good reflection of the themes and ‘look’ of the TV series?
Oh my, how lovely!