Planting plans for Vital Earth The Night Sky Garden, the Bord na Móna UK show garden at Chelsea which features its peat-free compost brand, Vital Earth, have been unveiled by designers, Harry and David Rich of Rich Landscapes. Having won gold for their artisan garden, Un Garreg at Chelsea in 2013, the brothers who are among the youngest designers ever to create a show garden at Chelsea, are growing their own plants for the show. With the recent spring sunshine, their plans are developing apace.
Vital Earth The Night Sky Garden features serpentine stonewalls outlining simple constellations with a boundary hedge revealing irregular copper discs against a dark backdrop, resembling stars. Inside, modest seating combines with a range of different sized protruding boulders resembling fallen meteors. Planting echoes the feel of the spiralling Milky Way with blues, whites and purples crafting a naturalistic space with a canopy of trees opening to reveal the sky. Two reflection pools resemble black holes (dead stars), mirroring the sky and surrounding planting. A spiral staircase leads to a roof top space suitable for relaxing and viewing the night sky.
The plant list includes acanthus, achillea, angelica, aquilegia, astrantia, box, foxglove, euphorbia, hosta, iris, salvia, verbascum, acer, betula and pyrus. Harry explained: “There is something honest about using things that are found locally or farmed in a respectful manner. Vital Earth’s peat-free recycled products are an ideal partner in terms of working with natural resources and we have a planting scheme that complements it perfectly.”
Commenting on Bord na Móna’s support for the garden, Steve Harper, Head of Consumer UK said: “Harry and David are a young team with real talent who specialise in interpreting their native landscape, using environmentally kind materials and sympathetic planting. These are exactly the values that our peat-free brand Vital Earth seeks to espouse and if a brand like this can help designers like this to succeed at Chelsea yet again, then I will be delighted. I am confident that with Bord na Móna’s support, the Rich brothers and Vital Earth will again win hearts and minds at the premier gardening show.”
Bord na Móna drives initiatives in green electricity, fuels, resource recovery, water and horticulture, where it leads the way in peat reduction through its ‘Contract with Nature’. In the UK, Bord na Móna trades its peat-reduced compost brand, Growise and its peat-free compost brand, Vital Earth. The latter offers growing media made from recycled garden waste to the UK market.
