CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, 24-28th May 2005
This year’s garden, designed by Nicholas Tripp Associates, is inspired by Orsan in Berry, France, and will showcase not only Alitex’s celebrated traditional greenhouses but, for the first time, the Plant Conservatory, the first modern conservatory to be designed specifically for plants and people.
Drawing upon the tranquillity of the medieval priory gardens, which date from the twelfth century, the Alitex garden will be laid out in a formal grid arrangement around a central stone water feature. The garden will be delineated by hornbeam hedges and an avenue of lime trees, creating a series of outdoor rooms for contemplation and relaxation.
The Alitex Plant Conservatory will comprise the backdrop for a rose - garden showcasing forgotten and old-fashioned varieties, while the traditional greenhouse will be fronted by a monastic potager of raised plots. Richard Taylor (Director of Nicholas Tripp Associates), who designed the garden, will strive to achieve the same interplay between edible and ornamental plants, between formal structures and rustic materials: “to me Orsan is the perfect marriage between house and garden – full of atmosphere, structured and sophisticated. It immediately transmits that necessary sense of harmony found in all great gardens.”
It is this merging of the indoor and outdoor which inspired Tom Hall, director of Alitex, to envisage the idea for the new conservatory. Taking the best part of ten years to develop, the Plant Conservatory recaptures the form and spirit of Victorian Plant Galleries and Orangeries, which were used as much for entertaining as for cultivating. The space functions as a living, dining or breakfast room, but is still very much part of the garden; somewhere to unwind as much as nurture and grow.
Already known for the unrivalled quality of their greenhouses, Alitex have engineered the conservatory so that plant comfort is given as much consideration as people comfort. This unique adaptation of greenhouse technology to the conservatory ensures that both people and plants are comfortable. Set in this stunning garden, visitors can see this revolutionary concept for the first time whilst taking away a little of the magic of Orsan.
This year Alitex will be seen on: Stand MA22 Main Avenue
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