Expression

Designer: Stuart Bugby, senior designer at Helyers of Hampshire

Silver Gilt Medal Winner

The early 20th Century avant-garde art movement known as Cubism, and in particular the use of triangles in many of Pablo Picasso’s paintings, is the inspiration for the Expression garden.

This contemporary show garden uses a series of vertical triangles that change perspective as visitors pass through them, and it explores a theme of ‘fragmentation’, with a pathway and raised beds made from broken copper slate paving. Meanwhile, a water feature at its heart will provide a reflective space for contemplation and creativity.

Helyers of Hampshire’s senior designer Stuart Bugby has chosen a limited palette of plants, something the garden design and installation company believes will be a trend in 2023. Some of the planting has been chosen to complement the black posts that provide architectural interest within the design and include Cordyline australis to match their height and Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, the dark foliage of which reflects their colour. Trachelospermum jasminoides has been selected to soften this hard landscaping feature. All of the plants used are being sourced from Hortisales.

The choice of materials include broken paving that would usually go to landfill and reclaimed wood.

“I am inspired by many forms of creativity and fusing the two together cohesively will hopefully inspire others,” says Stuart.

“Creativity comes in many forms and can cross over into many different areas. I would like visitors to be inspired to be creative and follow their passion.

“Paintings such as Mediterranean Landscape and Girl with a Boat are among Picasso’s paintings that make use of triangles, although much of his work finds its way back to some form of triangle, which is a key shape of strength and high value in many genres.

“Triangles are not just significant mathematically, they are also fundamental to the way we build our environments both virtual and physical. They are special, and their strength is unrivalled. We loved the idea that a simple shape can be identified with strength and beauty and this is weaved the whole way through our design and essentially the gardens we build.”

Helyers of Hampshire hopes that after the difficult times of the last few years, the time is right to inspire people back into nature and the world outside.

After RHS Malvern Spring Festival the garden will be relocated to the company’s office in Fareham.

Helyers of Hampshire is a family-run business. Husband and wife team Richard and Stacey Helyer have been at the helm for three decades, with Stuart joining the design team almost three years ago.

Stuart has been designing gardens for 10 years and prior to that spent 15 years running his own gardening maintenance business. He achieved a distinction when studying an RHS garden design diploma at Warwick University College’s Pershore College and was named the ‘Student of the Year’.