Journey of Life Garden – RHS Hampton Court
BRIEF
We were asked to design the Journey of Life Garden on behalf of a charity for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival.
The commission suited our interest in creating gardens with meaning as well as visual impact, and built on our wider work exploring the relationship between gardens, reflection, health and wellbeing.
The concept was intended to encourage people to consider the legacy they might leave as they move through different stages of life.
Rather than creating a garden that was simply beautiful to look at, we wanted the landscape to communicate its central idea through the physical experience of moving through it.
DESIGN SOLUTION
The garden is divided into three equal areas representing different phases of life. Each is separated by a radial rill running towards a pool at the centre of the garden. Crossing each rill marks a transition from one stage of life to the next. An obelisk marks each phase, increasing in height as the journey progresses.
A spiral path enters the garden through childhood, continues into adulthood and mid-life, and eventually moves into old age as it crosses towards the central area.
The pool at the heart of the design represents the ‘eternal’ and is fed by the three rills running from the different life stages.
The geometry ensures that both the rills and vistas through the planting repeatedly draw the eye towards the centre.
Here, a metallic triangular obelisk is laser-cut with the words ‘Leave a Legacy’. Its triangular form means that the same message can be read when looking towards it along each of the three radial rills. This creates a single visual destination throughout the garden while encouraging visitors to consider what ‘leaving a legacy’ might mean within their own journey through life.
