A massive statue of Gaia, or Mother Nature, slumbers in a green garden surrounded by vegetation indigenous to the United Kingdom. You could find Sarah Eberle's 'Gaia' in a garden titled 'On the Edge' at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which has taken the top prize of Garden of the Year. The figure's face and shoulders are carved from a fallen mature tree by Tim Wood, with willow-branch hair sculpted by artist Tom Hare and a crown of leaves.
Sarah Eberles Makes Gaia, a Sleeping Woman Made Out of Plants
Constructed in the style of dry stone walls and painstakingly put together by the family-run company Noble Stonework, a meandering route goes beneath an arch that expands the character's torso. The project is a collaboration between designer Sarah Eberle and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which champions the countryside and the sustainable practices necessary to protect and preserve its ecosystems.
Photo: @spencercollection
For this year’s exhibit, Eberle emphasized 'edgelands', or spaces between rural and urbanized areas like the borders of fields or even residential gardens. Think roadside berms or the seemingly unruly growth beside a canal. Often, these spots just look like a lot of weeds. Eberle sees not only the beauty, but the value, in these overlooked areas.
Video by: @markgregorylandscape
CPRE shares:
"These spaces connect millions of people to nature in everyday life, yet they’re undervalued and under constant pressure. This garden is an invitation to see them differently: not as ‘leftover’ land, but as living places that can recover and thrive with the right care."
A Wild Choice of Plants for This Year's RHS Garden of the Year Winner
Eberle’s choice of plants has a slightly wild aesthetic, with vines taking over the stone arch – redolent of the U.K.’s historic stone bridges – and a graceful yet somehow satisfyingly chaotic arrangement of plants we might associate with untamed overgrowth.
The garden’s design encourages people to consider using natural materials, cultivating local plants to help pollinators, and embracing 'flaws' like old stumps or rocky areas that can be havens for wildlife. Amid nature’s innate rhythms, Gaia is a gentle protector who snoozes calmly with everything in balance. Eberele describes the effect as a sense of abundance, a landscape under repair, and the beauty in the ordinary. It’s about how it makes you feel. It’s almost a homecoming, an embrace, a hug.
More About the Chelsea Flower Show
The Chelsea Flower Show is the flagship event of the Royal Horticultural Society, and it has been held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital since 1913, except for a few skipped seasons during the two World Wars and in 2020. It’s not just limited to British gardeners, however: exhibitors from around the globe conceive of some of the most creative gardens imaginable.
