ART OF THE GARDEN: Tom Stuart-Smith on Gardens and the Imagination

Whether it is a musical motif, molecular cell structure or perhaps a painting that has inspired him, Tom Stuart-Smith – winner of eight gold medals and three times Best in Show at the Chelsea Flower Show – explores the many influences that go into the creation of his gardens, which he always sketches by hand to seed the idea of what a place could become. Tom’s design practice has an international reputation for making gardens that combine naturalism and modernity. Planting inspired by natural and semi-natural plant communities such as meadows and prairies is a trademark of his work. Since he established his practice in 1998, he has designed a range of large gardens and parks open to the public, as well as smaller private gardens. His work can be seen in the restoration of the Trentham estate in Staffordshire, working alongside Piet Oudolf; the six-acre walled garden at Broughton Grange in Oxfordshire and the two-hectare garden surrounding the new glasshouse at the RHS Garden, Wisley. His smaller city gardens include The Garden of Illusion at The Connaught and the Keeper’s House Garden at the Royal Academy of Arts. This event has now sold out Art of the Garden is a celebratory programme that will explore the relationship between gardening, art and the landscape. This autumn and winter, to celebrate the opening of Oudolf Field, a perennial meadow designed by Piet Oudolf, Hauser & Wirth Somerset has invited leading lights in the fields of landscape and garden design, art and sculpture, literature and photography to talk about their work. Art of the Garden is curated by Caroline Donald, Garden Editor of the Sunday Times