The RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show - May 2014

The WellChild Garden at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show - May 2014 The RHS Chelsea Flower Show never fails to make headlines around the world and 2014 is no exception. This year’s show features a Fresh Garden Design by Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalist Olivia Kirk who has commissioned willow and wire sculptor Victoria Westaway to create two new sculptural art pieces for the WellChild Garden. WellChild provides practical and emotional support for seriously ill children and their families throughout the United Kingdom.

This garden comprises an enclosed oasis surrounded by a pictorial managed meadow, representing the care provided by the charity and the ongoing support offered by WellChild nurses to children in the community.

Five paths symbolising the fingers of a hand (inspired by the charity’s logo) lead the visitor on a journey of exploration between raised beds, ending at a curved sensory wall. The wall conceals functioning musical instruments and provides protection for the garden, as well as giving a glimpse of a sculpture beyond.

Detail of one of the sound panels created for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014. Persian Bells and glass beads were interwoven with the willow to create nest like sculptural forms.

The Willow Sound panel created by Victoria Westaway for the WellChild Garden, Chelsea 2014. This beautiful garden featured a range if musical percussive instruments that could be played as visitors explored the garden.

Victoria Westaway willow artist poses in the award-winning WellChild Garden at Chelsea 2014. Victoria was commissioned to create sound panels that fitted into the beautiful cedar shingle wall.

Willow Sound Panel, a commission for the WellChild Garden created by sculptor Victoria Westaway. The panel uses black maul willow and Persian bells interwoven with glass beads. The Garden was heavily featured in the BBC coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show

The smaller Willow Sound Panel for the WellChild Garden at the 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Panel was hung inside an aperture in the beautiful cedar shingle wall.

Towards the end of the 2014 build Victoria takes a few phone pics of the wonderful garden before her willow panels are put in place. The whole team worked really hard to produce a Chelsea garden that could fit into a fairly small space.

Victoria created this new artwork for the Chelsea Flower Show. Olivia Kirk received a Silver Gilt Medal for her stunning design which used a wild flower meadow as part on the planting scheme. Olivia was keen to use Willow Artist Victoria Westaway's

Willow Artist Victoria Westaway in the completed WellChild Garden designed by Olivia Kirk. This garden was awarded a Silver Gilt Medal in the Fresh Garden Category at the 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Victoria weaves the willow rope which acts as a barrier to the main garden. All the Chelsea gardens are roped off to protect the gardens form the masses of visitors that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show receives so Garden Designer Olivia Kirk asked Victoria to

You can glimpse the bronze family sculpture through the cedar shingle wall of the WellChild Garden. The large water feature is a focus of the garden which uses percussive instruments interwoven with Willow in Victoria's Sound Panels

The WellChild Garden Team busy planting up in time for the Chelsea Flower Show judges. Olivia Kirk award winning Garden Designer created a garden full of sound, colour, texture and warmth.

Victoria Westaway was commissioned to create two bespoke sculptures for the Chelsea Flower Show, these willow sound panels are waiting to be installed in the Cedar shingle wall. These sculptures became an integral part of Olivia Kirk's WellChild Gard

Olivia Kirk is a talented and experienced landscape and garden designer, working out of a Worcestershire design studio. She has a project portfolio of private and public schemes all around the UK, as well as a number of high-profile show gardens to her name, such as the Chelsea Flower Show and the Malvern Spring Show. Olivia specialises in creating healing gardens and is a Chelsea Gold Medallist designer with 'The Power of Nature Garden' in 2011

Whilst some designers are happier with either the planting or hard landscaping aspects of garden design, Olivia is an advocate of both and of attaining a considered balance between the two. Her design signatures are the use of strong structural and architectural elements and innovative materials. She also favours bold planting and a pronounced use of colour.