RHS Gold Medal Winning Garden
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was the inspiration for the RHS Gold medal winning garden ‘ Huckelberry’s Hideout’. Huck Finn and his friend Jim, travel down the Mississippi by raft tumbling in and out of amazing adventures.
Slide into the river to swim and cool off, relax in the plunge pool. Look across the water and see the woods on the northern bank – spy the hidden creek overhung with willows, where the log raft is laid up and hidden for the day.
Over the wooden stile into a little garden to a house containing blackcurrant bushes dripping with fruit, a log store at the end of the path is stocked ready to refuel the next steamboat chugging down the river.
Sun glints of the water, catfish nibble at the fishing line and time swims quietly by.
Grasses, daylilies, geraniums, astrantias and verbena edge the paths, Reeds and bullrushes along the water’s edge provide height and a naturalistic feel as well as concealing the ‘hideout’.
Marginal planting of Juncus, irises, water mint and grasses soften the water’s edge and in the drier reaches, native plants provide habitats for wildlife and give a loose natural feel to the garden.
‘Huckleberry’s Hideout’ was designed by Julian Tatlock Landscape Design, who, in conjunction with the Anglo Aquarium Plant Company, also constructed and planted the garden.
The garden was awarded the coveted RHS Gold Medal Award and also the RHS Tudor Rose Award for Best Garden in Show.
