World Vision Garden Planting

Update from Chelsea – Alongside the meaningful Lupinus mutabilis two colourful flowers in The World Vision Garden at RHS Chelsea are Geum borissi and Iris sibirica. The bright Geum (Avens), matches the orange in the World Vision logo and according to designer John Warland, “looks like a winner!” However, the cold weather means the purple Iris (Ruffled Velvet) have been taken back under cover to encourage them to flower. It’s an opposite problem to previous Chelsea’s where growers have had to keep flowers in fridge-like conditions to stop them blooming too soon. In the forced heat, the World Vision Garden iris stems will grow at about three inches per day, before flowering.
The labyrinth path winding through the garden has cost people a lot of sleep! It was originally going to be made from concrete but once the suppliers realised the sizes involved, FlemonsWarlandDesign ended up working with a company that makes polystyrene models for films, including the most recent James Bond one. The paving is topped with fibreglass and a material called jesmonite.
By following the labyrinth path round the garden, people are invited to become part of World Vision’s ripple effect where, with children at the heart of its work, the charity also benefits families, communities and entire countries.