When it comes to garden trends the RHS Chelsea Flower Show leads the way every year, showcasing the best new ideas around. But there's one surprising historical garden trend that is really making waves this year.
The new Morris & Co show garden for 2022 is inspired by the visionary work of Arts & Crafts favorite William Morris, and particularly the much-loved 'Willow Boughs' design. The garden's designer Ruth Willmott took her inspiration from iconic wallpaper designs that date back to the Victorian era.
The idea of valuing nature, craft and utility is very right for now too. Recognising that craft lay at the heart of Morris’s beliefs, the garden is a collaboration between Ruth and a team of talented stonemasons, metal workers, tilemakers and basket weavers who helped create the many artistic elements that characterise the design.
At the heart of the garden, a striking metal pavilion featured posts and screens laser-cut with Morris’s iconic 'Willow Boughs' pattern by metal worker James Booth
Classic designs in the Morris & Co show garden
'I think that the patterns and motifs in Morris & Co wallpapers and fabrics are as fresh and inspiring today as they have always been,' says Ruth.
'While the natural, bucolic scenes the designs conjure up have a restful quality that makes them easy to live with, the detailed designs and compositions are energetic and demand a second look.'
The color palette is joyfully medieval, and features earthy reds and apricot tones accented with whites, blues and restful greens.
The plan for the Morris & Co show garden designed by Ruth Willmott at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022
Historical garden trends
Historically inspired outdoor spaces are one of the top garden trends right now, whether that's Arts & Crafts gardens like this one, Bridgerton-inspired Regency styles or flamboyant botanical print themes on garden accessories.
'I think there's a growing move to return our gardens to nature as the beneficial qualities of being surrounded by plants is realised,' says Ruth. 'It's about thinking more in terms of generously sharing our outside space with nature, as Morris himself advocated.'
Morris & Co garden designer Ruth Willmott at Chelsea
Recreating this classic style
So how can you achieve an Arts & Crafts garden in your own space? Keep it simple and naturalistic and ensure there's a seamless transition from the house into the garden.
'Prioritise soft planting over hard landscaping and include generous flower beds, trees and hedging,' explains Ruth. 'Above all, create a garden that celebrates the sheer joy of flowers, trees and foliage, much like Morris himself did.
'Repetition, symmetry and structure are symbolic of Arts & Crafts gardens as are the inclusion of local materials, craftsmanship and a love and respect for nature. Include plants bearing fruits and berries to create a habitat you can share with wildlife.'
Roses, another of Morris’s favorite plants, can be seen in many forms in the garden. Where possible Ruth chose single flowering roses as they are a better choice for bees
The Morris & Co show garden also includes Morris’s favorite hawthorn, as well as cotoneaster, berberis and malus. Roses, another Morris favorite, can be seen in many forms in the garden.
Elsewhere, plants that feature in other Morris wallpaper designs are used including acanthus, meadowsweet, wild strawberries and jasmine, as well as wild honeysuckle woven through the hawthorn hedging.
'Trellis' wallpaper design by William Morris
The garden is laid out in a quadrant design using a series of simple, inter-connecting pathways to observe the evocative planting close up.
The layout reflects Morris's first wallpaper design 'Trellis', a pattern influenced by the rose trellis in the garden of his home Red House in Kent, which is open to visitors if you're thinking of trying this trend and want more inspiration.
This is the garden trend that you're about to see everywhere – you heard it here first.
The gardens at the William Morris Red House in Kent
