Hortus ConclususBest Show Garden award for Chelsea 2004 has been awarded to Hortus Conclusus designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole.
Christopher Bradley-Hole'sHortus Conclusus has snapped up the Best Show Garden award at this year's Chelsea. The modern, European garden is an enclosed space, cooled by a wall of water and shaded by a grove of six umbrella-pruned plane trees: an ideal place to retire to when coping in a hot, arid barren climate. According to Christopher, who is the married to COUNTRY LIFE's gardens editor Kathryn, 'the garden is a modernist reinterpretation of an early islamic garden'.Judges were unanimously impressed with Hortus Conclusus, describing the planting in particular as near perfect. The hard and soft landscaping is well balanced, fulfilling the brief perfectly. They added that overall 'the unity of the garden was excellent'.
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Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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The greatest moment in the life of Jessie Owens: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2025Breathtaking athleticism and Shakespeare's birthday are among the questions in the final quiz of the week.
