One of the exciting things about the Chelsea Fringe is when a modern art installation and horticulture come together and ‘Tiny Taxonomy’ in Belgrave Square, Belgravia is one of those great moments.
Taxonomy is the scientific term for the naming of plants and Canadian designer Rosetta Sarah Elkin has selected a cross section of miniature examples of different plant forms to create an installation in the very exclusive private garden in Belgrave square.
Displayed in twenty-five stainless steel tubes, all the materials for Rosetta’s vertical gardens have been collected from London’s Highgate Cemetery. Each tube contains a miniature garden which is a delight to look into, one is a winter scene of holly, pine cones and faded spruce needles, another is a bright blue forget-me-not growing wild amongst stones and weeds.
Arranged together in perfect symmetry, each individual tube becomes a whole, reflecting the garden around them with their polished surfaces. It is an arresting sight, such formality amongst the natural background of a London garden but it works – plus, an unexpected benefit is the opportunity to have a look around a normally private garden which is open to the public for the duration of the installation. Opening times vary – visit www.chelseafringe.com for more information.
And it isn’t just Belgrave Square where you could be surprised by a sudden, unexpected flower display. On the side of the busy Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria Oldfield Travel Partners have decorated the forecourt in front of their offices with a distinctive travelling theme. Vintage suitcases, old metal trunks and wellington boots have been planted with very English cottage garden look of foxgloves, geraniums, alliums and trailing plants – a mini floral garden to delight and cheer the weary commuter or tourist as they make their way between Victoria’s Coach and railway station.
Source: Interflora – Chelsea Fringe: From Highgate to Belgravia
