This is a truly international garden design show, held in Japan, from the beginning of October until the end of next week. Fifteen designer peace gardens by the world’s best designers from Australia, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia are on show this month at Huis Ten Bosch theme park in the South East of Japan. (Show Gardens include gardens from the following acclaimed Landscape Designers: Nico Wissing, Jim Fogerty, John Cullen, David Davidson, Sarah Eberle, Jo Thompson, Kazuyuki Ishihara, Lim In Chong, Ryoji Fujiwara)
The gardens are the legacy of Japan’s second Gardening World Cup which holds the theme of ‘gardens for world peace and a prayer for Japanese recovery’. This year it is being held in aid of the victims of the Japanese Tsunami.
There’s an incredible hand-folded paper garden, inspired by a Japanese legend promising those who fold a thousand origami cranes will be granted a peace wish; sunflowers representing those planted in Fukushima to rid the soil of radioactivity; the figure of eight, the Japanese Hachi symbol for happiness and good fortune; the story of the Black Saturday fires of Australia; a faith, hope and peace garden with an invisible path; a ‘tearful eye’; and European motifs of peace are amongst the many gardens that can be seen by the public (incidently last year there were 100,000 visitors).
Visitors voted for their favourite gardens last week, its first week of opening, (8 October) choosing a Lake District cottage garden, based on one of Beatrix Potter’s tales and a garden designed by Japan’s equivalent of Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh rolled into one (Kazuyuki Ishihara).
The Results are In!
Gardening World Cup Results 2011
Best In Show – Jim Fogarty (Australia)
Best Design – Lim in Chong (Malaysia)
Peace and Flowers Award – Lim in Chong (Malaysia)
Gold Medal – Jim Fogarty (Australia), John Cullen (U.S.) Lim in Chong, Ryoji Fujiawara (Japan)
Silver Medal – Sarah Eberle (Britain), Jo Thompson (Italy), Kazuyuki Ishihara (Japan), David Davidson (South Africa)
Bronze Medal – Nico Wissing (The Netherlands), Jonathan Denby (Britain)
Best in Show – Nguyen Manh Hung (Vietnam)
Judges’ Special Award – Anouk Vogel (Switzerland)
Gold Medal – Nguyen Manh Hung, Dimitri Xenakis/Maro Avrabou (France)
Silver Medal – Anouk Vogel, Jin Zhe Chao (China)
Bronze Medal – Noriyuki Kamito (Japan), Yukiyoshi Hirai (Japan)
People’s Choice Award – Kazuyuki Ishihara (Japan)
Special Hospitality Award – Jonathan Denby (UK)
Jim Fogarty’s Australian entry was overall winner. For full details of medal and award winners please visit: gardeningworldcup.com