Le Jardin de Yorkshire from Welcome to Yorkshire has won a silver-gilt at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden celebrates the county’s hosting of the 2014 Grand Départ of the Tour de France with representations of cyclists flashing through an idyllic Yorkshire landscape.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: ‘‘To receive Silver-Gilt at the world's greatest flower show in its 100th year is not just a proud moment for Le Jardin de Yorkshire but for all the people who have worked on it and of course all the great gardens of Yorkshire who we are promoting as part of our entry at Chelsea.’’
The news comes on the day Welcome to Yorkshire welcomes Christian Prudhomme, director of Le Tour, and 5 time Tour winner Bernard Hinault to Chelsea Flower Show to see the Tour de France inspired garden as part of a two day visit to the UK.
Designed by Bedale-based Alistair W Baldwin associates, the garden also incorporates iconic images of the Yorkshire landscape that spectators will see during the 2014 Grand Départ. These include a flock of wire sheep by Whitby sculptor Emma Stothard, a drinking trough engraved with the names of towns along the route, a wildflower meadow made from recycled rubbish and the country’s rarest Orchid only found wild in Yorkshire.
Emma Stothard said: ‘‘I’m delighted to have been involved in creating this award-winning garden for Yorkshire. The Grand Départ will be a worldwide invitation for people to come and see this county, and I’m proud that my Swaledale Sheep and our Yorkshire gardens are part of the great image that will showcase what we have to offer.’’
Alistair Baldwin, Director of AWB Associates, said: ‘It’s fantastic that Le Jardin managed to capture the imagination of the judges, and it seems to have made an impression on the public as well. Our intention in creating this garden was to represent Yorkshire and its famous Dales as well as to capture the excitement of the 2014 Grand Départ, so hopefully people will have a glimpse into the future of cycling in the county.’’
