The Art of Viking Garden, sponsored by Viking Cruises and designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes, has been awarded a gold medal at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

It is Viking's seventh year at the Chelsea Flower Show but the first time the cruise line has sponsored a garden in the 'Space to Grow' category.  Designed by Gloucestershire-based Garden Designer and RHS gold-medallist, Paul Hervey-Brookes, the inspiration for the textures, plants and colour palettes was drawn from the extensive collection of original artwork onboard Viking's ocean ship, Viking Orion, including works by Norwegian impressionist Jakob Weidemann and ceramist, Anette Krogstad.  The Art of Viking is the third garden Viking and Paul have collaborated on and their third consecutive gold medal since they started working together in 2017.

A multi-layered wetland habitat, the garden is reminiscent of a water meadow, with multi-stem river birches and winding streams interspersed with traditional Scandinavian plants including Salix, Angelica and Symphytum. The centrepiece of the garden, a series of unique sculptures created by Paul especially for Viking, reflects the sense of curiosity and discovery shared by Viking's guests as well as the fact that travel, quite literally, broadens travellers' horizons.  

Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking Cruises UK, who worked closely with Paul on the design of the garden, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved yet another gold medal-winning garden. Viking strives for excellence in everything we do and we know how close gardening is to the heart of all our guests so this recognition means a lot to us.  As well as water we chose art as the main theme of the design this year as it weaves together two aspects of Viking's heritage – a sense of discovery through travel and art, and an appreciation for nature which is deeply ingrained in Scandinavian culture.”

Paul Hervey-Brookes, Viking's Garden Designer, said: “I am very proud to have won another gold medal for Viking.  Viking's immersive cultural experiences and elegant ships – not to mention their attention to detail - provided a wealth of inspiration for this year's garden design and I'm delighted that the judges have recognised how art and horticulture are a natural fit.  I am fascinated by the idea that travel broadens the horizons of the mind and I hope everybody feels inspired and motivated to explore the world after visiting our garden.”

Viking is involved in many garden-related events in the UK, and offers culturally enriching excursions to some of the world's most beautiful gardens on its ocean and river cruises.  As well as sponsoring a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the cruise line is headline sponsor of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival which will take place from 1-7 July.  'The Viking Cruises Lagom Garden' by Will Williams, the RHS Young Designer of the Year in 2018, promises to be one of the main highlights of the show in 2019.  Working with Viking for the first time, Will is the youngest designer ever to create a garden within the Show Garden category at the festival.

Viking recently announced the launch of a national competition to identify the UK's favourite garden.  Nominations are open until 15 July 2019.  A panel of judges, including Paul Hervey-Brookes, will select a shortlist for each of the six National Garden Scheme regions.  The public will be asked to vote for their favourite shortlisted gardens from 1 August to 30 September.  The national and regional winners will be announced in Autumn 2019. 

The Art of Viking garden, which was built by Big Fish Landscapes, features materials supplied by the Breedon Group - the largest independent construction materials group in the UK – and plants grown by specialists at Jekka's Herb Farm and Bernhards Nurseries.

The Art of Viking garden is open to visitors at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 21 – 25 May 2019 on plot RHW/285.  

For more information, please go to www.vikingcruises.co.uk or call 0800 319 66 60.