God’s Own County: A Garden for Yorkshire, a garden designed by Matthew Wilson for the Royal Horticultural Society’s 2016 Chelsea Flower Show, took the silver medal for its celebration of that British county’s wealth of stunning scenery, historic architecture and skilled tradespeople.

The key inspiration is the Great East Window at York Minster, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe. The window has largest single expanse of medieval stained glass in Britain and is nearing the end of a decade of restoration. The garden features a roughly 10-by-16 foot panel of stained glass made using the same methods employed in 1405 by skilled glaziers.
Chris Snook Garden at a Glance
Event: RHS 2016 Chelsea Flower Show
Designer: Matthew Wilson
Built by: Aire Valley Landscaping Services
Prize: Silver medal

Designer Wilson describes this as his “medieval contemporary” garden, inspired by the stained glass in York Minster and Yorkshire’s fertile land. The planting on the upper level represents the county’s woodland gardens and features oak and hawthorn. The central, perennial planting is inspired by the Minster’s ancient stained glass.
Chris Snook A key feature of this garden is what Wilson describes as a garden retreat or refuge. It is made of larch and birch and is shaped to resemble the Great East Window of York Minster resting on its side.

A combination of traditional skills and state-of-the-art technology was used throughout this garden, and they come together here. “The main supporting beams are made from glue-laminated larch,” or glulam, Wilson says, “and the exterior and interior panels have been carved using [computer numerical control] routing.” Chris Snook The glass panels were created by York Glaziers Trust, and York Minster masons erected the stone pinnacles. “The garden building was created by timber specialists in Barnsley,” Wilson says, “and the bench in the garden refuge was made by Robert ‘Mousey’ Thompson.”
Chris Snook Stone pathways, steps and terracing divide the garden space. “The paving is Moselden Yorkstone from North Yorkshire, the same stone as you can see outside York Minster,” Wilson says.
Chris Snook The flowers have been chosen because their colors match those found in the window. These plants also do well in Yorkshire, which has rich soils and long summer days. Chris Snook The upper level of the garden features a woodland design, which includes shade-tolerant plants such as Alchemilla mollis, euphorbias (including ‘John Phillips’ and ‘Purpurea’), hostas, Dicentra ‘Langtrees’ and ferns, including Dryopteris erythrosora and Matteuccia struthiopteris. Chris Snook The turrets and walls of the garden refuge have been created using cast stone made in Garforth, near Leeds. “It has a similar appearance and texture to the stone used in building the Minster,” Wilson says.

A shallow pool directly in front of the stained-glass window reflects its colors.
Chris Snook A small stream runs through the garden. “The water serves two purposes,” Wilson says. “It reflects the stained glass and adds movement to the garden.”
Chris Snook The abundant planting grows in and around the stone path, which is designed as a series of stepping stones that run through the bed. Chris Snook The planting in the Stained Glass Bed varies in height to create layers of color and interest. Purple salvia ‘Caradonna’ and ‘Purple Rain’ and Stipa grasses sway over the top of the beds. Irises ‘Mer du Sud’, ‘Deep Black’ and ‘Sultan’s Palace’ add height and exquisite detail. Chris Snook There’s a riot of color in the perennial beds. Irises, grasses, roses and many other plants bring the colors of the stained-glass window to life. Chris Snook A selection of feature shrubs, including this white Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’, pepper the space.