Living Landscapes marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a garden depicting the ‘Seven Ages of Man’ at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2016.

Horsham-based, award-winning landscaping business Living Landscapes is the sponsor and constructor of the Shakespeare-themed All the World’s a Stage garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (July 5-10). Collaborating with the design team at Lunaria Landscapes, they will create a multi-layered, experiential space, which pays homage to the Bard in the year of the 400th anniversary of his death. As Hampton Court Palace and Shakespeare share a rich history, the Palace’s admired flower show is the perfect backdrop for this garden.

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages”
[As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII]

Shakespeare’s ‘Seven Ages of Man’ is transformed into a garden where the visitor is the actor. With a clearly defined stepped entrance and exit, show-goers are invited to play their part upon the stage, interacting with seven ‘Pools of Reflection’, which they encounter as they are directed one-way around the garden.

Life’s changing circumstance is symbolised by the planting mirrored within the pools. This transforms in colour, texture and density – from abundant greens and pure whites at the entrance to the garden, to desolate golds and deep purples at its exit.

Visitors can gaze into the basins and reflect upon their own life journey. At first, they descend into the ‘lushness of youth’, enveloped by gunnera and ferns; then they move towards the ‘barrenscape of death’ characterised by dry grasses and sinister aeonium.

The oval garden features a ‘sunken stage’ enclosed by seating terraces. Multi-stemmed trees around its perimeter provide shade, while blurring the garden’s boundaries. This strengthens its bond with Hampton Court Palace and its connection with Shakespeare.

The staged seating, for an audience of up to 50 people, gives visitors the chance to experience the garden from another perspective. They can sit down to enjoy live dramatic performances in the garden during the show, adding to the dynamism and experiential qualities of this garden.

All the World’s a Stage Garden

• Garden Designer: Lunaria Landscapes
  The Lunaria Landscapes team is an international design collaboration comprised of four designers; Cho hee Song (Korean), Dawn Parke (Irish), Jasper Kaessmann (German), and Manuel Wehrle (German). The team came together while studying their Masters of Landscape and Garden Design at Writtle College in Essex.
• Sponsor & Constructor: Living Landscapes www.livinglandscapesuk.com
• Plant lists available from: lunarialandscapes@gmail.com