Sarah Eberle
Sarah Eberle
Sarah Eberle is one of Britain's leading Landscape Designers working in both the United Kingdom and internationally, Private Gardens both rural and urban along with successful show gardens at Chelsea and abroad. She is Renowned for a fusion style.[1][2]
Education
Sarah Eberle has an Honorary Doctorate in Design from the University of Greenwich. It is the award of which she is most proud.
Career
The 8 time gold-medal-winning designer Sarah Eberle is known for her thought-provoking designs and picking up the 'Best in Show' award in 2007.
She has once again returned to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Current Project
Sarah’s other current projects include designing a large private garden in Sicily, where she is also part of a committee setting up a new garden show in 2017 in Radicepura near Giarre, on the island’s east coast.
“These days I choose projects on a want-to-do basis,”
she says.
“I’m looking for commissions that I will learn from, that aren’t repetitive and which challenge me and engage my skills,”
she explains.
Those skills include visualization, an appreciation of the spatial hierarchy within a setting, and creating designs on a scale that is comfortable for humans.
“I aim to produce a ‘hunter refuge’ – a place where people seek to be, because it feels safe and right.”
She explains further:
“Think of walking into a public space, and the bench there that you instinctively choose to sit on.
That’s the hunter refuge instinct at work.
You also have to pay attention to ‘the void’.
That’s what’s left behind when all the solid features are put in place; the space that they don’t fill.”
In her own words, she manipulates landscapes.
Among those in the industry she has been described as a
“leading international fusionist”
“I’m known as ‘not a stylist"
in that no one would necessarily recognize one of my gardens as being one of mine.
“I do traditional and I do contemporary.
Each design is tailored to the site.
Landscape design is all about where it is, the genius loci – the spirit or character of a place.”
She knows what it takes to succeed at Chelsea.
If you haven’t engaged passers-by as they walk past, then you’ve failed.
The more you look at a garden, the more you should see.
It has to offer instant and continuing engagement.”
Sarah Eberle is one of those returning this year and her 2020 garden is entitled Bible Society: The Psalm 23 Garden and will be placed within Urban Gardens category.
Personal Life
Sarah Eberle, who is designing a garden for Viking Cruises at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, went on to explain,
“I’m a country girl, married to a farmer, living on a farm.
I have a landscape.”
Green fingers don’t run in the family.
Landscapes are her passion.
She remembers being intrigued by her surroundings from an early age.
“I noticed every detail: the shape of a hill, rock formations, the play of light through hedges in the Devon countryside where I grew up.”
Architecture fascinated her, too.
“The way that landscapes and architecture interact excited me even then.
If I hadn’t become a landscape designer, I’d probably have been an architect.”
Her show garden for Viking Cruises is inspired by the Mekong. Sarah Eberle had never been there so Viking arranged for her and her daughter Lucy to take a cruise on the river. “It was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition, and we scampered about like excited children. Smaller boats took us closer to local life, so I could see how the people use their landscape to live by.
Her garden design reflects the floating gardens found along the riverbank as the Mekong wends its way through Cambodia taking its cues from the silk-weaving work and fishing undertaken by the communities along the route.
Visits to Temples and Food Market
Relaxing on the sun deck afforded, Sarah Eberle opportunities to gain inspiration from the river and the landscapes through which the Mekong flows.
The garden, which will be the fourth for Viking at the Chelsea Flower Show, will reflect her experience and give the show’s visitors a taste of life along the river.
Sarah Eberle Arts and Gardens Interview
Hot show high-achiever, Sarah Eberle, talks about the power of the garden show, her passion for genius loci and leaving those garden pests alone.
How does being RHS Chelsea’s most decorated designer impact your work?
It doesn’t.
I have a grounded and hands on approach to all the work I do, and I never take myself too seriously.
It does mean that most clients are familiar with my work, and this gives confidence to both them and me, which helps bring honesty and trust to the relationship.
What is he Role of the garden show?
To inspire the visitor and help educate the designers involved.
I strongly believe it is a classroom for the designer; a period of self-discipline, personal development, team building and responsibility.
It teaches us to own our work and accept responsibility for what we do.
I value working as part of a team and love collaboration.
The garden show is the place where it works the best and under intense pressure.
Are you Creative outside the Garden?
Yes. As a child I indulged a lot in crafts.
I love all creative arts with an interest in form and light.
Scrapyards and finding items for which I can find a new function.
I have an eclectic taste, which I’d like to indulge more, although time is my enemy here.
The ethereal rather than material is my interest.
Where is your favorite British natural Landscape?
That’s a tough one.
Anywhere wild or by the ocean.
Growing up in rural Devon, I also love the rolling small-scale pastures there.
As a serial landscape monogamist, I love the place I’m in.
International Culture has been a Big part of your work, with Gardens inspired by the Mekong, China, Gaudi and more. Which part of the World particularly excites with its Public Gardens?
Singapore; because of the level of innovation and pride it has in its green spaces.
But anywhere that provides a new experience, or new vocabulary of culture, design, landscape and plants.
Change and difference provide me with a great sense of well-being.
Who are the people or organizations most transforming the way we see Landscape today?
That’s probably a subject for a whole book!
Frequently I feel it is no longer the large organizations, but the ground swell of opinion at local and regional level, and in the education of young people, empowered to find voice and make change.
Visualisation is a key part of your approach. Are there examples of good Garden design driven by other senses?
There are many.
Each depends on the genius loci of the place and intended relationship with the people who use the space.
Each individual responds in a different way and each response is valid.
Scent, touch, comfort, fear and surprise are just some of the responses we can elicit and use to manipulate the visitor.
Most outlandish high concept Garden furniture. How often do you come across a piece that raises a Giggle?
Dare I say, frequently!
Three Artists in Three Words.
Caesar Manrique; architecture follows nature
Antonio Gaudi; light follows form
Isambard Kingdom Brunel; form follows function
Your favorite Garden of the World.
Stourhead.
I was married there, in Apollo’s Temple.
Sorry, but I guess I’m a romantic!
However, I always choose landscape over garden.
The relationship between garden and context – genius loci – is my big passion and forms my opinion of how good or great a garden is.
Your favorite Garden plant.
Any Euphorbia.
Most irritating plant pest and what you do about it.
Live and let live.
If its highly susceptible, plant an alternative.
Self-discipline is understanding you can’t always have what you want.
Note to self: perhaps avoid obvious hypocrisy!
What are you most thinking about for 2018?
Hoping to do work I can be proud of, as for every year.
And something new, as for every year.
Sarah Eberle explain why she teamed up with the Forestry Commission for her latest Chelsea project
Gold-medal-winning designer Sarah Sarah has never been one to shy away from thought-provoking garden design at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Whether it was recreating the works of Gaudi in 2017 with her Artisan Garden, Viking Cruises Garden of Inspiration, or spending eight years researching her famous garden based on Mars, 600 Days with Bradstone, Sarah has risen to the challenge time and time again.
Her Show Garden at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show – titled The Resilience Garden – will be no exception.
Teaming up with the Forestry Commission for the organisation's centenary, Sarah will explore the challenges confronting forests in the face of climate change and what can be done to help them become more resilient.
“I like a meaty brief and something with purpose!”
said Sarah.
“I feel really strongly about climate change and the problems it poses with pests and diseases so I’m really excited about the garden.
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“I’m currently doing a lot of research for the planting to understand how trees are affected by climate change.
It’s also interesting to look at what can be done to enrich the genetic pool of our tree species, as well as potential alternative species for our forests.”
Sarah’s garden at Chelsea will be backed up by work currently being pursued by the Forestry Commission.
The organization is leading a number of projects that test how trees will be affected by the conditions expected with climate change in a bid to find the most resilient trees and secure the future of our forests.
“In the UK we have quite a narrow palette of native trees,”
said Sir Harry Studholme, Chairman of the Forestry Commission.
“Trees that we often consider native, such as horse chestnut and sweet chestnut, were actually brought back from abroad by our ancestors many years ago.”
The lack of native species in UK forests could pose a problem in future.
The theory is that the more genetic and species diversity a forest contains, the better able it’ll be to withstand the emergence of new threats and diseases.
Some plants will naturally have better defence and be able to thrive where other plants fail.
“As we progress into the future we need to think about the trees that we have in the UK,” continued Sir Harry.
“Rainforests are better able to protect themselves because of the diversity of species they have.
In one hectare, they have more species of trees than we have in the entire country.
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“The more species we have in our forests, the more resilient the forests become.”
Inspiration from the past
With this idea in mind, Sarah Eberle has been looking to an innovative gardener of the past to bring The Resilience Garden to life.
“The garden takes a lot of inspiration from William Robinson,”
she explained
“He was a bit of a horticultural hot head at the time, frequently experimenting with horticulture.
I’m not trying to be him with this garden, but I’m very inspired by him and what he stood for.”
Sir Harry agreed.
“William Robinson left much of his estate, Gravetye, to the Forestry Commission and I think he would have wanted to raise the issues that we’re facing with climate change,”
he said.
“William really enjoyed experimenting with different species in the garden and wrote a fantastic book called The Wild Garden.
"
“This book changed the concept of gardening – moving away from the idea of bedding plants and structured planting to considering how gardens relate to the natural landscape around them and the forces of nature acting upon them."
“I think this ethos is deep within the gardening community now, but it was a new way of thinking in the Victorian times.”
Planting for the Garden
Climate change doesn’t just mean an increase in temperature – it also brings with it the arrival of more extreme weather events, wetter winters and warmer, drier summers.
With all that going on, it makes sense for The Resilience Garden to explore planting in a variety of environments.
“We’re including various zones in the garden to reflect the variety of conditions that come with climate change,”
said Sarah.
For example we’re going to have some dry zones, but also damper, wetter zones too.
People can look at the groups of plants we use in each of these areas and apply them at home, if they have a rocky area or need ideas for under planting trees.
“We’re also using a lot of reclaimed material within the garden to reflect the importance of recycling.
It’s important to consider how you can be environmentally friendly in your garden, recycling and reusing materials where you can.”
Sarah is yet to decide on a final line up for her planting in the garden, but it seems that the designer is taking inspiration from some of nature’s longest survivors.
“It’s still a bit early in the day to know for definite which plants I’m going to include,”
she said.
“But I’m looking at including some real dinosaurs – like ginkgo and monkey puzzle.
These species have managed to exist over millennia, surviving ice age and nuclear attack.
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“They’re very resilient to what life throws at them.”