THE THREE GRACES OF GALICIA
People’s Choice Best Show Garden 2025
Location: RHS HAMPTON,UK
Project Type: Show Garden
Client: GALICIA TOURISM BOARD & SPANISH INSTITUTE OF TOURISM
The garden honours three influential 19th-century Spanish women – Rosalía de Castro, Emilia Pardo Bazán, and Concepción Arenal – celebrating their contributions as poets, novelists, thinkers, and naturalists, while highlighting their shared Galician heritage.
Inspired by their work and the romantic 19th-century gardens of Galicia, the design features winding paths, shaded nooks, and serene water elements that reflect Rosalía de Castro’s romantic poetry. Bold structural features, such as a pavilion and topiary trees, represent Emilia Pardo Bazán’s progressive ideas. A contemplative space pays tribute to Concepción Arenal’s advocacy for social justice and the marginalised. Artworks on plinths represent each writer’s work.
A tranquil lily pond with a tiered water fountain serves as a focal point, offering a cooling element in harmony with the romantic garden setting. A seating area beneath an elegant vintage pavilion, adorned with scented climbers, creates a peaceful space for reflection. Gravel paths meander through flower beds and are paved with gravel and reclaimed granite setts, evoking the picturesque spirit of 19th-century Galician romantic gardens. Trellises, a vintage pavilion, an antique door, reclaimed gates, and granite paving further enhance the whole concept of 19th-century Galician romantic gardens.
The garden was awarded a silver medal, and the People’s Choice Best Show Garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2025.
Gravel paths meander through flower beds and are paved with gravel and reclaimed granite setts, evoking the picturesque spirit of 19th-century Galician romantic gardens.
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