One of the most show stopping gardens at the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which opens May 21, is the Bridgerton Garden, designed by New Zealand garden designer Holly Johnston and sponsored by Netflix. Exploring the personal journey of Penelope Featherington, portrayed by Nicola Coughlan in season three of the Shondaland series with part one released on May 16, the sanctuary garden is set to attract massive crowds at this year’s show. Visitors are in for a treat as it’s not only beautiful but clever.

So just how did Johnston, a first-time Chelsea exhibitor, interpret Bridgerton’s Penelope—who is also Lady Whistledown, her pseudonym for the anonymous author of the gossip newsletter she writes—in her garden? Well, it all started with a moon gate, a circular opening in a garden wall that acts as a passageway.

The moon gate played a crucial role in the garden’s overall design.

“That was my very first feature,” says Johnston of the design element. “This is a private garden for this woman’s character. It tells the story of her coming from the shadows into the light, so I wanted it to feel like a safe space and almost like a portal that she was stepping through into her personal world.”

Moon gates first appeared in ancient Chinese gardens and are thought to symbolize an auspicious welcome or good fortune to those who pass through. They were later adopted by the British garden designers in the 19th century.

Johnston adds about the Bridgerton Garden and its moon gate, Penelope “could reconcile her two characters in there—so she’s Lady Whistledown, as we know, and she’s also Penelope—and in that space she can feel safe enough to reconcile both and be both. That portal is kind of like a door, a stepping stone, into that area.”

The moon gate frames the heart of the garden, a sunken seating area with a tiered fountain. On either side, Johnston brought to life the two halves of Penelope’s character through plant selections. “I wanted to create both a shade border and a bloom border to reflect the complexity of Penelope’s character,” she says.

Bridgerton stars Ruth Gemmell (left) and Hannah Dodd (right) with landscape designer Holly Johnston (middle).

Down one half of the garden, ivy, ferns, and ground covers are layered together to “represent a woven network of secrets.” By contrast, the other side features a brilliant, feminine palette of whites, pinks, purples, blues, even chartreuse meant to represent the character coming into full bloom by “embracing herself and coming into the light.”

Johnston says she “started with the color scheme first and foremost, so it’s that Bridgerton blue, lilac, which is an important part of the show.” Wisteria frames the opening of the moon gate, while inside the garden designer chose irises and campanula ‘taikon blue.’ Foxgloves and roses lend a romantic touch.

Bridgerton blue and lilac pops up through the garden in the form of irises and campanula.

For additional structure, Johnston relied on green elements to further distinguish between the shade and bloom sections of the garden. Topiaries bring a bit of Bridgerton formality to the space while dwarf elms (ulnus minor superosa) infuse it with history.

“They have an unusual growing pattern, they’re not perfectly shaped canopies, says Johnston. “It kind of feels like they could have been in the corner of a country estate garden growing away for years and years, really bringing that heritage.”

The harmonious blend of elements results in a peaceful and stunning garden that Lady Whistledown would undoubtedly be eager to feature in her forthcoming newsletter.

Steele Marcoux is the Editor in Chief at VERANDA, covering design trends, architecture, and travel for the brand.

Source: veranda.com