Reigate landscaping company wins gold at Chelsea Flower Show

A WAR-THEMED garden created by a landscaping company won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The garden called Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden made by Dan Flynn, director of Gardenlink in Lesbourne Road, Reigate, was inspired by the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

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   Dan Flynn, director of Gardenlink in Lesbourne Road, Reigate, meets Michael Caine at the Chelsea Flower Show

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   Dan Flynn’s creation

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   Dan Flynn, director of Gardenlink in Lesbourne Road, Reigate, meets Michael Caine at the Chelsea Flower Show

He also received the RHS President’s Award for his garden, a prize usually reserved for floral entries, not show gardeners.

Mr Flynn said he was surprised judges saw the raw beauty of the garden he exhibited at the show, which ran from May 22 to 26.

“Other gardens fit into the Chelsea mould, but the DMZ is the complete opposite, with trees planted on angles, landmines, bullets, it’s great the judges saw the natural beauty behind it all,” he added.

“It’s by far the biggest achievement of my career to date – we were told we couldn’t do it because of funding and I said, ‘Yes we can,’ and we did.”

This was the second year running that Gardenlink collaborated with Korean designer Jihae Hwang. And once again, their efforts won gold at the prestigious horticultural event – and even garnered celebrity attention

“We found out Michael Caine was a Royal Fusilier in the Korean War [in the early 1950s] so we sent him a letter and he said, ‘What a great idea,’ and came and visited.

“It was lovely to meet him and also the president of the Korean War Veterans Association, Ricky Gervais and a few BBC presenters,too,” Mr Flynn said.

Designer Jihae Hwang became interested in the DMZ after meeting Korean war veterans from her home country and then visiting the area herself and seeing how nature had taken back the war-scarred land.

“This land was a complete no-go zone with landmines, spent shells and in the last 60 years nature has engulfed the area,” Mr Flynn said.

The garden, which was in part created from logs and growth from Reigate Hill with National Trust permission, has barbed-wire fencing and a vine-covered watchtower.

Mr Flynn said the garden was particularly significant because next year marks the 60th anniversary of the fighting ceasing, although the war has never officially ended.

This is the fourth of Mr Flynn’s projects to receive a Chelsea Flower Show medal.

Mr Flynn, who has lived in Reigate since he was 12 and once packaged free magazines into the Surrey Mirror, said the garden could not have been built without help from the 70 volunteers involved.