The Chelsea Flower Show 2012 – as ever a wonderful horticultural event , that was visited by Her Majesty The Queen yesterday. It opens to the general public today and will be covered by news organistaions all over the world. Television coverage is on BBC1, BBC2 and BBC HD as well as BBC World News ( around the globe).

There is an ‘Artisan Garden ‘ section and one of the exhibits and designs is a Japanese Hillside garden – a great idea if you are considering making a Japanese garden. You do NOT need a great deal of space to design one. Below is the designer and name of the garden as well as a good image that really gives a greta feel for one of these very traditional Japanese gardens. More information can be found by searching’ Chelsea Flower Show at http://telegraph.co.uk.

Kazuyuki Ishihara

Satoyama Life

Award-winning Kazuyuki Ishihara returns to RHS Chelsea 2012 with a design   inspired by the Satoyama – the Japanese term that describes the space   between the lowlands and mountain.

The Satoyama Life garden will be a peaceful space which underlines the   importance of co-existing with nature in modern times.

Kazuyuki will use a thinning out technique which is in contrast to European   style and is traditionally used in Ikebana Japanese flower arrangement, to   highlight the natural beauty of his garden.

The garden will be framed by the plants and deciduous trees that bud all at  once in the Satoyama. His key plants will be acers and he will also use   Dryopteris erythrosora, Equisetum ramosissimum var. japonicum, Liriope   muscari and Quercus suber to name but a few.

PS: for those of you following my Japanese Zen garden design and construction – GOOD NEWS it has finally stopped raining in the UK and the work can now commence. I did find time inbetween flooding to find a really good Buddha statue which is now in situ! Pictures to follow later this week.

Have a good day!

Russ