Yorkshire grit and pebbles used to build Chelsea garden
A cliff, a beach with a gently lapping sea, an abbey ruin and more than 3,000 coastal trees are included in a Chelsea Flower Show feature inspired by Yorkshire's natural beauty.
Eight tonnes of Scarborough sand, 11 tonnes of the county’s chalkstone, nine tonnes of sandstone and two tonnes of Flamborough pebbles have been used to create the piece.
Tracy Foster, who designed the feature, said: “The Welcome to Yorkshire garden has been a joy to create – our county has a wealth of inspirational natural beauty, history and industry.”
With the help of schoolchildren, she borrowed pebbles from Flamborough South Landing – which will be put back after the display has finished – to create a real beach with a fishing boat and lobster pots. At 36 square metres, the sea takes up about a third of the garden.
The 11 tonnes of chalkstone for the beach cliffs are genuine Flamborough rock, sourced from a quarry in Huggate, near Beverley. A trompe l’oeil mural by Knaresborough artist Julie Cope shows the ruined abbey with a three-dimensional effect.