A Gold Winning Garden
When Rachael Austin began designing the Ruskin Mill Trust Artisan Woodland Craft Garden for the inaugural RHS Badminton Flower Show, every material had to tell a story. Inspired by the wooded valleys surrounding Ruskin Mill in Nailsworth, the garden celebrated traditional woodland crafts, sustainable land management and the quiet beauty of the British landscape.
We were incredibly proud that Voltaire’s Wood could play a small part in bringing that vision to life.
From our woodlands we supplied the tall ash poles that held up the striking canopy, a handcrafted structure that echoed the simple, honest forms found in woodland shelters and traditional green woodworking. Ash has long been valued for its strength, flexibility and beauty, making it the perfect choice for a structure that was both functional and deeply rooted in British woodland heritage.
Alongside the canopy, we provided coppiced hazel for the garden’s deadwood hedge. Coppicing is one of Britain’s oldest forms of woodland management, encouraging healthy regrowth while creating habitats for countless species. The hazel added texture, structure and an authentic sense of place, demonstrating how working woodlands sustainably can produce beautiful natural materials year after year. We use deadwood hedges in the woods to provide habitat along footpaths and around the camps.
To complete the woodland atmosphere, we also provided some of our moss covered stones, carefully selected to recreate the damp, ancient character of the Ruskin Valley. These weathered rocks softened the landscape, helping the garden feel as though it had always belonged there.
The result was extraordinary.
Rachael Austin’s first RHS show garden was awarded an RHS Gold Medal, named Best Artisan Garden, and also received a Highly Commended Award for Environmental Innovation. The garden was praised for its thoughtful interpretation of the woodland edge and its use of locally sourced, renewable materials, demonstrating how traditional crafts and sustainable landscapes can support education, wellbeing and biodiversity.
Congratulations to Rachael Austin, the Ruskin Mill Trust, Greener Landscapes and everyone involved in creating such a remarkable garden. We’re honoured that a little piece of our woodland helped contribute to a garden that celebrated the very best of sustainable British craftsmanship.
