We’re heading back to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show and one of the artisan gardens for today’s post. The garden was commissioned by The British Council and designed by Sarah Eberle and “was sparked by the hopes and dreams of young people in India, and also drew on the UK and India’s shared love of cricket. It was a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the British Council in India.”

Timely then that I’m posting this as England play India, cricket must have reached into my psyche, and when it is a garden as pretty as this, that’s ok with me.

A billion dreams - the artisan garden by the British Council at the Chelsea Flower show

The inlay work on the low height walls was stunning and reminded me of our trip to India for our honeymoon back in 2007. We brought home a coaster which uses this effect, and is stunning, but I’d forgotten how much more spectacular larger pieces were, totally breath-taking-away.

giant cricket stumps in this Chelsea Flower show artisan garden

Much of the press coverage for this garden during the show focused on the pair of rather large cricket stumps, and large cricket balls that matched and given the purpose of the garden that’s probably fair, but there was so much more to it for me. The intricate jewelled walls and bright, jewel like planting too.

With such oversized stumps, a normal sized cricket ball just wouldn’t do, would it? Although I’m not sure I’d want to be on the receiving end of this one, or have it land amongst my borders.

And with cricket stumps usually there's a cricket ball

The colours of the planting picked up the bright colours in the wall, and are a riot of colour, shape and texture and not all “exotic” plants either - at the forefront of the photo beow you can spot some French marigolds. The attention grabber in this photo is the yellow “filament” flower head.

yellow red and orange planting in the British Council garden at Chelsea

There was also the iconic blue Himalayan poppies, or mecanopsis, stunning aren’t they? One of the true blue flowers I’ve seen, and much bluer than bluebells, which in comparison don’t seem that blue after all.

blue Mecanopsis or Himalayan poppies in the British Council garden

A side view of the planting and the rear of the garden

Even now, seeing how the light bounces of the blue petals, it’s clear that these are something special. The garden was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal - I still don’t know how the judges can separate any of the gardens, when they’re all so lovely, but...

Even if cricket’s not your thing, I suspect this garden might hold your interest - what do you think?