Watch a seven-minute film on the metamorposis of a bare brown field strip of land at the Chelsea Hospital into the 600 Days with Bradstone Martian garden which won Best in Show.
Outer space touches down at the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time ever this year in the form of terrestrial Mars garden ‘600 Days With Bradstone’. Inspired by a new era in scientific thinking, Sarah Eberle’s design can only be described as being out of this world!
The design represents the personal space of an astronaut on a tour of duty on Mars lasting 600 days, with particular attention paid to the psychological importance of man’s relationship with his environment.
The garden investigates how an astronaut would enrich their life when off duty, considering the plants they would grow to enhance their existence and to contribute to life support systems. It also explores how such an area can contribute to the psychological welfare of an individual who is away from home and familiar surroundings.
The garden is sub-divided into two interlocking spaces with different functions. The front incorporates a spring where the water forms a fine mist as it emerges from the ground. The majority of this area is given over to growing luxury food items such as pistachios and olives, as well as plants with healing properties such as arnica, opium poppy and calendula.
The rear is an area of relaxation with a hanging chair and a rest pod where the astronaut can retire in order to maintain a natural 24-hour cycle. Both the seating and the rest area have been designed to suit the gravity on the planet, making the angle of the repose position somewhat different to here on Earth!
The paving throughout the garden is designed to resemble the scorched clay patterns seen on Mars, with the overall colour scheme echoing the dark greys, reds, burnt oranges and coppers found on the planet. Familiar plants that evoke memories of life back home on Earth have been chosen for the garden as these are psychologically important to the astronaut.
The garden has taken eight years to construct from concept through to design, based on research carried out by Sarah herself and assistance from the European Space Agency and British Science Museum.
All materials and construction processes used in the garden are within the realms of current scientific possibility. The garden is highly educational in itself and represents the cutting edge of scientific possibility as well as outlining the importance of understanding the psychological importance of a long term stay in space. It brings to the forefront the need for balance and biodiversity in a delicate world.
Described by Sarah as a fascinating and enlightening journey, the ultimate challenge was integrating both the physical and psychological needs of an astronaut into a design which could actually be created on Mars today.