Douglas Knight Water Garden Landscaper | Chelsea Flower Show Legend

Douglas Knight Landscaper Supreme

Every real gardener has a story to tell about how he or she came to be a gardener. There are, however, a few whose story is one of such passion and devotion, they break the mould of the traditional gardener into insignificant pieces. These are men and women who have an added determination to be simply the best at what they do. It is on the achievements of these passionate people that superlative events like the Chelsea Flower Show are built upon. Although tastes change following the fashions of the day, flower shows generally and the Chelsea  Flower Show in particular, produce for show what is the very best in horticulture. For landscapers they are the chance to demonstrate skills in garden construction, nowadays following the whimsical imaginings of the latest breed of garden designer. But this is a relatively new phenomenon in the shows long history. There have always been garden builders though, even before the concepts of hard and soft landscaping, men working, often under the direction of a head nurseryman, creating garden scenes that were varied mixes of traditional elements. Plants took the centre stage; their excellence was paramount and at the RHS shows, it still is.

Article by Peter May and the perfect pond maintenance that will peace in your garden

Tatton Park Show 2003 ... click to see larger image

At the old Chelsea flower shows, one part that was guaranteed to take peoples breath away was the area devoted to the rock garden displays, very often planted up with Rhododendrons and Azaleas, but always with waterfalls or streams and pools. These gardens were such a long tradition that the embankment at the Chelsea flower Show still carries the name of the Rock Garden Embankment, and there is one particular man that whilst he is still around on this planet will ensure the tradition never gets forgotten. He has succeeded so far, because once you have met Douglas R. Knight or seen one of his gardens, you never forget. Although he is a traditionalist, a man with the mission to carry on with the principles he learnt as a youngster, he will never turn his back on any new challenge. For instance, when he was 19 he bought an ancient clapped out Rolls-Royce for ten pounds, rebuilt it from the big ends outwards to virtual concourse condition. (Several years later when a last desperate injection of cash was required on a major project, he swapped the Roller for three and half thousand yards of turf.) Also, in the house in Formby where he and charming wife live, it was a bungalow and now it has got another floor with two extra rooms and bathroom, all built by Douglas.

But Douglass chosen speciality is his rock gardens and water falls. In this he is a pioneer, as the standards of quality (and size) strive ever upwards. This is what makes him our first hero of water gardens. Where he leads, others follow.

Please link below to see more of Douglas Knight's master rock landscape designs and a continuation of Peter's article

Douglas Knight part 2 ... the next link will take you to Peter's interview of the probably the most famous woman gardener Rosemary Verey and Barnsley House part 2 .