Christian before Dior

 Chelsea Flower Show 2010

The inspiration for the 2010 garden was the childhood of the iconic fashion designer Christian Dior (1905 - 1957).  It was in the garden of the family home of 'Les Rhumbs' that Dior developed a life-long passion for plants and design guided by his mother, herself a passionate gardener.

In 1905 the property was bought by the Dior family and during the following 12 years Mme Dior and the young Christian set about creating a beautiful garden, heavily influenced by the English country style.  As a child Dior was absorbed by seed catalogues from Vilmorin and Andrieu.  He loved the pictures, learnt the plant names by heart and chose the plants for the garden with his mother.  By the time he was 15 he had designed the pergola, benches and pool for the 'Pool Garden' at Les Rhumbs.

The house and grounds still occupy their commanding position perched on a clifftop overlooking the Normandy fishing port of Granville.  (The Christian Dior museum is at Les Rhumbs where annual summer exhibitions are held dedicated to the history of Dior.)

'Christian before Dior' reinterprets many of the features designed by the young Christian.  These include the wooden pergola (painted a soft 'Dior' grey), the reflection pool and the bespoke garden bench.  The planting theme remains true to the original garden and includes jasmine, heliotrope, lily of the valley, peonies,  and scented roses, evocative of the perfumes created for Dior. 

In 1958 the famous French rose grower Francis Meilland created the ‘Christian Dior‘ rose in tribute to Mr Dior, who died the previous year.  That year, it received the title 'The most beautiful rose of France'. 

Carex pendula

Planting

The pink and grey colour scheme of the garden is mixed with delicate whites and mauves.  Pink and grey was a combination favoured by Dior and is also the colour scheme of Les Rhumbs.

The courtyard  reflects Dior's love of flowers and design and the influence these were to have on his couture collections and perfumes.