Chinese city inspires garden at world-famous flower show

He said the garden is also an example of "fantastic" Sino-UK collaboration.

"Hundreds of years ago, plant finders went out to China, found these amazing plants and brought them back to the UK," he said. "Everybody's garden is full of original Chinese species."

He said the Wuhan Water Garden celebrates the centuries-old water management system in China's "City of 100 Lakes".

The exhibit was constructed using a modular grid system of parts that were prefabricated off-site to ensure an efficient build on Chelsea's largest show-garden plot.

The journey around and through the garden aims to arouse all the senses: the feeling of "floating" on the walkway, the visual and tactile changes in color and texture in the forest and the city, the smell of the forest, the sounds of woodland birds singing, and of moving water.

The garden also aims to diminish outside noise and use the visual effect of mirrored panels to create the sensation of stillness and density in the forest.

The garden contains about 75 different species and 5,500 plants that fall into three main categories: species that are native to China and Hubei province, species with a wide distribution across the Northern Hemisphere, including China, and Chinese species found widely in gardens.

It is the second in a series of gardens representing Chinese cities that Creativersal, a leading company in cultural program planning, design and investment, has sponsored at the show. The first was the Chengdu Silk Road Garden, which won the silver-gilt medal in 2017 for its representation of cooperation between China and the UK under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The show will last until Saturday.