British national James Basson has won the gold for best show garden at the much anticipated Chelsea Flower Show for his monumental evocation of a Maltese quarry.

As reported by the Telegraph, Mr Basson said that “the quarry is not supposed to be pretty. It is stark and monumentally brutal”.

The show garden has been described as being a striking and bold exhibit, unlike what is traditionally seen at the show.

The popular event has been held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea since 1913. Media reports said that Mr Basson had the opportunity to visit Malta back in summer of 2015. The quarry that had inspired his work in the Flower Show was actually spotted in Gozo.

“I am fanatical about quarries. The cleanliness and purity of them can be like a contemporary building. I love the graphic patterns of the blocks, the scouring marks, and the way nature regenerates after man has left. A client told me about this one, and when I had the chance of coming to Malta for a design job, I came to see it and was blown away”.

While Maltese and Gozitans may be less than charmed with the sight of a quarry, having had to endure the sight of them across Malta and Gozo, Mr Basson delivered a fresh take.

In order to learn more about Malta’s flora, media reports say that Mr Bassaon had made contact with a local botanist named Stephen Mifsud.

 Some flora used for Mr Basson’s exhibit had never been to Britain before, and even required government permission – such as the Euphorbia melitensis.

A total of six articulated lorry loads of local limestone were used for the construction, and local stone finishers from Halmann Vella even flew up to the show in order to assist in setting the whole piece up.

Making the exhibit as realistic as possible, on the floor of the quarry are stone blocks which are carved and ready as though to be delivered for use. A pool of water has also been placed, which are often found in real life quarries after some light rain.

The Telegraph described the theme of the Garden Show as “the vulnerability of nature, how it is damaged by man but also how it rebounds and recolonises – even in the brutal context of a quarry – both by itself and with man’s help.

“This defunct quarry is one that has now been turned into a private garden, full of plants,” he said to the media.

Mr Basson has won the gold for the Chelsea Garden Show twice before and is a garden designer by profession.

Photo by James Basson/Scape design