Because healthy food should be available to many people. The garden explores the dichotomy of the hyper-natural and hypertech to encourage an independent approach to gardening.

The ground level of the garden is a horticultural laboratory. Here, hydroponic and aeroponic technology is shown to grow edibles and plants. 

The second level of the garden is an oasis of greenery, with a naturalistic aesthetic. The elevated garden encourages visitors to immerse themselves in a canopy-like ecosystem. Upon first impression, the garden looks like a natural hillside landscape. On closer inspection, the viewer can see a subterranean, and futuristic high-tech garden is at play. IKEA and Tom Dixon are curious about the future of growing and eating. Food is a crucial part of everyday life and we want to inspire people to a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle by growing food that has a positive impact on both people and the planet. Together, Tom Dixon and IKEA explore how we can provide sustainable, affordable and forward-thinking solutions that people can use to grow food at home and beyond.

Being at the Chelsea Flower Show, provides the opportunity to share their passion, to learn from experts and to interact with people. For IKEA and Tom Dixon, being at Chelsea Flower Show is not about the beauty of a garden, it´s about bringing attention to the future of the environment and the importance of growing food locally.

They want visitors to feel inspired to grow and harvest their own food within their homes and communities. They want to communicate that it’s both possible, affordable and rewarding to have a place to grow your own food in the city. The visitor should take back the insight that urban growing creates a better everyday life for them and a positive impact on society and the planet. 

The garden is a dialogue between traditional planting methods and futuristic ways of horticulture. The raised garden is comprised of crates that are planted into. This is an idea that can translate into a very small area such as a balcony, as well as be scaled up to serve an entire community. The nature of the system lends itself to the Square Foot Gardening method, which maximises the yield available from a small space. It is a very intensive way of gardening but is ideal for urban edibles. This will be demonstrated in the crates that sit alongside the raised platform seating area. The more naturalistic planting will still contain edibles, but the method demonstrated throughout these crates are inspired by the Forest Gardening method, which is a low-maintenance sustainable plant-based food production system based on woodland ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables. We are also incorporating annual vegetables, edible flowers and plants with medicinal properties. This is to show that low maintenance areas can still be productive, beautiful and fantastic for supporting wildlife.

By contrast, the base layer utilises hydroponic technology to grow a diverse array of edibles. The technology allows plants to be grown indoors under controlled environments all year round. It will include a range of edibles including micro greens and fungi.

Plant list

Trees

 

Shrubs

 

Raised Garden Zone

 

Trailing Plants

 

Base Layer of Plants

 

Fungi