The Trailfinders’ 50th Anniversary Garden celebrated the origins of the company, which sold its first overland trips to Kathmandu in 1970. The garden captured the essence of Nepal and the wider Himalayan region, through a representation of its culture, plants and landscape.
The garden featured a timber shelter inspired by the vernacular architecture of the region, and a network of stone paths leading to it. Water was ever present, both naturally as streams, which powered prayer wheels, and man-made in the form of rills.
The planting was representative of that found flowering in late summer between 2000m-4000m in the Himalayas, and featured Pinus wallichiana, rhododendrons, Sheffleras, Colocasia esculenta, Hedychiums, Cautleyas and Dryopteris wallichiana. Perennials such as Aconitums, Persciarias, Selinum wallichianum, Anemones and Thalictrum provided additional colour.
The garden was awarded a Gold Medal and won the award for Best Construction
Click here to see a short video of some of the research that went into the making of the garden.