Sarah Eberle’s ‘mesmerising’ garden wins top prize at Chelsea flower show

Garden representing overlooked countryside on urban fringes makes Eberle one of only three women to win best in show as solo designer Interview: ‘A weed is only a plant in the wrong place’ Featuring a giant, sleeping woman carved out of a fallen tree, Sarah Eberle’s hauntingly beautiful garden has won the top prize at the Chelsea flower show. Eberle, now the Royal Horticultural Society’s most decorated gardener, is a rarity; she is one of only three women to have won best in show at Chelsea as solo designers in its 100-year history. Her garden, designed for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, was described as “mesmerising” by the judging panel. The space, which is dominated by the giant statue of Mother Nature, features still pools and soft fronds of grass and wildflowers. It was designed to represent the often overlooked countryside at the edge of towns and cities, which CPRE describes as vital green spaces that connect people to nature. Eberle, 71, said she was “thrilled to bits” with the award. “This garden’s mission is very personal to me. I am a country girl through and through so I embody the same message and beliefs that the Campaign to Protect Rural E