Iris in flower in the Beth Chatto garden

The Beth Chatto garden at St Luke’s is a special garden, created by the Grounds team in response to a request from staff at St Luke’s to update the site.

Beth Chatto is a British Plantswoman and Garden Designer, born in 1923. She is a multi-Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal winner whose specialisms include growing plants in dry spaces, such as sun-baked gravel and other sites.  Her experience at the Beth Chatto Gardens in Essex led her to produce a series of gardening books.  The palette of plants and advice available in these books has helped fashion this area of the St Luke’s grounds, adapted for the wetter South West climate, but taking into account the effects of the sun reflecting off the building.