Landscape Lore: Maths, and Beauty, in a Garden!

‘The Winton Beauty of Maths Garden’, as the name suggests, is an endeavour by its designer Nick Baily to use universally applied mathematical principles to create a beautiful garden. As the head gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Nick Baily set about designing the garden themed on some algorithmic functions that are displayed in the growth of many plats and plant parts. As he confesses to be terrible at Maths himself, he credits the sponsor Winton with being specialists at the subject. The project was executed by Gardenlink.

Mathematics makes its entry to the project in the layout itself, with the apportioning of areas clearly following the golden ratio. As one enters, the garden begins with meadow with sparse planting, which gradually grows denser as one goes deeper. The dense growth at the rear forms a backdrop to the circular pavilion, which has seats laid out at two levels. The staircase, with its copper handrail curves down gracefully, joining the curves of the pathway around the meadow in front. The arrangement of curves resembles the Greek letter ‘∞’ – the symbol for ‘infinity’- in plan.

The recurrent use of copper as a theme that helps to bind the different elements of the garden has been done with the conscious knowledge of it being an essential nutrient for plant growth. From its most conspicuous use in the hand rail swerving down from the upper level of the pavilion to all the little ways it keeps appearing throughout, copper makes a warm presence among the predominantly dry plant varieties chosen. A charming detail is the etching of algorithms, based on which different plant growths occur, on to the inner surface of the copper handrail. A decorative copper water crucible sculpted by Giles Rayner adorns an area of The Winton Beauty of Mathematics Garden.

If the high density of planting is one of the conspicuous facets of this landscape, it is balanced, in a way, by the variety of heights, spreads and growth directions of the plants used. From erect conifers in the backdrop to creepers trailing down from a height of 3.5 m atop the pavilion, from succulents to bushy brambles, the variety never ceases. And, among the apparent wild range of colourful blossoms and predominant purple and violet perennials, varied textures and intricate structure, the recurrent rosy blob of Leucospermum blooms reinstate the copper theme.

Different plant species which display mathematical algorithms in the growth patterns of their parts have been specially brought in from their natives to demonstrate the theme of the garden, i.e. the beauty of mathematics. Important among them are the spiral formed Aloe Polyphylla, Gleditsia Triacanthos with its patterned leaf structure, the Sunflower Helianthus Annus with the hundreds of florets forming its flower head arranged in a Fibonacci sequenced double spiral.

Quite a favourite among the visitors to the displayed gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, this mathematical expression by Nick Baily drew them to return again and again. Of course, it’s the freshness of the thought of having a predominantly dry variety of plantings on display in English weather, and the attractive and calculated wild arrangement that is the instant charmer. Yet, one cannot but wonder at the novelty of the idea of displaying overtly the mathe-magic so innate to the natural world!