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RHS Young Designer of the Year Finalist 2023, Ollie Pike returns to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park to reveal his second show garden, “This Garden Isn’t Finished Without You.” 

 Landscape Architect and Garden Designer at Pike Studio grew up in rural South-West England where he was very lucky in his childhood that nature was always so readily available to connect to.  

 “I come from quite a creative family and was always encouraged to draw and make,” says Pike. “I think these two things gently pushed me into creating gardens and landscapes where I took a fairly traditional approach to a career in landscape design by studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield.” 

 Now, at Pike Studio, he creates gardens with meaning with the overarching aim to create spaces for both people and wildlife to inhabit together symbiotically.  

“I am passionate about creating spaces that everyone can have access to. As the company evolves, I want to bring more focus and energy towards landscapes for good causes where everyone can benefit.” 

 Having started the company just after his debut show garden at RHS Tatton Park as part of the RHS Young Designer Competition in July 2024, Pike I set up Pike Studio in the West Yorkshire town of Slaithwaite – perfectly located between Manchester, Leeds, the Peak District, and the Yorkshire Moors. 

 Offering landscape architecture and garden design services across the UK, the studio is still in its early days as the business is approaching its first anniversary. “But I am pleased to say that we have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline and working with some amazing charities and organisations that I can’t wait to share more of in the future,” says Pike.  

Since creating the Bible Society: Psalm 27 Garden at RHS Tatton Park in 2023, which Pike describes as being an amazing experience, it has opened so many doors and lead to lots of different opportunities for him – not least returning to RHS Tatton Park again this year for the Methodist Church. 

 “Last year’s garden has made me appreciate even more the way that gardens can impact people and pushed me to focus more on gardens that can help people. The topic of last year’s garden was around loss and grief – but also hope. People responded to the message so much better than I could have hoped for. We even had tears of joy and grief from visitors which, although heartbreaking to hear some very emotional stories, it really proved the point of the garden, and that nature can be healing and provide us hope.” 

And having been selected as an RHS Young Designer Finalist last year, it was a steep learning curve creating for Pike to create his first show garden, “and of course plenty of mistakes were made along the way!” says Pike. 

But he also learnt so much and it presented him with the opportunity to make lasting contacts who his has the pleasure of working with again at Tatton 2024.  

“I was so proud of the garden and wouldn’t have done it any differently. I recommend anyone thinking of entering the competition to do so – it is such an amazing opportunity,” says Pike. 

This year, Pike presents; This Garden Isn’t Finished Without You. The garden is sponsored by The Methodist Church, and this is their first ever RHS show garden. The garden has been designed to showcase the vision and values of The Methodist Church – particularly around equality, inclusion, and the environment.  

The garden will create a communal space where everyone is welcome to flourish. The floorplan of the garden is abstracted from a typical Methodist Church to show that church can be anywhere – here, now, in this garden, and is above all a community. Bright, colourful, and diverse planting creates a marvellous display inspired by the diversity of people – each beautiful and unique and even more beautiful when working together.  

Cork walls wrap the boundary of the garden to create a soft and textural sanctuary whilst large Fig trees provide shelter. Large woven willow sculptures with three distinct forms symbolise how we are all unique but welcome in the garden. All of this is centred around an open table where people can come together to encounter each other. 

After the show, the garden will be relocated to Mobberly Methodist Church in full which is only 3 miles away from Tatton Park. There, it will transform what is currently a large uninviting tarmac carpark into an amazing greenspace open to all that serves its local community, and the plan is that it will be used as a wellbeing space through green prescribing workshops and local events. 

“The form of the garden came from the floorplan of a typical Methodist Church,” says Pike. “This was then abstracted to create the different spaces, layers, and paths in the garden – this is obvious at the back of the garden where there is an “altar” inspired space with the curved wall.”

Pike also mentions how part of the Methodist Church’s message is that “we are all uniquely made” and should be accepted for who we are. “I took this to the garden as well with the materiality. There is a great diversity in the materials and texture in the garden and they are 100% natural and showcase the amazing uniqueness that is found in nature. From cork walls, stone paving, furniture made of recycled wood and woven willow sculptures,” says Pike.  

Inspired by the people who attend and visit Methodist Churches across the country, Pike speaks of how the communities at these spaces are so welcoming to everyone no matter what background you are from, and he wants to get this across in the garden.  

“I have spent a lot of time working with the local Methodist Churches around Tatton Park to create features in the garden. For example, large textile wall hangings will hang from the walls of the garden made up of individual flower monoprint squares made by the members of the local churches.” 

And compared to last year, the process has been much more relaxed for Pike. “After my experiences from last year, I feel much more prepared. Last year we had a last-minute panic on plants thinking we didn’t quite have enough. We did make it but you always need more than you think on a show garden (around 30+ per square metre)! This year I am working with the amazing Cliff Bank Nursery again where we are growing lots and lots of plants – probably too many! I also have the amazing support of Landstruction who are building the garden and supplying the trees through their sister company Big Hedge Co. where they are laying out the hedging and testing prototypes of the build which will make the show go much more smoothly.” 

 The biggest challenge this year so far however, Pike says has probably been the weather. With the extremely wet Winter and Spring, slugs have been causing havoc on the plants. Then the very cold June has meant the Fig trees are being very slow to bring on their leaves. “You wouldn’t have normally thought this would be an issue for a flower show in July but with climate change our weather patterns are only going to become more erratic and this is something that we must contend with,” says Pike, “So, our hopes and prayers are that the trees will be ready in time for the show.” 

 Living in a world where climate change will reshape our lives and where prejudice towards diversity will become more apparent due to pressures from migration, food supply etc. – particularly in densely populated areas. Pike hopes that this garden will provide some inspiration to how we can adapt to climate change and welcome all with open arms in garden spaces.  

“This garden is for everyone. No matter who you are, or in what ways you’ve experienced exclusion in the past, this garden is a place for you – and all people – to belong,” says Pike. 

“I hope it will also show the industry a new diversity of materials that are not often used in landscape design. For example, the cork walls are a cost effective, net-zero, natural biodegradable material that could easily be applied in many locations to gardens suffering the effects of climate change.” 

This Garden Isn’t Finished Without You will be on display at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park from the 17 to the 21 July 2024.