First female black designer in 103 years of Chelsea Flower Show wins gold

LONDON -- The first black female garden designer in the 103-year history of the Chelsea Flower Show has won a gold medal.

Juliet Sargeant's "Modern Slavery" garden -- in the "Fresh Garden" category -- was designed to raise awareness of the plight of people in Britain being held captive and forced to work. The brightly coloured doors and flowers look like those of a normal British street, but they surround a bleak centre.

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An English oak tree honours politician William Wilberforce, who stood under such a tree when he dedicated his life to abolishing slavery in the 1800s.

Before her win, Sargeant criticised the dominance of white, middle-class people "with double-barrelled names" in the upper echelons and media representations of gardening. She called upon the Royal Horticultural Society to do more to promote diversity within the gardening community.

Modern Slavery Garden from Modern Slavery Garden on Vimeo.

"People in the last few years have been asking why there aren’t more women garden designers and the same with young people, but to date nobody has really asked the question about ethnic minorities and different cultures," she told The Telegraph.

“The horticultural industry is quite a traditional industry and it does seem to lag behind a bit.”

The Modern Slavery Garden. Designed by Juliet Sargeant. Sponsored by: The Modern Slavery Garden Campaign . Credit: RHS / Sarah Cuttle

She said people of diverse cultures and communities enjoy gardening in modern Britain, but television shows and articles don't represent these people.

"I do think it would be nice if more articles were written and more people were seen on TV, and more from a different perspective, that would be brilliant," she said.

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She also told trade publication Horticulture Weekthat black people do not "culturally" feel a part of the horticultural scene. "And you need confidence, a network of contacts and a sponsor to pull off something like a Chelsea show garden," she said.

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Juliet Sargeant. Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

An RHS spokesman told The Telegraphthat the organisation reaches out to different communities but "as part of our commitment to raise the profile of careers in horticulture, we are looking at how we can address this issue."

Sargeant's comments didn't sit well with everyone in the gardening community.

"It is sad that [Harrods garden designer Diarmuid] Gavin and Sargeant should use this cheap tactic to fuel their own show publicity, especially as I have not seen them do anything themselves to change the situation," garden designer Fisher Tomlin said. 

He cited his experience hiring young apprentices from the Streetscape program for 18- to 25-year-olds and the RHS' support for that as an example of a way to promote diversity.

The Chelsea Flower Show, which bills itself as the world's most prestigious, spans five days in May and features fantastical displays. This year sees a floral arch for the Queen's 90th birthday, a selection of bizarre garden gadgets in "The British Eccentrics Garden," and a poppies tribute.

The Modern Slavery Garden. Credit: RHS / Sarah Cuttle

The Modern Slavery Garden. Credit: RHS / Sarah Cuttle

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