AWARDS​

RHS Silver -Gilt Medal

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Treacle Town Garden was created for RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2021 as a celebration of Macclesfield, its independent spirit and the community that gathers around its much-loved Treacle Market. The garden took its name from the local story that gave the market its own: an overturned cart and a cargo of spilled treacle. This playful piece of folklore became the starting point for a richly layered border, with dark-leaved planting suggesting pools of treacle and a small wooden cart appearing to have come to rest among the flowers.

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Within its compact 3m x 3m footprint, the garden brought together the elements of a thriving market town. Cobbled paths, an informal market stall and a productive vegetable patch sat among planting inspired by the countryside surrounding Macclesfield and the nearby Peak District.

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The design was also shaped by the period in which it was created. After months in which people had been separated from their communities, Treacle Town Garden celebrated the importance of local places, independent businesses and the chance to come together again. It marked Tom Saunders’ first RHS exhibit and was awarded an RHS Silver-Gilt Medal.

 

The design

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The garden was conceived as a small but complete landscape, full of recognisable details and local references. The overturned cart formed the central narrative, while the planting softened the structure and gave the garden the feeling of having grown organically around it. Dark foliage, including Heuchera ‘Black Pearl’, echoed the colour and sheen of treacle. Vegetables and herbs reflected the produce sold at the market, while native and wildlife-friendly plants connected the garden to the wider Cheshire landscape.

 

A garden rooted in place

 

Rather than creating an abstract showpiece, Treacle Town Garden was designed to feel unmistakably connected to Macclesfield. Its materials, planting and story all reflected a town shaped by creativity, trade and community.

The result was a garden with humour and warmth, but also a serious message about the importance of local identity and shared spaces.