Beth Chatto was one of the pioneers of ecological planting. She chose a piece of land with variable conditions and poor soil to create her garden, using the foliage plants she favoured to create a series of gardens to match these challenges. Beth poured a huge amount of energy into her work, establishing a nursery and driving herself and car-loads of plants all over the country to promote it through flower arranging demonstrations. She also showed at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, winning ten consecutive gold medals with her naturalistic style and unusual plants and finally being awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH).
In this film commissioned by the Garden Museum in 2015, Beth speaks from her gardens in Elmstead Market, Essex, looking back over her incomparable career as a plantswoman and the creation of her famous gardens.