Silver Gilt at RHS Chelsea for Tsuyako Asada's Tomie's Cuisine Nobonsai balcony garden

Tsuyako Asada's debut Tomie's Cuisine 'Nobonsai' balcony and container garden took an RHS Silver Gilt medal at RHS Chelsea flower show.  A fantastic achievement for the designer who is based in Japan.  

 Original sketch of the balcony and container garden 'Nobonsai' designed by Tsuyako Asada, Alice Garden Design.

 TV crew filming the garden prior to judging. Photograph: Tsuyako Asada 

Tsuyako Asada planting. Photograph: Tsuyako Asada

The Nobonsai garden, creates a natural ecosystem, which, along with some gardening tips, brings the garden and life closer.  Cardboard and newspaper is used at the bottom of the Nobonsai planter instead of filling it with soil.  This makes the planter lighter and enables the planter to hold water, reducing watering needs in summer. Microorganisms and small creatures can live in the paper, preserving the soil's richness.  

Photo of the garden at RHS Chelsea. Photograph: Tsuyako Asada 




Details in the garden. Photograph: Tsuyako Asada 

Tsuyako bases her design and gardening techniques on the “Alice method”.  A method she invented. This method’s foundation is: “no chemical, no dig, and no waste.”

Tsuyako with her RHS Silver Gilt medal, her son (R) and one of her build team.  Arit Anderson in the background.  Photo: Tsuyako Asada 

We started working with Tsuyako in November 2023 to grow the following plants: Achillea moonshine; Amsonia ciliata; Amsonia 'Ernest Pagels'; Amsonia hubrichtii; Anthriscus s. 'Ravenswing'; Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata 'Black Barlow''; Athyrium f femina; Aurinia saxatilis; Briza media; Daucus carota 'Dara''; Dianthus knappii; Disporum 'Green Giant'; Euphorbia seguieriana; Geranium phaeum 'Joseph Green'; Geranium phaeum 'Misty Samobor''; Geum 'Lisanne'; Geum rivale 'Album'; Geum rivale 'Cream Drop'; Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora''; Luzula Nivea; Silene flos-cuculi 'White Robin'; Nepeta subsessilis 'Blue Dreams'';  Nepeta x faassenii 'Crystal Cloud' PBR; ; Polemonium caeruleum;  Semiaquilegia Aussie form; Stipa tenuissima;  Telllima  grandiflora; Thalictrum lucidum; Tiarelli 'Emerald Ellie';  Veronica  gentianoides x Intermedia.

After Chelsea the garden will be relocated to her sponsor, Tomie's Cuisine.