Five cherry trees, beloved for their billowy pink blooms, each represent a pillar of Islam in a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, designed to be a beautiful space with an uplifting message.
The Prunus serrulata are evenly spaced throughout hundreds of other plants on a plot inspired by the premise that horticulture is for everyone, everywhere, transcending all borders.
The RHS and Eastern Eye Garden of Unity, which will sit next week in a prime spot on the main avenue, was developed by British garden designer Manoj Malde, who is also the show's ambassador for diversity and inclusivity.
“I have tried very hard to make sure that in some way or another I am including various different communities, different cultural backgrounds and different ethnicities,” Mr Malde tells The National at the venue in a break from last-minute preparations.
“People will see lots of colour, which is very much my handwriting, but actually this garden has a really close relationship with me from my childhood.”
Mr Malde, who was a fashion designer for 18 years before studying garden design, was born in Kenya to parents of Indian descent before moving to the UK at the age of six.
The garden, bordered on one side by a bright wall that harks back to his recollection of garments worn by Indian women, has a path running through it made of pentagonal slabs demonstrating how a broken society is stronger when it comes together.
“Positive things begin to happen,” says Mr Malde.
He talks about religious education lessons in north London, during which he and his fellow primary school pupils learnt about various faiths.
But for his younger self, the teachings of Islam stood out most particularly.
“It is something that's always remained with me,” Mr Malde says.
“I've introduced five trees but the way I've translated these five trees is: love, kindness, empathy, unity and understanding – so, similar to Islam, how you should live your life as a human being.
“And the lovely thing about those trees is that they are drought-tolerant, especially after the summer we had last year. I think we've got to start future-proofing our gardens as our summers get hotter.”
Sustainability is a key principle in the garden, from peat-free planting to the use of reclaimed materials, such as the pathway comprised of recycled limestone.
A small mezuzah is attached to the pergola that sits at the end of the path, in another tribute to his earliest memories.
Mr Malde grew up, he says, surrounded by a strong Jewish community, “so there's no way that I could forget them”.
“It’s a little casket and inside the casket there's a Jewish prayer on parchment that is rolled up inside the casket," he says.
"Jewish families have it on their front door and when they enter the house, they touch the mezuzah."
The many colours of the pergola were inspired by a quote from American poet Maya Angelou: “Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud.”
Mr Malde says: “It just resonates with me. I feel that if each of us was a rainbow for somebody else, that person then goes on to become a rainbow for somebody else as well.
“And can you imagine? There's not a better place than a world full of rainbows.”
The garden aims to be as accessible as possible, with wide entry points suitable for wheelchairs and Braille-covered posts throughout that explain its ethos and purpose.
Much of the design displays Mr Malde's Asian and African background. The aubergine accent, for example, comes from a sari embroidered with real silver threads given as a marital gift to his mother by her father.
“It’s my garden. It’s my heritage,” he says.
“I have brought in Indian-inspired colours into the garden, and I say Indian inspired because, as a child, I've always been surrounded by beautiful women in gorgeous saris. So you'll see a lot of pinks and oranges.”
Hindu deities such as Ganesh, the elephant god, are also present, as well as Lakshmi, Saraswati and a Shiva lingam.
There are spiritually significant marigold flowers used in Hindu worship and vibrant spices set out alongside small oil lamps called “diya”, which feature in festivals and in religious ceremonies.
In a nod to his Kenyan birth, a “gorgeous” Kuba cloth made from palm leaves is laid across a table.
Fittingly, the community garden will be moved at the end of the week-long annual horticultural event to a public setting yet to be decided.
“Yes," Mr Malde says, with a broad smile. "It will have a legacy and people will be able to use it after the show finishes."
