Lois : 𝙽𝚘 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕

‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’ is awarded prestigious honour in the Show Garden category.’

Viking, the award-winning river and ocean cruise line, has been awarded a Silver Gilt medal for ‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’ in the Show Garden category at the 2021 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which runs from 5 – 11 July. Viking is a long-time partner of the RHS, the UK’s leading gardening charity, and headline sponsor of the show for the fifth year.

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Created by award-winning garden designer Will Williams, ‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’ is inspired by Viking’s Nordic roots and incorporates the cruise line’s renowned clean, elegant Scandinavian design principles. An amalgamation of the Norwegian words for free, air and life, Friluftsliv (pronounced free-loofts-liv), translates to ‘open-air living’. Highlighting the value of spending time outdoors, the term is often used to express the spiritual and physical benefits of connecting with nature.

A celebration of outdoor living, ‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’ features an alfresco kitchen, exterior fireplace, and a plunge pool with a rendered effect waterwall. The garden also features a variety of plants, including Astrantia major ‘Abbey Road’ and Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’, and a pine border.

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Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking UK, said:

‘Like the RHS, Viking shares a passion for innovation, creativity and excellence and we are delighted to have been awarded a Silver Gilt medal for ‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’. This is the RHS’ first major outdoor show for 2021 and as headline sponsor we are pleased to play a part in helping visitors reconnect and enjoy the festival. This year’s show focuses on the benefits of gardening and spending time together outside, and the theme – Gardening for Everyone – complements Viking’s inclusive approach. With a keen interest in horticulture, many of our guests enjoy spending time outdoors and our voyages allow them to explore even remote parts of the world in comfort, including the Arctic and Antarctica from next year when we launch our new expedition ships.’

James Alexander-Sinclair, RHS Head of Judging said :

‘This is a really skillfully designed and beautifully executed garden which we are sure will be hugely popular with the public.’

Will Williams was named the RHS Young Designer of the Year in 2018 and became the youngest designer ever to create a garden within the Show Garden category at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in 2019.  Having graduated from the London College of Garden Design, Will has built a successful garden design practice, winning contracts for commercial and residential projects across the UK and overseas.

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Will Williams said:

‘It is such an honour to return to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival with Viking and to be awarded a Silver Gilt medal. I have enjoyed bringing ‘The Viking Friluftsliv Garden’ to life. Having travelled on one of Viking’s ocean ships, I was able to personally experience the elegant, understated Scandinavian style they are known for. I was able to use that first-hand knowledge to embrace the Scandinavian concept ‘friluftsliv’ and create a perfectly balanced garden where nature and contemporary design complement each other. I hope visitors find a space in our garden to relax, reconnect and socialise and feel inspired to create their own open-air living garden.’

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A variety of shore excursions that explore historic and award-winning gardens from all over the world are featured on Viking’s river and ocean voyages. Will Williams experienced Viking’s Into the Midnight Sun itinerary – which sails between London, UK and Bergen, Norway – and offers visits to the Chelsea Physics Garden and the RHS Garden Wisely as part of the shore excursion programme. Guests booked on Tulips & Windmills can look forward to walking the flower-lined footpaths of Keukenhof Gardens and travellers can enjoy a rainforest and garden safari in St Kitts & Nevis while sailing on Viking’s West Indies Explorer itinerary.

For more information about the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, go to www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt

To make a booking or for more information on Viking call 0800 319 66 60 or go to www.vikingcruises.co.uk