This summer, Disney’s THE LION KING will present a community garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival to commemorate 25 years of the iconic, award-winning West End musical. Taking place between 2 – 7 July, the garden will feature rousing live performances and interactive activities throughout the week, providing a communal space for the public to sit and reflect on their own journey through the ‘Circle of Life’.
Designed by leading garden designer Juliet Sargeant, the garden will be filled with vibrant, drought-tolerant flowers, to reflect the bright colours of Julie Taymor’s design, and dusty red soil will be planted with swathes of resilient grasses to reflect the Pridelands. It will be surrounded by a wildlife-friendly dry hedge, to create a traditional Boma providing a communal meeting place for visitors to enjoy. The ‘Circle of Life’ will be echoed throughout the garden, creating balance and harmony, whilst a large silk ‘sunrise’ will provide a colourful and theatrical boundary focal point.
Climate resilient plants and trees such as Bulbinella frutescens ‘Sunset Orange, ‘Zanthoxyllum simulans (Szechuan pepper), Kniphofia varieties, Zelkova serrata, Savannah Ruby Grass, and Gleditsia Skyline (Honey Locust) will offer practical, drought-tolerant take-home ideas for show visitors to plant in their own outdoor spaces.
Since performances began at the Lyceum Theatre in 1999 more than 19 million people have experienced the breath-taking musical in London. Every performance takes 150 people, with 50 on stage and 100 backstage along with 232 puppets and 350 different costumes. To mark its 25th year in the heart of London’s West End, the show is proud to celebrate its quarter century at this prestigious event in the capital’s annual calendar.
THE LION KING 25th anniversary garden designer, Juliet Sargeant commented: “The Circle of Life” is a great theme for a garden-maker! I am having such fun, working with the talented Lion King team to create a colourful and stimulating space for Lion King fans to celebrate 25 years of the iconic West End show. The parched landscape of the African savanna is a continuous backdrop to the drama on stage and it has provided me with an inspirational well-spring, from which to create a drought-tolerant garden with practical ideas for people to take home.”
The role of Scar in the West End has been played by George Asprey for 16 years, and as a keen amateur gardener, he commented: “I find gardening gives you such a strong connection to nature and the seasons: what to sow in different soil types and when to sow it. I find I’m much more aware of the changing cycles around me – not just in my garden, but also when I go on walks, or even when I notice the trees around town. My garden is a place I can truly lose myself, a relief from the stress and strains of the modern world. I hope this garden at Hampton Court offers visitors the same respite.
During lockdown when the theatres closed, I joined a lawn care company. The work was hard and the hours were long, but I loved it. Creating beautiful spaces and maintaining them gave me a huge sense of pride; it was a time I will never forget. The Lion King at its heart is about respect for nature’s equilibrium and existing in harmony within it.”
