By Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt
Photos = Hwang Ji-hae

Garden designer and environmental artist Hwang Ji-hae was this year's winner in the Show Gardens category at the Chelsea Flower Show in London from May 22-27. Inspired by Jirisan Mountain, her work "A Letter from a Million Years Past," her third award winner at the event, represents a close link between humans and nature in being designed entirely by hand and spreading the Korean spirit. 

In an email interview from June 5-14, she discussed how she designed her eco-friendly garden. Artist Hwang Ji-hae is based in Korea. Currently, she lives and works in both London and Seoul.

Hwang Ji-hae has won three awards at the U.K. Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Briefly introduce yourself.
I'm an environmental artist and garden designer who tells stories with plants and designs gardens as conceptual art. I believe in the importance of expanding the meaning of gardens by turning them into art.

How did Jirisan Mountain inspire your work?
I was inspired by how mountains and herbs are good for health and quality of life. Before hospitals and pharmacies, Koreans relied on hanyak (traditional folk medicine) based on how the body relates to the rhythm of nature. I wanted to tell the story of interdependency between nature and humanity. 

Jirisan is considered the "mother mountain" of Korea as the country's last wild forest with several peaks and valleys remaining unnamed. In the past, the region was known for its reserve of medicinal herbs and today, it's like a natural seed bank with more than 1,000 species of herbs growing in the area. I attempted to recreate the eastern part of the mountain in garden form.

The rare plants and trees were brought from the farms of Blyden and Sue Wynn-Jones, who carried seeds from Korea to the U.K. 30 years ago.

How did you create a Korean garden on foreign soil?
I first had to find Korean plants in the U.K. because the Chelsea Flower Show bars contestants from bringing plants from other countries to prevent disrupting the carbon balance. Sue and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones, two botanical hunters from North Wales, had rare seeds collected from Jirisan, Hallasan Mountain and Ulleungdo Island 30 years ago. These seeds were used to simulate the wild appearance of Jirisan.

How long did it take to complete the work?
We began preparing in October last year and started work on May 2 this year. We brought about 200 tons of rocks from Scotland, one of which weighed 16 tons. The process took three weeks and we arranged everything by hand to convey the positive interaction between humans and nature.

How is this garden different from the others you designed?
This garden tells a personal story. Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with a health problem that led me to focus on my body. I realized that my body and nature are inseparable so I designed a garden that reflects this message.

How do you feel about winning an award again after 10 years?
I was worried because this project was my first in 10 years, but my anxiety prompted me to be brave. The power of primordial nature helped me win the prize, and I'm simply a messenger lucky enough to show off the latent value of Korean fields and mountains.

Can people visit the garden after the exhibition ends?
The garden will be moved to the Surrey area, with part of the works relocated this year to the foundation at Maggie's Nottingham City Hospital, which has a small garden for cancer patients. All proceeds from the garden will be donated to the foundation to help thousands of such patients.

How was meeting King Charles III?
He visited the garden and said, "Thank you for bringing your garden to England." I wanted to thank him for visiting so I asked if I could hug him. I wasn't sure if this was proper royal etiquette but he hugged me. I was told later that I was the first commoner to hug the king.

King Charles III on May 22 hugs garden designer Hwang Ji-hae at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. 

Any parting message you want to express?
I think most of the world's problems is due to our distance from nature. If this interview encourages readers to get in touch with nature, I'll consider it a success. I'll continue to tell stories about Korea through gardens.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things.