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Designed around life

Feel protected in the Subaru Cocoon Garden

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

1 - 6 July 2025

A space to preserve and protect

The Subaru Cocoon Garden is a beautiful showcase for regenerative design. Centred around Britain’s temperate rainforest - which used to cover 20% of the land and is now just 1% - it shines a light on our need to preserve a delicate ecosystem and give back to nature.

In lieu of a traditional walled garden door, a reflective water threshold - a symbolic cleansing - leads into a cool, immersive landscape of texture and shadow

We are proud to support Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Matthews, of Mike McMahon Studio, in bringing this immersive experience to life at the prestigious RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

GARDEN DESIGNERS

Meet our design duo

Mike and Jewlsy, of Mike McMahon Studio, are the husband-and-wife team behind the Subaru Cocoon Garden.

With an award-winning studio in Westminster, London, they design everything from large-scale office developments to intimate garden spaces.

An interview with Mike McMahon

Plant asdfasdfTypes

Uncover the native planting

Download the full plant list
Betula Pendula - Silver Birch

Betula Pendula - Silver Birch

A striking deciduous tree with distinctive white bark and light, airy foliage. Its golden autumn leaves and early-spring catkins support wildlife, making it a beautiful and eco-friendly choice for naturalistic or woodland-style gardens.
Pinus Sylvestris - Scots Pine

Pinus Sylvestris - Scots Pine

Hardy and long-lived, Scots Pine provides year-round structure and is a vital habitat for birds and insects—ideal for adding height and character to naturalistic or wildlife-focused gardens.
Digitalis Purpurea - Foxglove

Digitalis Purpurea - Foxglove

A classic woodland biennial with tall spires of tubular flowers in shades of purple, pink, or white. Loved by pollinators, especially bees, foxgloves thrive in partial shade and add vertical interest and a wild, romantic feel to garden borders.
Polypodium vulgare - Polypody Fern

Polypodium vulgare - Polypody Fern

A hardy, evergreen fern with leathery, deeply lobed fronds that bring texture and greenery year-round. Thriving in shade and dry conditions, it’s perfect for woodland gardens, rockeries, or walls, and supports biodiversity by offering shelter for insects.
Dryopteris Affinis - Scaly Male Fern

Dryopteris Affinis - Scaly Male Fern

A robust, semi-evergreen fern with arching, leathery fronds and distinctive golden scales on its stems. Ideal for shady spots, it adds rich texture and structure to woodland gardens and thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Low-maintenance and wildlife-friendly.
Athyrium Filix Femina - Lady Fresh

Athyrium Filix Femina - Lady Fresh

A graceful, deciduous fern with finely divided, light green fronds that add soft texture to shaded areas. Thrives in moist, humus-rich soil and brings elegance and movement to woodland or shade gardens. Easy to grow and perfect for naturalistic planting schemes.

Bringing the design to life

RHS Hampton Court Palace Cocoon Garden

Subaru Cocoon Show Garden

The Subaru Cocoon captures the spirit of Britain’s temperate rainforests, blending naturalistic planting with a modern twist on the traditional walled garden.At its heart is a sweeping curved jali wall - a perforated screen inspired by Indian architecture, reimagined here as a contemporary lattice that honours co-designer Jewlsy Mathews’ South Indian heritage. The wall filters dappled light, offers glimpses inward, and invites plants to spill through and beyond its patterned openings.Made from 4,500 Kenoteq K-Briqs, an innovative brick composed of recycled construction waste and carrying just 5% of the embodied carbon of standard bricks, the wall reflects the garden’s commitment to sus...
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The Subaru Cocoon captures the spirit of Britain’s temperate rainforests, blending naturalistic planting with a modern twist on the traditional walled garden.
At its heart is a sweeping curved jali wall - a perforated screen inspired by Indian architecture, reimagined here as a contemporary lattice that honours co-designer Jewlsy Mathews’ South Indian heritage. The wall filters dappled light, offers glimpses inward, and invites plants to spill through and beyond its patterned openings.

Made from 4,500 Kenoteq K-Briqs, an innovative brick composed of recycled construction waste and carrying just 5% of the embodied carbon of standard bricks, the wall reflects the garden’s commitment to sustainability. Its built-in cavities double as insect hotels, offering shelter for pollinators, while a planted trough above boosts biodiversity.
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RHS Hampton Court Palace Subaru Cocoon Show Garden

Temperate Rainforest Sanctuary

A reflective water feature reimagines the traditional garden entrance, guiding visitors to an elevated walkway that invites new viewpoints. Plants weave through the wall’s openings, softening its structure and echoing the wild, layered beauty of a rainforest. A minimalist seating area, with furniture crafted by Mike and Jewlsy from recycled paper, offers a tranquil space for reflection. Throughout, a vibrant mix of flowering plants attracts pollinators and supports local wildlife, reinforcing the garden’s ecological harmony.
The garden will feature in the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival’s Show Garden category situated on the Main Avenue from 1st - 6th July 2025.

Subaru Solterra

Designed around you

We are committed to protecting the environment with responsible and sustainable manufacturing practises. Our cars are designed to provide the best protection for you and your family, as you embrace the outdoors.

Find out more about our all-electric Subaru Solterra, its name derives from the Latin for ‘sun’ and ‘earth’ and offers outstanding all-wheel drive performance, together with an advanced safety package fitted as standard.

Discover more

As part of Subaru's commitment to sustainability, the garden will be given a second life after the festival with plans to repurpose it to Horatio's Garden charity, ensuring the installation continues to inspire and provide a place to nurture the wellbeing of people beyond the event.

HORATIO’S GARDEN

Life after the festival