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Goodwood Art Foundation

Project:

Client:

Goodwood Estate (West Sussex)

Requirement:

To supply the Goodwood Art Foundation’s 70‑acre art‑landscape with sustainably produced, UK‑grown trees and plants in precise coordination with the installation timeline.

Hillier Project Manager:

Kate Griffiths

Plant Production:

Andler Ash Field-Grown Nursery, Broadmead Container Nursery, Hillier Cash and Carry

Overview

The Goodwood Art Foundation is a new not‑for‑profit contemporary art destination set within the 70‑acre woodlands, wildflower meadows, and glades of the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. Working in harmony with landscape designer Dan Pearson’s naturalistic vision, the planting reflects 24 rapidly shifting two‑week “seasons”, meant to frame artworks throughout the year. Part of Goodwood’s unique appeal is the seamless merging of art, environment, and education as a trio of interlinked objectives for lifelong learning, wellness, and nature connection.

Requirement

Hillier Trees and Hillier Cash & Carry responded to a brief from the Estate’s Rural Land Manager to help fill this botanical canvas with feature standards and under‑planting.

Hilliers Role and Plant Production

As the landscape tree and plant supplier to the Estate and working directly with the Land Manager, Hillier Trees and Hillier Cash & Carry delivered:

381 semi‑mature standard trees, 10–70 cm trunk girth (single stem and multi‑stem forms).
32,000 shrubs and herbaceous plants via Cash & Carry for underplanting, dense hedgerow, glades and meadow edges.
Sourced entirely from our British‑grown, peat‑free nurseries.
Tailored stock selection to complement each of Dan Pearson’s 24 seasonal planting moments.
Whips supplied by Mill Farm.

Legacy, Visitor Experience & Environmental Impact

Seasonal‑rewoven visitor experience:
The 70‑acre Schwarzman Gardens unfold through 24 botanical “micro‑seasons”, creating continually reframed vistas and a dynamic walk through art and nature as the year progresses.
Ecological maturity from planting:
Understorey planting and wildflower turf have naturally softened sculptural installations and supported pollinators and insect activity across meadow and glade edges.
Land‑embedded exhibition identity:
With works by artists such as Rachel Whiteread, Veronica Ryan and Isamu Noguchi sited throughout the newly planted landscape, the estate functions as a living gallery in situated woodland and meadow environments.
Formal learning programme launches 2025:
Starting in September 2025, the Foundation will host a structured education curriculum for local schools, built on the fully planted landscape and reflecting the site’s art‑environment‑education ethos.

The Results

Our involvement at Goodwood reflects a landmark collaboration between a major arts‑landscape institution and a mass‑grower of British standards. It showcases how quality trees and structured under‑planting can elevate both nature and art, while embedding biodiversity and heritage into public‑facing cultural infrastructure.