Growing up in Provence, Olivier Baussan was fascinated by herbs. At age 23, he started extracting essential oils from rosemary and lavender and selling it in local Provencal markets. From those parochial beginnings in 1976, the worldwide empire of L’Occitane en Provence was born.Excluded from his own company when he brought in Venture Capitalists to finance expansion, he was later asked to join as creative director and lead product developer in 1998.The 2011 Annual Report shows sales of their award-winning essential oil products at 772 million Euros, a net of over E102m and astonishing expansion of shops to 70 countries and over 1,500 locations including Dubai, Tokyo, Paris, London and the US. There has been exponential growth of product sales in Russia and China. There are other shareholders including Clarins but Olivier is still highly involved with the company.Their award-winning skincare collection, L’Occitane Immortelle is formulated around the organic essential oils of the Immortelle flower (also known as the herb of the Gods), grown in Corsica.And this is where the celestial paths of two great artisans collide.Inspirational garden designer, Peter Dowle was chosen to create the L’Occitane Immortelle Garden at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London this year. His commission was to recreate the magnificent wild landscape of the Corsican maquis and evoke the very essence of L’Occitane with the bright yellow Immortelle flower as its main focus.Peter is no stranger to the Chelsea Flower Show, having first helped his father, Julian Dowle, a renowned garden designer from the age of eight. Since that time he has branched out and won eight gold medals for Chelsea Show Gardens with the L’Occitane Immortelle Garden included. He lives, sleeps and breathes gardens.The design of a Show Garden is no mean feat taking approximately 15 months of research and preparation, with only two and a half weeks to assemble, four days to show but evocative memories that last a lifetime.Many of the gardens cost up to £500,000 to create a 10x10 space.This year’s garden was no exception to challenging logistics. Many of the plants were native to Corsica and had not been shown before. They had to be cultivated in Valencia before being trucked to England in time for the show. The design also featured a stone cabin, an outdoor seating terrace, a small lagoon and a sandy beach footpath.Peter has no time to rest on his Corsican laurels and is already in preparation for next year’s show for Renault. Last year he created the garden for the Principality of Monaco where he met two monarchs, Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth II in his garden. This year he also transformed Trafalgar Square into an English country garden for the St Georges Day celebrations in April.So the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show is over far too soon, but the way it affects those who visit is immeasurable and transformational. Next time I pass the L’Occitane en Provence shop in a nameless US airport, I will be buying ‘something’ to rejuvenate the memory of a gorgeous English summer’s day and a Corsican garden. And, THAT is great marketing!To find out more visit: ww.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2012/All-Coverage/Photos/L-Occitane-Immortelle-Garden www.loccitane.comLois Wilson is a local entrepreneur.