THE Gardening WEBSITE,
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editor@thegardeningwebsite.co.uk
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THE Gardening WEBSITE,
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Small garden exhibitorsSmall garden exhibitors In 2008, visitors to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will see that the small gardens are grouped into two categories, Urban Gardens, and Courtyard Gardens. Urban Gardens should present designs suitable for small urban spaces, including front gardens, where designers are challenged to find clever solutions to the restrictions in space and the conflict of uses; or roof gardens, which should overcome likely obstructions such as chimneys and vents whilst providing an area for relaxation and entertaining. These gardens should incorporate new ideas, modern materials and planting for an urban environment with imaginative and innovative design. Courtyard Gardens should present designs suitable for small spaces located in a rural or semi-rural setting. Judging the gardens The gardens are all judged for RHS medals. Before judging, each garden exhibitor submits a client's brief which details the scope and theme of their garden. The brief assists the panel of assessors and judges to determine the level of award. Assessments are carried out on the Sunday before the show, when each garden is evaluated in detail. On the Monday (Press Day), a panel of judges uses the detailed assessments to judge the gardens. Exhibitors recieve their awards on Tuesday morning, just as the show is opening to visitors. Assessors and judges take particular interest in the quality of the design, planting and construction. They also take account of the designer's interpretation of the garden's theme and its overall impression. A special award is given to the best garden within each category. Small garden exhibitor list; AOA CORPORATION CO. LTD “Midori No Tobira” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR4 Designer: Kazuyuki Ishihara Press contact: Daisuke Takanaka/Michiko Suzuki Press contact tel: 0081 3 3243 4887 Press contact email: takanaka@ikdl.jp / msuzuki27@hotmail.com Exhibitor address: Nakada Muromachi Build 2F, 2-5-9 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Tokyo 103-0022 JAPAN ‘Midori No Tobira’ means ‘The Green Door’ and the concept of the garden comes from the designer’s childhood, when he created secret bases on his rooftop garden, into which he could escape and enter a new and exciting world. This garden is designed as a Japanese roof garden, for a space that gets lots of sun, but also is exposed to strong winds. It is an escape for urban residents who may not have access to a “traditional” garden. The gardens “green walls” and water feature relax visitors and heal tired hearts. The garden is also attractive to, not only people, but also wildlife. AW GARDENING SERVICES AND CONWAY LANDSCAPES “The Good Gifts Garden” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM11 Designer: Adam Woolcott, Jonathan Smith, Cormac Conway Contractor: AW Gardening Services, Conway Landscapes Sponsor: Good Gifts Press contact: Jo Walker Press contact tel: 020 7580 8880 Press contact email: jo@marylallyassociates.com Exhibitor address: 88 Barrells Down Road, Bishops Storford, Hertfordshire CM23 2SX ‘The Good Gifts Garden’ represents a seaside, coastal garden from the 1950s. The garden is very natural and nostalgic and is a nod towards seaside holidays from days gone by. The garden is surrounded on three sides by wooden groynes, which act as the boundary. There is a rocky bank which slopes from the back of the garden, and the front depicts a beach scene. The garden is predominantly planted with masses of wildflowers, shrubs and grasses that thrive in coastal conditions. The planting is natural and random as is the colour scheme. BAMBOO GARDEN DESIGN “Urban Rain by Bamboo” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR5 Designer: Bob Latham Press contact: Jo Foster Exhibitor address: 34 Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA This garden is designed to be a welcoming, yet sophisticated front garden, that balances style and function. The garden conceals an environmentally sound rainwater collection and irrigation system to water raised beds and eliminate run off. It also features a practical, all weather solution to domestic waste and recycling, both contained and concealed. BARRY MAYLED HOMES AND GARDENS “The Night Sky” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR3 Designer: Barry Mayled Sponsor: Acorn Gardens, Euroclad Ltd, Hopkins Law LLP Press contact: Nick Warr Press contact tel: 07887 593 446 Press contact email: nick@warrcommunications.co.uk Exhibitor address: Augusta Studio, The Court, 16a Augusta Road, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan CF64 5RH This rooftop garden is intended for an astronomer, as an ideal position to view the stars and the sky at night. A sliding roof allows the space to be used during inclement weather and the subtle lighting makes it ideal for evening and night time use. Tall, rocket-shaped Cupressus sempervirens ‘Totem Pole’ flank the furnished seating area while twin planting beds echo the solar system, the stars, planets and orbits. An angled wall, with built-in computer controlled illuminations showing galaxy formations, is set off with Sedum and Echiveria while a boundary structure in midnight black aluminium incorporates a small, still pool with a double sided stainless steel waterfall. The black granite floor has an etched, celestial theme and mesh side curtains reduce the force of the wind and protect the plants. The centrepiece of the garden is a telescope. The planting will include Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’, Astrantia minor, Digitalis pupurea f. albiflora, Lupinus ‘Pauly’, Pratia pendunculata, Salvia × sylvestris ‘Mainacht’, Tiarella cordifolia, Vinca minor ‘La Grave’, Echeveria elegans, Sempervivum calcareum, Helichrysum italicum ‘Korma’, Ajuga reptans ‘Valfredda’. Water is collected at roof level, and is used to irrigate the orbit shaped beds and bottle walls using hydroponic cultivation. BERKSHIRE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE “42 Catherine Street” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM13 Sponsor: Berkshire College Press contact: Sarah Irving Press contact tel: 01628 824 444 Press contact email: sirving@bca.ac.uk Exhibitor address: Hall Place, Burchetts Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 6QR Found in a secluded corner of a larger garden, this tranquil garden room offers a quiet, intimate sanctuary. Built mainly with reclaimed materials and planted throughout with shade-tolerant plants, this space combines rusted ironwork with a wide variety of foliage textures and forms. CHESSINGTON GARDEN CENTRE “Mist-placed” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM9 Designer: Andrew Stevenson, Steve Putnam Contractor: Chessington Garden Centre Sponsor: Chessington Garden Centre Press contact: Steve Putnam Press contact tel: 01737 356 157 Press contact email: steveputnam@hotmail.com Exhibitor address: Mahe, 95 Shawley Way, Epsom Downs, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5PG The ‘Mist-placed’ garden depicts a lost and neglected chapel garden. Formerly a place for quiet reflection and solitude, this garden has been untouched for years, but still retains the peaceful and calming spirit. Viewed from the front, the chapel garden is surrounded by the original York stone walls which maintain the damp and shady environment. The stone is softened by mosses and ferns which have naturalised in the walls’ deep fissures. Worn York paving frames a reflective pool and clover and grasses seed profusely through the irregular paving joints. The original gate remains, although the supporting columns and walls have deteriorated over time. The planting throughout the garden is entirely green and white, with varying shades of green, creamy white flowers and variegated foliage to emphasise the calming and restful qualities of this garden. DORSET CEREALS “The Dorset Cereals Edible Playground Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM12 Designer: Nick Williams-Ellis Contractor: James Marshall Garden Developments Sponsor: Dorset Cereals Press contact: Mandy Cooper Press contact tel: 01935 389 497 Press contact email: mandy@positivepr.co.uk Exhibitor address: The Old Fire Station, Ludbourne Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3NU This garden is a showcase for a 2008 national campaign sponsored by Dorset Cereals called ‘Edible Playgrounds’. This initiative seeks to educate, inspire and encourage schools and community groups to develop a small garden in which to grow food. ‘The Dorset Cereals Edible Playground’ shows how a corner of a typical Dorset village school playground could be adapted to form a productive and attractive garden where young children can learn about and experience the thrill of growing their own food. The plants are selected to enhance the children’s enjoyment and understanding of what they eat, and varieties that can be harvested as far as possible during school term times will be included. Salad plants, for example radishes and cut-and-come-again salads, will provide quick results. Rainbow chard and beetroot will provide colour and a small patch of wheat will show where bread comes from. Hanging baskets of strawberries and tomatoes will be suspended from the walls. A permanent herb bed at the centre of the garden can be used in the school kitchen, or to flavour the children’s own cooking including bay, rosemary, chives, parsley, sage and thyme. The key structural plants will be a mature apple tree, an espaliered plum and a specimen grape vine. EARTHLY GARDEN DESIGNS “Motor Neurone Disease – Shetland Croft House Garden” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM10 Designer: Sue Hayward Contractor: Alan Smiles-Shetland Stonecraft, Nottingham Trent University horticultural students Sponsor: Earthly Garden Designs Press contact: Sue Hayward Press contact tel: 07966 521 376 Press contact email: sue@suehayward.co.uk Exhibitor address: 11 Bunny Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5JU The garden depicts a typical Shetland croft house garden, set in the 1940s. The garden is owned by a Shetland crofter who has hung up his fishing nets since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, symbolised by the walking stick leaning by the doorway. The walls, sheltering the plants in the croft garden from the harsh weather, form an analogy with the refuge and support given by the MND association to its sufferers. The croft garden is scattered with the evidence of a fisherman’s life and ropes and nets are hung from the walls. The window sill is lined with vibrant potted pelargoniums. There is an alpine table in the sheltered corner of the croft wall featuring rare Shetland plants such as Edmonston’s chickweed (Cerastium arcticum subsp. edmonstonii) which has not been found anywhere else in the world. The planting consists of tough shrubs such as Rosa rugosa, Fuchsia magellanica and Lonicera periclymenum. These help to shield the other plants from the gale force winds. Varieties of heritage and rare Shetland vegetables such as the ‘Foula red’ potato, Shetland kale and rhubarb are grown in rows on one side and on the other are colourful herbaceous plants that will tolerate the harsh conditions mixed with salad crops. ELYSIUM GARDEN & LANDSCAPE DESIGN “The Pemberton Greenish Recess Garden” Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW49 Designer: Paul Hensey with Knoll Gardens Contractor: Foxcroft Landscapes Sponsor: Pemberton Greenish Press contact: Amanda Walker Press contact tel: 01725 512 200 Press contact email: Amanda@phoenix-2.co.uk Exhibitor address: 8 West View, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 1DG This garden was inspired by the grasses at Knoll Gardens, but also playfully references some of the interior schemes of Frank Lloyd Wright. The rear boundary of the garden is extended by using trained Betula albosinensis ‘Fascination’. These pink paper bark birch trees are playfully ‘attached’ to the boundary by steel boxes in an alternating pattern, almost as if they were woven into the fence. LED lighting will emphasise this effect. The garden is sunk so that the sense of privacy and noise reduction is improved. This has the additional benefit of allowing the plants to be seen from a slightly different perspective. The planting is predominantly grasses and accents of perennials will contrast with the grasses to provide seasonal interest. A water feature creates a focal point and again helps with inner city noise reduction. The water gently tumbles over a set of steps designed to appear unified with the rest of the garden structure. Seating is incorporated into the garden so that there is no furniture to move around or maintain. The garden is also designed to incorporate a rain water harvesting system. Key plants include Betula albosinensis ‘Fascination’, Betula nigra, muhly grass, Juncus patens ‘Elk Blue’. ENGLISH EDEN WITH SLYVIA ONG-MORTL AND JEAN THOMAS “Ratty’s Refuge” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR6 Designer: Angela Potter, Ann Robinson, Sylvia Ong-Mortle and Jean Thomas Contractor: Heritage Landscapes Sponsor: The River & Rowing Museum Press contact: Will Kallaway Press contact tel: 020 7221 7883 Press contact email: William@kallaway.co.uk Exhibitor address: 24 Nicholas Way, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2TS Designed by recent students from Capel Manor College, this garden is intended to highlight the plight of the water vole, which is the fastest declining species of mammal in the UK. ‘Ratty’s Refuge’ was inspired by Ratty the water vole from Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book ‘The Wind in The Willows’ which celebrates 100 years of publication in 2008. This is a contemporary urban garden, using naturalistic planting to create a green refuge for people and wildlife. The lush planting contrasts with the geometric simplicity of the environmentally friendly decking combined with grids. The planting is a mixture of native species from Cambourne in Cambridgeshire, together with garden cultivars. Predominantly green with yellow, blue and while. Key plants include native willows and moisture loving plants which provide water voles with food and habitat. GROWING AMBITION “The Simmons & Simmons Garden – ‘A Journey to Work’” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM14 Designer: Growing Ambition Contractor: Rupert’s Landscapes Sponsor: Simmons & Simmons Press contact: Sadie Metherell Press contact tel: 020 7825 4411 Press contact email: sadie.metherell@simmons-simmons.com Exhibitor address: 11 The Warren, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2NH As a group of newly qualified garden design students from Oaklands College, St Albans, this is Growing Ambition’s first time at an RHS flower show. The group consists of eight enthusiastic gardeners from very different backgrounds including a former scientist, a beauty therapist and a signer for the deaf. ‘The Simmons & Simmons Garden – A Journey to Work’ reflects the growing trend for flexible working. The garden is designed for a solicitor who has an office at the top of a barn at the back of his garden and is intended to provide an inspirational journey to work. The “journey” is a curved granite path leading to a curved staircase. The planting theme will explore ways to blend reliably hardy plants with those regarded as more traditionally tender, to create a contemporary garden with an exotic feel. A backdrop of strong foliage plants will combine with seasonal highlights of purple and orange tones to create a warm, uplifting theme. The key structural plants include Prunus maackii ‘Amber Beauty’, Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Beauty’, Euphorbia mellifera and Phyllostachys bambusoides ‘Holochrysa’ (syn. P. bambusoides ‘Allgold’). Other key plants include Fritillaria imperialis ‘Rubra’, Geum ‘Prinses Juliana’, Tulipa acuminata, Crocosmia masoniorum and Hedychium greenii. LK BENNETT “The LK Bennett Garden Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW45 Designer: Rachel de Thame Contractor: Clifton Nurseries Sponsor: SG Hambros Press contact: Lily Roman Press contact tel: 020 7637 6727 Press contact email: lilyr@lkbennett.com Exhibitor address: 3 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0LB The design of ‘The LK Bennett Garden’ embraces modern urban life and contemporary style, but acknowledges a yearning for the romantic planting of a traditional English country garden. It is elegant, feminine and curvaceous. The garden is a haven in which to escape from city life, relax, and enjoy small scale entertaining. Inspiration for the garden was found in the glamour and femininity of the 1950s, including rose-printed cocktail dresses of the period, Cecil Beaton’s costume and hat designs for the Ascot scene in the film “My Fair Lady” and Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures. The design of the garden includes a curved sculptural steel structure which appears to float over water. The garden features predominantly natural materials; slate tiles are used for the flooring, with small offcuts of the material used to face the curved terraced raised beds. A sloping curving wall, which wraps around the seating area, provides the support for a simple timber bench. A still pool of water abutting the edge of the garden and flowing beneath the sculpture will reflect the linear steel rods, which will have planting incorporated along the base. The garden marries strong contemporary design with softness and opulence in the planting, capturing the ebullient look of a country garden. A palette of soft pinks, rich burgundy and maroon predominate. Ground cover and patio roses spill over the edges of the raised beds creating a cascade of flowers. Shrub roses, peonies and a range of perennials, including irises, aquilegia and grasses fill the other beds. Tulips add seasonal colour and evergreen shrubs, including box, ensure year-round structure and continuity. A single Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ is a key structural plant towards the front of the garden. NEW GROUND LANDSCAPES “A Welcome Sight” Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW46 Designer: Adam Frost Press contact: Ms Sulina Frost Press contact tel: 01780 764 700 Press contact email: aflandscapes@aol.com Exhibitor address: Unit 2, Glen Industrial Estate, Essendine, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 4LE This garden demonstrates that a front garden need not be a dull space it acts as a welcome for the owners and their guests. The design is intended to make the front garden as usable as the back. Large cubed box hedges give structure, as do two raised steel water rills which also give movement and sound to the garden. OUTER SPACES “Green Living” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR7 Designer: Phillippa Probert Press contact: Phillippa Probert Press contact tel: 07734 157 976 Press contact email: info@outerspaces.org.uk Exhibitor address: Oaklands Business Park, Hooton Road, Hooton, CH66 7NZ ‘Green Living’ is a modern garden designed for a young busy couple living in the heart of the city. It is intended to disguise the grey, city backdrop and bring a touch of nature to the urban environment. The garden is designed to maximise the amount of space used for planting. The plot boundaries are green, living walls as is the roof structure. The garden floor consists of long, thin paved stepping stones that appear to float over water, with lush foliage and attractive flower heads emerging from the pool. Pinks and purples contrast against the green backdrop, and brown tones tie in with the hard landscaping – warm Indian stone and dark teak. Jets in the water add further interest to the garden, as does wooden panelling on the back wall, which has a row of photographs scanned onto tiles and mounted onto the wood, like pictures on a wall, to giver further interest and a personal touch. The garden is to be used for a multitude of functions, including sitting, reading and dining and artistic hobbies. It is an attractive area that stimulates the artistic senses. QUEEN ELIZABETH II BOTANIC PARK – CAYMAN ISLANDS “The Heritage Garden, Grand Cayman” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM17 Designer: Andrew Guthrie, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park Contractor: Newington Nurseries Sponsor: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism Press contact: Susie de Carteret, Becky Addley Press contact tel: 01532 853 910 Press contact email: Susie@juicycommunications.co.uk Exhibitor address: 6 Arlington Street, London SW1A 1EA ‘The Heritage Garden, Grand Cayman’ is a floral display depicting life in old Caymanian times and replicates the original Heritage Garden, which is distinctive for its pretty white sand garden. The garden will feature a typical Caymanian Catboat, which is strongly linked to the development of the islands. These small boats ventured off shore to hunt turtles, as well as being utilised as the Islands’ waterborne pickup trucks, coasting within yards of ironshore, reef and shoal beach. Key plants in the garden include the silver thatch palm, which is the national tree of the Cayman Islands and provided early settlers with the craft of rope making and thatching. The garden also includes the national plant, the banana orchid. SEKISUI EXTERIOR CO. LTD “Tokyo City Garden” Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW47 Designer: Koji Ninomiya Contractor: Peter Dowle Plants and Garden Sponsor: Sekisui Exterior Co. Ltd Press contact: Koji Ninomiya Press contact tel: 0081 3 6776 7072 Press contact email: seiseinursery@yahoo.co.jp Exhibitor address: 4-1-33 Akasaka, Minatoku, Tokyo 107-0052 JAPAN “Tokyo City Garden” is an environmentally friendly approach to an urban front garden. A parking space is incorporated into the garden, and is covered by a pergola, creating a “green roof” of climbing plants. Run off water is collected from the roof and paving, and used for irrigation of the garden. The boundaries of the garden are of natural stone that ripples round the garden, and contrasts with the soft planting. SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) “SPANA’s Courtyard Refuge” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM15 Designer: Chris O’Donoghue Contractor: SPANA Sponsor: SPANA Press contact: Simon Pope Press contact tel: 020 7269 2689 Press contact email: simon@spana.org Exhibitor address: 14 John Street, London WC1N 2EB ‘SPANA’s Courtyard Refuge’ is inspired by a typical Moroccan courtyard in Marrakech, where donkeys and other animals are still an integral part of everyday life. The overall theme is to subtly depict the relationship between man, animal, plants and the environment. The surrounding walls depict the boundaries of the courtyard which is presumed to be within the interior of a house. Doors and windows provide light and access and an arch suggests an entrance to the courtyard from outside. Steps provide access to the flat roof of the house with an old wooden door leading to the stable beneath. The fountain is a focal point in the courtyard as it not only represents the ‘elixir of life’ in desert countries, but also has a religious aspect in the ritual of washing before prayer. The movement of the water will also refresh and circulate the air. A grape vine fills the corner, partly concealing the stable while a bougainvillea and clematis provide balance on the other side. Large terracotta pots of Phoenix canariensis and Cyperus papyrus give sculptural interest while herbs and scented shrubs fill the space with fragrance and also provide food and cover to the many species of butterflies and moths. Several kinds of mint will feature - an essential ingredient for Moroccan tea making. ST JOSEPH’S HOSPICE “The Way Forward” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM16 Designer: Zoe Cain, with Jim Buttress VMH and Jocelyn Armitage Sponsor: St Joseph’s Hospice and Perennial Press contact: Jenifer Cameron Press contact tel: 020 8525 6000 Press contact email: j.cameron@stjh.org.uk Exhibitor address: St Joseph’s Hospice, Mare St Hackney, London E8 4SA ‘The Way Forward’ is a garden of life and colour which will inspire the visitor to face the future with confidence whilst honouring the past. This easily maintained and drought-tolerant garden will be a place for reflection when it returns to St Joseph’s Hospice. Sandstone monoliths present moisture loving plants as fossils, looking back to the past as plants such as willow, flag, gunnera and hosta will be increasingly unviable in drier times. The garden also includes a water feature to represent a life force. No water is wasted through evaporation or splashing in this water wise garden, as every drop is protected and conserved in a polished, transparent sphere. Heliotrope, Cordyline and Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ provide vivacious colour, while melianthus and eucalyptus provide drama in form, rather than colour. Trachycarpus fortunei hints at more exotic planting to come, and lavender and aubretia remind the visitor of old traditions in English gardening. THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY “The Children’s Society Garden” Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW48 Designer: Mark Gregory Sponsor: The Co-Operative Contractor: Landform Consultants Press contact: David Hudi-Dinnage Press contact tel: 020 7841 4422 Press contact email: dhd@childsoc.org.uk Exhibitor address: Edward Rudolf House, 69-85 Margery Street, London WC1X 0JL The Children’s Society Garden explores future urban living, where families can spend time together and children learn about environmental responsibility. The garden sits in front of a contemporary house façade. The inhabitants use bicycles as their principle method of transport so secure, vertical bicycle storage is incorporated under the cantilevered porch. Water harvesting facilities, waste and recycling storage are also discreetly tucked away. The garden uses vertical features, making the most of its small plot. Water gently flows down a basalt wall, flanked by living walls; dry plants at the top, wet thriving plants at the bottom. Two large Saphora japonica trees kiss in the centre of the garden, giving dappled shade under umbrella-pruned canopies. The garden is encircled by a low fence and a variety of long grasses. Self seeding species and plants that attract butterflies and bees surround a shallow pool. Gravels allow rain water to return to the ground. The design gives practical solutions to the environmental concerns of city families. The garden raises awareness of The Children’s Society’s vision that all children deserve a good childhood. THOMAS HOBLYN GARDEN DESIGN “Foreign & Colonial’s Tempest in a Teapot” Garden category: Urban Site number: RHW50 Designer: Thomas Hoblyn Sponsor: F&C Investment Trust Press contact: Alison Barnes Press contact tel: 01359 252 056 Press contact email: Alison@thomashoblyn.co.uk Exhibitor address: Mansard House, Low Street, Bardwell, Suffolk IP31 1AR Through the commemoration of Rossini’s death in 1868, this garden celebrates the 140th anniversary of the Foreign and Colonial Investment Trust. This basement garden is intended for an environmentally concerned eccentric music lover to sit and view the “stage show” that the garden provides visually and aurally. The design demonstrates how, with a medium amount of maintenance, a basement garden can provide a good environment for shade loving plants with the use of saved rainwater. UCHIYAMA LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD “Princess Moon – East Wind II” Garden category: Courtyard Site number: RM8 Designer: Koji Ninomiya Press contact: Kazuya YamakuraPress contact tel: 0081 9437 22138 Press contact email: e-kikaku@uchiyama-net.co.jp Exhibitor address: 3558-1 Chitoku, Tanushimaru-cho, Kurume-shi, Fukuoka 839-1214 JAPAN This garden is inspired by a traditional Japanese fairy story about a bamboo cutter. The garden is designed to portray the traditional elements of a bamboo cutter’s garden, whilst making it applicable to the modern day. URBANWARE “The Quilted Velvet Garden” Garden category: Urban Site number: TR8 Designer: James Towillis Sponsor: Quilted Velvet Press contact: James Towillis Press contact tel: 0845 200 5173 Press contact email: james@urbanware.co.uk Exhibitor address: The Old Plumbers Shop, Yanworth, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 3LQ Inspired in part by the designs of Escher, this garden is a space primarily for entertaining and relaxing, incorporating areas of shade and a place to view the city skyline. The garden’s skeleton is based on the infinity symbol, with a sense of fun and discovery in the overall design. It is an escape from the everyday stresses of adult life, a place where the mind and eyes can wander and imagination reigns. The garden will feature a dramatic flowing main structure which will act as a brise-soleil, shading the entrance and easing the transition from indoors to out. It will also contain a giant planting trough, sculpture, hidden storage and enclose a raised seating area. The entire structure will be planted with swathes of assorted blue grasses and highlighting plants, whilst mature specimen trees will add to the vertical interest and provide welcome dappled shade. A waterfall emerges from the wall and plunges into a seemingly bottomless pool surrounded by a selection of water loving plants. The garden also includes a series of benches which can be turned onto their side revealing a comfortable sun lounger. The flooring is made up of over size slabs laid diagonally to increase the impression of space. Planting is based mainly on maritime and mountainous environments, which are both equally exposed to winds and strong light. Year round interest has been provided by shape, colour (within a colour scheme of purple, grey and white), texture and selective planting. Plants are watered via an irrigation system which uses collected rainwater. |
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