Small Gardens RHS Hampton Court Flower Show
Description
BBC LOCAL RADIO with BBC SOUTHERN COUNTIES RADIO & RAINBOW TRUST CHILDREN’S CHARITY
Room 129, BBC Henry Wood House, 3 & 6
Langham Place, London W1A 1AA
T 020 7765 5892
F 020 7765 2268
E [email protected]
www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties
Designers Val & Steve Bradley
Contractor Steve Bradley with Guildford College of Further & Higher Education
The Smile Garden
The brainchild of BBC Southern Counties Radio, this garden has been created as a fun representation of a rainbow, designed to appeal especially to families. After the show, the key elements of the garden are being transferred to the grounds of Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity respite home in Leatherhead, Surrey.
Drawing on the bright colours of Rainbow Trust’s logo, the garden features a cheerful arc of colour, showcasing a range of traditional and newer bedding plants. Using the rainbow as a symbol of hope, the planting is designed to stimulate the senses and to be particularly attractive to children. The eye-catching colourthemed design includes herbaceous plants and shrubs. The progression of colours develops from red to deep violet, and the transition from day to night is marked with individual white flowers that appear like stars in the dark sky. A green path meanders through the rainbow, representing our journey through life.
When upturned, the rainbow becomes a vibrant smile, with the sun shining brightly at one end.
SMALL GARDEN A54
THE BOTTOM DRAWER
PO Box 13185, Birmingham B16 6BU
T 0870 246 1667
F 0870 751 1502
E [email protected]
www.thebottomdrawer.co.uk
Designers Lorna Thomas & Davinia Wild
Sponsor The Bottom Drawer
Contractor Great Spaces
The Twain Shall Meet
This garden has been created for a newly married couple who were given a garden as their wedding present, using The Bottom Drawer’s alternative gift list service. Rather than giving the usual toasters and teapots, friends and family selected from a gift list that contained plants, paving stones, decking, and even the man hours to construct the garden.
The couple could not agree on what they liked, but wanted to have a garden that they could both enjoy, so they each contracted their own garden designer. She wanted herbaceous perennials, and he wanted big leaves and structural foliage. She wanted hot colours, and he wasn’t so keen. She wanted the garden to be inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement, and he wanted it to be contemporary and unfussy.
She wanted to potter, and he wanted a low maintenance design. But they both wanted to be able to sit in the garden and enjoy each other’s company.
The Twain Shall Meet brings together two garden designers with quite different and distinct styles and approaches to design. It is a small garden of two halves that works
beautifully as a whole.
SMALL GARDEN A55
MAURICE BUTCHER
The Firs, Kenley Road, Headley Down, Bordon,
Hants GU35 8EJ
T 01428 712362
E [email protected]
Designer Maurice Butcher
Sponsors Heronshaw Ltd, Country Market
Garden Centre, Blackmoor Nurseries
The Giving Garden
The concept behind The Giving Garden is to create a blueprint for a space that can be enjoyed in many different ways.
The garden can be a place for tranquillity, somewhere to rest and observe the wildlife. It has a degree of high maintenance for the keen gardener, but is small enough to be manageable. The format of the garden can be adjusted to individual tastes, tailoring the planting style to personal preference. You can garden with your own menu in mind, choosing from the selection of fruit, vegetables and herbs you like to cook with, and the medicinal plants you wish to use. Having a source of fresh produce at your own door also lessens guilt about carbon footprints.
This adaptable design would suit most small urban plots and any cottage garden.
SMALL GARDEN A56
THE LONDON WILDLIFE TRUST &
THE ROYAL PARKS
Skyline House, 200 Union Street, London
SE1 0LX
T 020 7803 4289
F 020 7633 0811
E [email protected]
www.wildlondon.org.uk
Designer Ruth Holmes (The Royal Parks)
Sponsor Veolia Environmental Services UK plc
Contractor Capel Manor College students
Wildlife Garden in a Skip
Wildlife Garden in a Skip, conceived by London Wildlife Trust, is a sustainable garden to be enjoyed by both people and wildlife. It uses plants with a low water requirement. Many of the herbs, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses have nectar-rich flowers or seedheads and are attractive to pollinating insects and birds, resulting in a garden rich in biodiversity.
The plants and materials for the garden, mainly salvaged from the Chelsea Flower Show, have all had previous uses. The garden encourages sustainability and demonstrates how materials and plants can be effectively reused.
The focal point of the garden is a water feature made from a bath, shower and sink, which works by means of a solar-powered pump, showing the importance of the water cycle in the garden, and the responsibility we all have to minimise our water usage.
Wildlife Garden in a Skip also highlights the sad reality that many of London’s gardens are disappearing due to development and paving over. A completely transportable garden, the design will be moved to other venues throughout the summer.
SMALL GARDEN A57
HADLOW COLLEGE
Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 0AL
T 01732 850551
F 01732 853273
E [email protected]
www.hadlow.ac.uk
Designers Heidi Harvey & Fern Alder
Contractor Mick Collins
Full Frontal
The increasing numbers of front gardens that have been paved to provide off-road parking are resulting in greater amounts of fast surface water run-off. Full Frontal addresses this issue by incorporating permeable hard surfaces that allow water to percolate down into the soil, whilst still providing a robust surface for parking a car.
The design retains much of the front garden area for planting. This allows for a more aesthetically pleasing space than if the whole area had been paved. A planted front garden, rather than impermeable hard surfacing, provides a visual amenity that benefits passers by and other local residents. It also offers an enjoyable recreational opportunity for gardening.
Increasing biodiversity and supporting wildlife are an important part of the design. Plants have been chosen with wildlife in mind, and many provide food sources or shelter to birds, insects and small animals. All the materials used in the design have been selected and sourced in an environmentally responsible manner.
This garden addresses the issues raised by the RHS’s “Garden Matters – Front Gardens” document.
SMALL GARDEN A58
SARAH HARVEY & GERALDINE
DAWSON
Waverley, 9 Lansdowne Road, Alton, Hants
GU34 2HB
T 01420 87232
E [email protected]
Designer Sarah Harvey
Contractors Gregory Wilks, Charles Hubberstey
Selborniensis – A Hampshire Garden
This garden has been designed by Sarah Harvey, based on an idea by Geraldine Dawson. Inspired by the work of 18th century naturalist Gilbert White and his garden in Hampshire, Selborniensis is a place of retreat and beauty in which to experiment with seeds and watch things grow.
Unashamedly a gardener’s garden, plants are the driving force behind Selborniensis. The innovative growing wall forms a functional greenhouse within a small area. The central bed allows for the transient planting of vegetables and ornamentals. The outer bed provides structural and permanent planting, whilst allowing native plants to creep in around its edges. The espalier apple trees pay tribute to White’s pleached limes, and give a sense of enclosure that is accenuated by the bespoke seat, offering a haven for the gardener.
Whilst acknowledging the past, the garden is rooted firmly in the 21st century, and promotes environmental responsibility, new technologies, the use of reclaimed and recycled materials, and sustainable solutions for gardeners. The children of Anstey Junior School in Alton, Hampshire have trialled a range of traditional and modern cucumber cultivars for the garden.
Sarah Harvey and Geraldine Dawson are pleased to promote Hampshire and its arts and craftsmen, nurserymen and beautiful countryside through their garden.
SMALL GARDEN D12
PATHLOGIC TEAM
c/o Cedar Rook, The Ride, Ifold, West Sussex
RH14 0TG
T 01403 752237
E [email protected]
www.pathlogicteam.com
Designers Neil Goldsmith (Goldsmith’s Garden Design), Sabina Edwards (Ecohort Solutions)
Contractor Bethwins Estate & Garden Management
Choose Your Path
This garden brings together materials, philosophies, finishes and plants. It incorporates bespoke design touches within a naturalistic and eco-friendly setting, with a
twist. The rotating, raised planters are pivotal to the design, adding interest and surprise in equal measure. Used to create alternative paths, the planters lead you through the garden, where roundels provide seating. Behind the roundels is a recycled glass ledge backed by a water feature, with a shady canopy overhead.
The garden is paved, with a tree slice inlay in front of the roundels. The paving is flanked on two sides by plants specifically chosen to attract wildlife. Varying textures and colours are used, with purple, acid green and copper interspersed with the primary colours of red, yellow and blue.
The garden will lead you – just choose the path.
SMALL GARDEN D14
THE DOWN TO EARTH PARTNERS LTD
The Droves, Deanend, Woodcutts, Nr Sixpenny
Handley, Salisbury, Wilts SP5 5RW
T 01725 552852
E [email protected]
www.downtoearth-gardening.co.uk
Designers Chris Allen & Dorinda Forbes (The Down to Earth Partners Ltd)
Contractor The Down to Earth Partners Ltd
The Silver Glade
Designed and built by the directors and staff of The Down to Earth Partners Ltd, this garden provides a restful haven where you can relax and enjoy the tranquillity of a wooded glade.
The unique three metre high stainless steel pyramid structure, a focal point, is partially concealed by foliage. Silver birch trees provide the main structural planting with their green canopy, while the graceful spires of flowering foxgloves add colour and lift the design, adding to its overall softness. Access to the structure is via the meandering gravel path, through dense planting of attractive perennial plants suitable for shaded woodland conditions. “The effect is one of restfulness and calm, a place to unwind and refresh the spirit”, say designers Chris Allen and Dorinda Forbes.
The design and scale of the features here could be adapted for any site, from a town plot to a country garden or estate.
SMALL GARDEN D15
GARDEN CARE SUPPLIES LTD
Old Kingston Road, Worcester Park, Surrey
KT4 7QH
T 020 8337 9922
F 020 8330 6457
E [email protected]
www.ourgarden.co.uk
Designer Helen Williams Garden Design
Sponsors Tony Coggans Garden Lighting, Pavestone Ltd, Hayhoe Designs
Contractor Garden Care Contracting Ltd
The Green & Light Garden
This garden is designed to complement the town house of a professional couple. Viewed through the wide glass patio doors, The Green & Light Garden contains plants in varying shades of green that are restful to the eye. Small courtyard gardens can be shady, so features are included to use and reflect light, including mirrors, stained glass panels, water, pale hard landscaping and shiny leaves.
Wooden seating tops the raised beds, a base for cushions or planted containers. A contemporary, wall-mounted water feature sends water into the pond via a rill that passes under the seating. Water also flows down chains suspended from arches, bringing sound and movement.
Easily maintained planting is set out in blocks of green with yellow accents. Sculptural evergreens, ferns, grasses and lollipop shrubs provide structure and year-round interest. Golden bamboo is reflected in the mirrors, and brings further movement. Subtle lighting extends the enjoyment of the garden into the evening, and ensures that the garden can be viewed from the house throughout the year.
SMALL GARDEN D16
PHILIPPA PEARSON IN ASSOCIATION WITH SADOLIN WOODCARE
Barberry Cottage, 4 Hatley Road, Gamlingay,
Cambs SG19 3HH
T 01767 651253
F 01767 650336
E [email protected]
www.philippapearson.co.uk
Designer Philippa Pearson
Sponsor Sadolin Woodcare
Contractor Mark Aitkins
The Sadolin Garden of Regeneration
The Sadolin Garden of Regeneration celebrates a couple’s love of historic gardens and their enjoyment of ornamental and productive plants, and focuses on their growing interest in all things environmental and organic. As keen cooks, they wanted an area of their garden devoted to growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.
A hand-carved bench made from a fallen oak tree provides a place to sit and enjoy the blossoming fruit trees, admire the ripening vegetables, and reflect on the ornamental plants which contrast with the productive area of the garden.
Environmental, ecological and organic elements are central to this design, and recycled wood, bricks and other materials have been brought back to life with a little imagination and, in the case of the wooden elements, the use of Sadolin. The vegetables, fruit and ornamental plants featured have been mostly grown using organic principles.
Philippa Pearson’s inspiration has been drawn from working potagers in France and England, coupled with a passion for perennial plants and a healthy respect for the
environment. This is shared by sponsor Sadolin, who are committed to offsetting their carbon emissions.
SMALL GARDEN D17
SHEDDINGDEAN COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Petworth Drive, Burgess Hill, West Sussex
RH15 8JT
T 01444 246532
F 01444 230045
E [email protected]
www.sheddingdean.ik.org
Designers Jenny Wisby, Sharon Kent & Hilary Odey
Sponsors Kestrel Int. Circuits, Park Cameras, Parterre (Lewes), Duchess of Cornwall, Piers Morgan
The Willow Pattern Plot
This garden is designed to celebrate Sheddingdean’s 20th anniversary in 2007. A 20th anniversary is marked by china, and as blue and white china is an English classic,
inspiration for this garden has been taken from the Willow pattern, one of Spode’s earliest designs. The garden represents Sheddingdean’s interpretation of the love story legend behind this pattern, and its timeless appeal.
The legend tells that a willow fence was built around the pagoda by the wealthy mandarin to keep his daughter, Koong-se, away from the man she loved, Chang, who was of a lower class. The lovers decided to run away and fled over the bridge, escaping to a secret island. Eventually, they were discovered and sadly died, but the gods, touched by their love, immortalised them as two doves, depicted here by the bird table.
The heart shape outlined in the garden represents the love shared by Koong-se and Chang, and the teardrop shape represents sadness. The river is filled with blue and white planting, and the graceful willow epitomises and encompasses the poignancy of the Willow pattern story.
SMALL GARDEN D18
ALISTAIR KIRT BAYFORD
9 Windmill Way, Much Hadham, Herts
SG10 6BG
T 01279 647044
F 01279 813566
E [email protected]
www.lizlake.com
Designer Alistair Kirt Bayford
Sponsors Lighting for Gardens, Charcon, GoinGreen, Lindum, British Hardwoods, Hardscaping Resources Ltd, CARO Systems
Contractor Alistair Kirt Bayford
23 Paved Green Terrace
The terraced house is a familiar part of our towns and cities. However, the gardens of these houses are disappearing as the trend for swapping grass for paving becomes a fact of life. The effects of this are cumulative and include a number of environmental problems, including increased risk of flooding, increased urban temperatures and loss of habitats for wildlife.
23 Paved Green Terrace illustrates how a car can be accommodated in a front garden with reduced impact on the environment. A sustainable urban drainage system beneath the garden allows for ground water recharge. This reinforced matrix system supports the grass area and makes it suitable for the G-Wiz electric car. Oak posts line the entrance path and link to bands of setts that run through the grass. Low voltage LED lighting guides users within the space.
The garden also contributes to biodiversity. Cantilevered green roofs provide elevated refuges for wildlife. A native hedge borders the garden, providing a feeding and nesting ground for birds. A vegetated green wall planted with a mix of evergreen herbaceous perennials and ferns forms a colourful tapestry.
SMALL GARDEN D20
ALTON INFANT SCHOOL
Normandy Street, Alton, Hants GU34 1DH
T 01420 83857
F 01420 84818
E [email protected]
Designer Alton Infant School Gardening Committee
Sponsor Stihl
Learning To Look After Our World
This garden, which is based on a design by Year 2 children, represents a microcosm of the Alton Infant School grounds. The school grounds include a wild area, a vegetable and fruit garden and a sensory garden, designed for education and fun. As the Chinese proverb says, “I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand”. The school gardens teach children about conservation, recycling, organic gardening, plant and animal life cycles and caring for our world. Recycled and natural materials have been used wherever possible.
The school grounds are used for education and relaxation, so they need to be aesthetically pleasing as well as useful and fun. Alton Infant School is passionate about the positive impact that environmental education has on their pupils, and is keen to share this with others. All the children have been involved in some way in both the development of the school garden and this small garden at Hampton Court. Parents and the wider town community have contributed their time, money and skills to both ventures, as community involvement is an essential part of the development of the grounds.
A book of photographs showing how the school grounds are used is available for visitors to see at the garden.
SMALL GARDEN D21
PLUMPTON COLLEGE
Ditchling Road, Plumpton, Lewes, East Sussex
BN7 3AE
T 01273 890454
F 01273 890071
www.plumpton.ac.uk
Designers James Mason & Chloe Gazzard
Contractor Plumpton College
The Path Not Taken
The Path Not Taken interprets Robert Frost’s poem of the same name, where two roads diverged and the writer had to make a decision: “… sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;” and every decision has its own consequences: “I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged … and I – I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.”
This poem has been interpreted as a declaration of the importance of independence. In this garden, designed by garden design students at Plumpton College, there is only a positive decision at the fork of the path; whichever path is taken, there are no regrets. Colour, texture and water add to the reflective and stimulating qualities of the design, providing the ideal environment for those setting out on the path towards a free and independent future.
SMALL GARDEN D22
CITY COLLEGE BRIGHTON & HOVE
Pelham Street, Brighton BN1 4FA
T 01273 667788
F 01273 601692
E [email protected]
www.ccb.ac.uk
Designers Beth Rogers & Julia Harding (horticulture students)
Sponsors House of Plants, 4X Currency Corporation plc
Contractor Horticulture students of City College Brighton & Hove
House of Plants
The inspiration for this garden was a talk at City College Brighton & Hove by television gardening presenter Chris Collins about his horticultural experiences in the tropics. This tropical garden is densely planted to display a wide variety of unusual, beautiful tropical, sub-tropical and tropical effect plants from around the world. The garden includes Eastern-influenced features, such as stone urns and an Indian temple room, to create an air of contemplation and meditation. Paisley pattern beds of Solenostemon (coleus) and other mixed tropical foliage plants set in a lawn of lush Soleirolia (helxine) add vibrant colour.
If you are inspired by the planting here, but don’t live in Bali, don’t despair! All the plants in this garden can be grown in the home, office, conservatory or greenhouse.
SMALL GARDEN D23
PAGE, PRIOR & RAE
Ashcroft House, Sheepcote Lane, Paley Street,
Nr Maidenhead, Berks SL6 3JU
T 01628 788686
E [email protected]
www.tonirae.co.uk
Designers Alison Page, Rachel Prior & Toni Rae
Sponsor Beechcroft Developments Ltd
Contractor The Green Room
Life Long Living
This garden has been inspired by retirement developer Beechcroft, a company committed to creating outstanding landscapes. Beechcroft’s private spaces flow seamlessly into wellmanaged communal gardens, designed to stimulate the senses and a feeling of well-being and to encourage wildlife and maintain biodiversity.
The Life Long Living garden is accessed via a footbridge that spans a waterway, characteristic of a riverside location. This natural waterside environment leads to an ornamental garden with formal pathways, and finally to the terrace of an adjoining house. Marrying traditional and modern, town and country, the ornamental garden combines geometric paving and materials with informal planting. Sandstone paving, intersected by bands of recycled glass tiles, emphasises the garden’s circular theme and provides a non-slip surface. The focal point is a sculptural bird station and decorative ironwork seat, designed for having a rest and admiring the view.
Six mature trees frame the garden, providing height and structure. Riverside planting reflects both the untamed waterside and the cultivated garden bank, whilst borders include shrubs and perennials for year-round interest.
After the show, this garden is being rebuilt as a showpiece at Beechcroft’s latest development.
SMALL GARDEN D24
M & M GARDENS BY DESIGN & ASSOCIATES
Larks Gate, Green Lane, Dockenfield, Farnham,
Surrey GU10 4JD
T 01252 790242
E [email protected]
Designers Maxine Sims, Rosie Yeoman,
Leonard Lyons-Davies
Sponsors Wyvale-East Nurseries Ltd, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, DEKSMART, Ibstock Brick Ltd, A J Tracy & Sons Ltd, Frederick R Miller Ltd, Jewson
Contractor Leonard Lyons-Davies
The CHASE Secret Garden
The inspiration for this garden has come from the well-known children’s novel The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The children in the story find happiness and
emotional well-being in the restoration of a secret, neglected garden. This walled garden, with its wild, overgrown appearance, contrasts with the manicured display of a long herbaceous border, part of the same grand estate.
The garden is dedicated to CHASE hospice care for children. CHASE provides emotional and practical support for time-limited children and their families.
SMALL GARDEN D25
EWER GARDEN DESIGN LTD
The Shop & Studio, 545 Old York Road,
Wandsworth Town, London SW18 1TQ
T 020 8870 4477
E [email protected]
www.ewerdesign.com
Designer Rachel Ewer
Contractor Ewer Garden Design Ltd
Raku Garden
Raku means enjoyment in Japanese, and this is a garden designed for pure enjoyment. Relax by the water, delight in a game of boules, and rest and recuperate whilst watching the shadows play around the fish panels. Immerse yourself in the plants, and savour the time spent in peaceful surroundings.
Highlights of the garden include a gold boules run, a beautiful and timeless ceramic Raku water disc by Peter Hayes, striking glass fish panels by Andrea Owen, a series of
horizontal screening panels by Kemp Sails that create a calm backdrop, and powder-coated furniture from Fernmob, chosen for its subtle
and relaxing colours.
The planting scheme features drought tolerant and maritime planting, with a soothing colour palette of sandy yellows, browns, silvers and shades of blue. The plants
used include sea kale, Alyssum maritimum, Armeria, Leucophyta, Echium, Aeonium and Leptospermum. A combination of gravel, sand and honey-coloured paving seamlessly
connects the garden.
Created by designer Rachel Ewer and plantswoman Katherine Hill, this is Ewer Garden Design’s first garden at a flower show.
SMALL GARDEN D26
DUCHY COLLEGE
Rosewarne, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 0AB
T 01209 722100
E [email protected]
Designers Marshall Hutchens, Sue Moore, Mike
Harrington, David Hinchcliffe
Contractor Duchy College Landscapes
Sit Back & Relax
This garden has been designed for a professional couple with no children who enjoy relaxing in their small garden on summer evenings. The design is based on the Greek
letter omega, and contains both contemporary and traditional elements. Low, raised beds made from polished stainless steel (with built-in chestnut seating) are planted with a range of low maintenance plants that have been chosen for leaf colour and form. The beds are designed to reflect light, making the garden seem more spacious.
The raised beds surround a small area of low maintenance lawn, which in turn surrounds a glass-topped table complete with a water feature, adding a subtle sound dimension. Surrounding the whole garden are slightly opaque, Perspex panels that allow for protection from cool evening breezes without compromising the quality of the light. These panels also give the impression that the garden extends beyond its boundaries into the surrounding area.
SMALL GARDEN D27
HAYWOOD LANDSCAPES LTD
Haywood House, 5 Westerham Close,
Canterbury, Kent CT2 7TZ
T 01227 453679
F 01277 452201
E [email protected]
www.haywood-landscapes.co.uk
Designer Haywood Landscapes Ltd
Sponsors Natural Paving Products (UK) Ltd, Eastwell Ironworks
Contractor Haywood Landscapes Ltd
The Labyrinth Garden
The Labyrinth Garden offers a peaceful environment for seeking calm and inner balance – a sacred space that many people would find beneficial in this increasingly
troubled and frantic world.
The ancient labyrinth form (represented here in sandstone pavers) can be used as a tool for walking meditation, the walker’s focus turning inward at each turn until they become centred and can find calm, inspiration or healing according to their needs. A secluded seat provides a place for quiet reflection or for practising conventional meditation.
The restrained planting scheme creates a restful atmosphere, whilst providing interest through the contrasting forms and foliage of a restricted range of plants.
The central sculpture is inspired by “Ariadne’s thread”, after the ball of thread that Ariadne gave Theseus to enable him to retrace his steps and escape the labyrinth of Greek mythology. This original piece has been created by translating the labyrinth’s path into three dimensions.
For those with restricted space, a garden has to serve a variety of purposes, and so The Labyrinth Garden is equally suitable for relaxation and intimate entertaining.
