Bees at work

A pretty flower garden designed to highlight concern over the falling population of bees and their importance in pollination of many food crops including apples at the Copella orchards. The designer Sadie May Stowell says ‘I wanted to show that bees don’t differentiate between wild areas or herbaceous garden flowers when they are out collecting nectar. So if the gardener allows clover to flower in unmown grass this is just as important as planting lavender in the flower border’ Of the many bee friendly plants that Sadie has used in the design, she recommends the dark purple spires of Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’, lavender and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) as being especially good at attracting bees. She recommends planting nectar rich plants in groups to form a mass planting as this will more successful at attracting the bees’ attention than single flowers scattered around the garden. The Copella bee garden was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal.

 

What girls want

The Girlguiding UK Centenary garden celebrates 100 years of the organisation and represents what the members say makes the organisation unique. There is a space for ‘girl time’ and chill out area enclosed by a circular turf mound, a vegetable plot and colour provided in beds of mixed planting.

A bold combination of the deep pink ‘Girlguiding UK Centenary’ rose and a blue-purple Clematis ‘Guiding Promise’ which has been allowed to scramble through the border is an example of the colour hit the girls favoured.

Designer Philippa Pearson says ‘This has been the most exciting and fun show garden I’ve created and it has been a real privilege to work with Girlguiding UK. The garden and everyone in the organisation deserves this Silver Gilt medal, it’s been a real team effort to get the ideas off the ground and the garden constructed. Well done girls!’

Wish you were there

Sala Rim Nam:House by the River represents a typical Bankok riverside home  set amidst a lush mix of regional plants such as the majestic Lotus (Nelumbium) growing in the shallows and many plants visitors will recognise as houseplants. Visitors to the show should take the opportunity to walk through the garden to enjoy the shade cast by the tall tropical plants and linger on the bridge to look down onto the water, where a series of pumps create a gentle flow and cause the floating water plants and tethered boat to drift from side to side. This is designer James Clarke’s second garden for Tourism Authority of Thailand and has deservedly won the Best in Show medal.

A riot of colour

A garden that puts colour at the top of the list, with a mix of summer flowering shrubs, perennials and summer bedding all closely packed into the borders. Designer Jack Dunkley has ignored gentle colour blends and placed contrasting colours side by side for a bold, bright effect that will cheer even on a dull day. Jack achieved a Silver medal for ‘Birchfield’, his second show garden at Hampton Court, but he plans to do more, ‘I hope to do a garden for Chelsea next year’  and he is still only seventeen.

The story of chips

From seed potato to crunchy crisp - this garden tells the story of the growing process and also celebrates a new limited edition of Tyrrells potato chips called 'Chips Nouveau', made from the first harvest, rushed from the fields to the factory and then into the shops.

The garden called Harvest Celebration, designed by Karen Rogers shows the development of the new potato harvest and how quickly freshly home made crisps can be enjoyed from either home grown or locally grown produce in this case at a rustic oak table set out in the garden. The colour scheme of the planting in yellow, orange and burgundy reflects the earthy tones of the soil in the fields.

An urban retreat 

Designer Richard Golding shows how you can use your garden as a place to take time out from a busy life for relaxation. The design is uncluttered and uses curves in preference to straight lines to define paths, lawns and patios. The curve is even reflected in the locally sourced oak arches that frame the path to create the impression of an open pergola and in the bespoke oak bench.

A modern outdoor room

As the garden has become increasingly seen as an extra room outside, some protection from the elements is always important. The Living Room garden includes a modern glazed veranda extending from the house wall over the seating area so that late evening dining can be a more sheltered experience. A discreet gutter runs along the face, with the upright supports also acting as down pipes for a more modern streamlined appearance than the old Victorian versions. (For more information go to Elegant Glass Verandas www.glass-verandas.co.uk)

Safe sanctuary

The combat stress therapeutic garden has been designed by Fi Boyle to be used by ex service personnel undergoing treatment for PTSD. It has been designed to create a feeling of security, so the planting is loose and diffuse to allow clear lines of sight, the seating is against walls rather than in the open and the honey coloured resin-bound paths are smooth underfoot. The planting is restful and diffuse, using soft colours and soft forms such as Alchemilla mollis, astrantia, nepeta and Verbena bonariensis. It is hoped that the garden can be rebuilt at the Combat Stress headquarters in Leatherhead.