PORTFOLIO
to this garden, which doesn’t stop with the planting as a stunning ‘herb wall’ was included, where users can pick their own herbs to make some revitalising herbal tea. The wall also features a vertical Buxus Parterre. The modern ‘Cube’ building provides weatherproof office space within the garden and features a green roof that offers biodiversity by attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Calm and understated planting was used to create a textural, structured, yet beautifully delicate space. The colour scheme is a mix of green and silver-blue foliage, with simple white flowering plants such as Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium), Rocket Candytuft (Iberis Amara) and White Campion (Silene Latifolia). The main focal plant was a stunning Pleached Field Maple (Acer Campestre) to give some stature to the garden. A West Himalayan Birch (Betula Pendula) was selected for its ashy bark, which complemented the white flora throughout the garden. A Norway Maple (Acer Globosum) was included to provide a natural ‘umbrella’ for the floating workstation and render subtle shade under which staff would be able to relax with a laptop or tablet. Buxus cubes, Thymus balls and Buxus hedging provided the necessary structure to the garden, mimicking the ‘rounded square’ tablet-inspired shape used consistently throughout the garden’s design. For visitors to the RHS Chelsea show, Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow proved memorable, inspiring and thought-provoking.
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The rooftop garden is an office within a creative outdoor setting
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‘C-shaped’ chairs hang from a wood and metal pergola frame
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The living ‘herb wall’
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There are interior and exterior spaces in which staff can work
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The garden’s designer, Patricia Fox, with TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh
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The main focal plant was a Pleached Field Maple within a tablet-shaped raised bed
ABOUT ARALIA GARDEN DESIGN
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www.prolandscaper.ae
P027-029 Aralia.indd 29
Aralia Garden Design is a professional, versatile, down to earth design and build practice, which provides high-quality outdoor spaces that are innovative, yet functional. Established in 2004 by Patricia Fox, Aralia’s extensive portfolio ranges from contemporary to traditional and from small suburban gardens to large country estates. The company, which is based in Hertfordshire and works in the UK and abroad, understands its clients needs are paramount to good design. Patricia combines breathtaking dramatic landscapes with strong spatial design and harmonious textures and colours. www.aralia.org.uk
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