Pro Landscaper: The Collection 2023

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Collection THE

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ime goes quickly in the publishing world, where we’re constantly looking ahead to the next issue, event or awards ceremony. But as we welcome 2024, we wanted to take a look back at some of our – and your – biggest achievements. Now in its second year, The Collection is back to celebrate what has been a remarkable year for Pro Landscaper and its readers.So, we invite you to take a moment to pause with us and reflect on the last 12 months.

We kickstarted the year by announcing 17 winners at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards in April, followed later in the year by an astonishing 55 awards being presented across the two-day FutureScape Expo at the ExCeL in London in November. This included Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation winners being acknowledged for their incredible work as they navigate their way into and through the industry, ready to continue making an impact.

We also launched the Pro Landscaper Unsung Hero awards, which saw readers secretly nominated by their peers for their contributions to their companies, with the Unsung Hero of the Year being unveiled at the ceremony. On top of that, 11 category winners were announced at the Pro Landscaper Project Awards and another 13 at the inaugural Pro Landscaper Sustainability & Biodiversity Awards.

As well as award ceremonies, we continued to bring you an issue of Pro Landscaper each month, packed with insight and inspiration, with our ever-popular portfolios gracing our pages. We featured everything from large commercial schemes to smaller domestic projects, be these rooftop terraces, front gardens or cozy courtyards. We’ve collated all 34 of these here to offer continued inspiration throughout the coming year.

Here in The Collection lie our greatest achievements of 2023 – working with our industry, our readers and our community – and we invite you to share these with us.

The Pro Landscaper team Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

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n exciting year is coming to an end.

Many of the issues that have concerned us this year will continue to do so in the near future: Climate change, adaptation of the assortment and the green future in general. We would like to thank you for your trust in us and will be happy to advise you again next year when it comes to the right trees for your project.

Boom & Bonheur – because trees give life and bring happiness

Boom & Bonheur BV

boombonheur.com

TRENDS

The future of TREES

The government has bold tree planting goals, but how realistic are they? And how can we ensure that these masses of new trees will survive in an urban environment?

WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

D

espite the challenges presented by climate change throughout the planting seasons of 2022, with heavy rain and severe drought causing disruption to the planting and establishment of seedlings, the overall tree planting rates in England saw an increase. It’s seemingly a step in the right direction towards meeting the government’s tree planting targets, though it is still falling short, with the Environmental Audit Committee saying it is unlikely to meet its March 2025 deadline of planting 30,000ha each year.

Based on figures from the 2022/23 government tree planting statistics, 3,128ha of trees were reported as planted in England during this 12-month period – a 40% increase from the previous year, but still a way off from the overall ambitious target.

As we develop a greater understanding of the many benefits that urban trees bring us, more are being included within the urban environment; however, according to Alasdair Innes, the specification advisor at Green-tech, the urban environment presents a myriad of obstacles to successful tree planting, “and it is crucial that those who oversee the greening of our cities not only understand these obstacles, but know what is available to deal with them.”

British Standards describe the urban environment from a tree’s perspective as

It is crucial that those who oversee the greening of our cities not only understand these obstacles, but know what is available to deal with them

GREENBLUE URBAN

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CITY OF TREES

being “almost impossibly hostile locations”. But luckily, there are solutions to be found. Innes says that Green-tech is “seeing more thought given to either tree pits within the ground, using modular systems for example, to not only support the paving, but also protect the soft, organic topsoil Alasdair Innes, from compaction; or, building up raised beds to give Specification advisor, trees additional rooting volume”.

Green-tech Howard Gray, strategic business development at GreenBlue Urban, has been working closely with stakeholders involved in green and blue infrastructure in urban areas for the last 30 years. Gray is confident that “we should be getting trees into every type of urban environment where it is possible to do so. Although there may be some areas where it may not be quite so easy, we should be looking at where needs it and then looking at the range of ways in which we can achieve what we're looking to do.”

Whilst domestic settings might be an obvious choice for tree planting, such as in residential and retirement developments, Gray suggests that developers needing to meet Biodiversity Net Gain targets from January 2024 is increasing demand for green spaces in commercial schemes as well.

We need to be cautious about setting unrealistic goals though, warns Gray.“There's a bit of a challenge at the moment because many local authorities have been driven by tree numbers. Developers are looking to see how many thousands of trees they can plant within their district.”

Gray feels very strongly that the planting target numbers are more of a distraction than an incentive as often local authorities don’t have the money to maintain so many and therefore it becomes a game of chance as trees are

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TRENDS planted in the masses but it’s uncertain whether or not those trees will go on to survive.

“But what we're starting to see is a more intelligent approach to incorporating trees into urban landscapes, looking at what we're looking to achieve in 20- or 50-years’ time, and then trying to make sure that there is room for the tree to grow above ground, and plenty of available routing space below ground.”

According to Gray, a lot of the planting with this approach can be seen in the streets of London; for example, in Tower Hamlets where 10,000 trees are aimed to be planted across a three-year period, taking into account the sustainability of life to ensure that each tree planted survives, “making sure that where we're planting is going to be able to sustain a tree there for the for the potential life of the tree. So, if we're going to be planting a birch tree, will this space be able to cope with a birch tree at 60 or 70 years old? Now if we're looking at an oak tree, we need to be thinking about 300 years old. Is there enough space above ground? Are there the facilities below ground? Is this something that is actually still going to be a street scene there in 100 years’ time? Try to look into the crystal ball and see what the future holds,” says Gray.

As the green infrastructure and resilience manager for charity City of Trees, Pete aeration pipes Stringer works closely with a range of to get both partners and local communities to increase water and CITY OF TREES tree planting and woodland landscapes as oxygen down well as helping to manage existing landscapes. to the roots.”

Howard Gray, strategic Stringer has first-hand experience with these tree In order for Stringer to do this, he must first business development at GreenBlue Urban planting ambitions, overseeing the development ensure that there is the correct infrastructure in place of green spaces across the greater Manchester area. to provide the correct load bearing terms for the overlying “The government’s tree planting targets have definitely paving material to protect the soil within the structures from had an effect with the demand for trees going up exponentially in the becoming compacted and stunting root development. “And that last few years, with schemes such as the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, doesn't come cheap, but it's a lifetime investment.” and Local Authority Treescapes Fund.” But for Stringer, increased The maintenance of these trees is more important than the demand set by the government means that the capacity to provide for planting, taking an average of three years to establish them. Therefore, all the needs is proving more and more difficult. when planting in an urban environment, it’s important to consider the “We have to try to recreate an environment that mimics where trees specification and appropriate species in order to give the tree a good have grown in the natural environment,” looking into the key factors chance of surviving within the available conditions. “Of course, it’s such as topsoil quality, drainage levels and “making sure that the surface very difficult to plant enormous canopy trees in small pavement is permeable, wherever we can, and thinking about irrigation pipes and areas, so you have to plant trees that are appropriate to the scale of their surroundings.”

Gray agrees that it really is “a matter of finding GREEN-TECH TREEPARKER the right species for the space. What we say is often we have to think outside of the native vs non-native situation, and instead, we need to try and find a tree species that copes with those unique challenges that urban spaces give us. There is no tree that's native to an urban space, so we need to think outside the box slightly and find trees that can cope.”

Urban planting is effectively the act of persuading a forest to establish and evolve in a heavily engineered environment. Similarly to Stringer’s practices within City of Trees, GreenBlue Urban's philosophy aims to replicate the natural environment, using a suite of products that work together to create the best possible replica environment and to ensure that the tree will be GREEN-TECH provided for and protected in the long term.

There is no tree that's native to an urban space, so we need to think outside the box slightly and find trees that can cope

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Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

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HOW GREEN IS THE GRASS? Turf growers and suppliers are eager to share the environmental benefits of a lawn, and are working on making their own practices more sustainable in the process WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

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ccounting for nearly 40% of the planet’s land area, and a common choice for landscapes and garden designs across the globe, grass plays a huge role in the sustainability of our ecosystems and our solutions to climate changes. With the ability to store more carbon than a forest due to its higher tolerance and resilience against wildfires and drought, [education. nationalgeographic.org] the demand for the growth and supply of turf remains strong.

The turf growing process has several factors to consider from sowing the field through to harvesting the turf. It all starts Inturf has seen the business go from strength with selecting the right land, the geography, to strength. With 2000 acres of natural topography, soil analysis, draining and turfgrass it maintains a sustainable irrigation facilities. Once the approach in the growth and land has been cultivated and production of its turf. prepared to a level seed “Prior to opening up bed, it is ready to sow. a field, we will carry This follows out a test harvest approximately 14 to ensure there is months of intensive sufficient strength husbandry and and integrity with hopefully some the turf and that favourable weather it will roll up and conditions along the look presentable Alex Edwards, joint managing way. Inturf ensures the before being director at Inturf quality is consistent palletised and loaded throughout before it is happy onto various lorries and with the finished product. delivered to our customers “The beauty of natural turfgrass is, as long across the UK.” as we maintain it properly and we put the Its turf is also completely plastic free and effort in, it will last as long as we want it to”.

Inturf is constantly promoting and lobbying Having joined the business at 16 –years industry to ditch the use of plastic netting in old, Alex Edwards, joint managing director at the production of turf.

The beauty of natural turfgrass is, as long as we maintain it properly and we put the effort in, it will last as long as we want it to

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INTURF

Stephen Fell, managing director of Lindum Turf Ltd, suggests that “there is nothing more unsustainable than placing plastic into the ground at the final destination. It may be degradable, but it breaks down into microplastics which then end up in watercourses and ultimately are not biodegradable and present themselves as a contrary to all good sustainability practices.”

“While there will always be a place and a demand for artificial turf, the benefits of natural turf over artificial are massive,” says Davies.

Owner of George Davies Turf, George Davies himself, works very closely with the growers of turf and believes that more so now than ever, the industry has got to work together to deliver a common message and a common theme that highlights the benefits of natural turf.

Turf absorbs carbon, stores it, and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. It also cools the natural environment around us helping to prevent urban heating, reducing flash flooding and is extremely safe to play on.

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Fell recognises that management techniques must be adapted to achieve a mature turf in the shortest time possible.

“That way, the carbon footprint is reduced in terms of the number of passes of the mower and fertiliser applications.

“Creating a more sustainable process of turf growing not only answers the growing demand for sustainable products across all sectors of society, but also instils the message that we are responsibly looking at how we can reduce our collective carbon footprints.”

Furthermore, the responsible turf manager will have a good understanding of turf nutrition, which means understanding which nutrients are available in the particular soil, and how to manipulate nutrient use to encourage a dense root mat which will enable a strong turf to be harvested.

Emphasising the importance of – millions of grass in lawns and bacteria working particularly the away to maintain urban environment, a healthy soil.”

Fell believes that For Fell, “this is grass is the most all about getting the efficient sequester of good messages out Stephen Fell, managing director, carbon dioxide. “We all – articles in the press, Lindum Turf Ltd learned as youngsters about social media and brand the carbon cycle. Grass takes up publicity from individual carbon dioxide and during growers and suppliers.” photosynthesis produces energy for the plant By working together as an industry and and oxygen which we breathe. The plant educating the customers in terms of the maintains a healthy biosphere in the soil benefits of a natural product versus other

This is all about getting the good messages out – articles in the press, social media and brand publicity from individual growers and suppliers

GEORGE DAVIES TURF

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INTURF

alternatives, Davies is confident that this is the key to enhancing the sustainability of the industry.

“It’s important that we as industry professionals work together to thoroughly educate the customers and landscapers as to what goes into turf production. Similarly, to consumers viewing products in a supermarket and not understanding the reality of what goes into the farming, the same mindset could be applied to producing raw turf.”

As the challenges of climate change are increasing, with hotter summers, wetter winters, and drastic contrasting conditions in a matter of days, the amount of pressure being put on the turf, especially when the seeds get washed away by the water, is tough.

Davies visited Tasmania and Melbourne in January 2023, looking to farms out there to find out what grass species are growing since they already have such a hot climate. Davies found a lot of what's called buffalo grass with the blue grasses but reiterated that they are not your traditional English lawn grasses they're quite spongy, thick, and coarse. “Until we get to a point where our grasses will not survive the summer temperatures, I don't think we're going to have too much of a market change, but it will come. For now, it's

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GEORGE DAVIES TURF

our job to educate customers with the As an industry, everyone is looking at available options.” new ways and techniques to do things in a To further enhance the sustainability of its better way, but it takes a long time to change own process, Inturf has been investigating the the processes. “As long as you’re on the right use of autonomous tractors and mowers. road, even if that road is two or three years However, since the industry is long, we have the opportunity comparatively small compared to to support each other say the motor industry this is through the process.” far more expensive and time “Ultimately, we consuming to progress all love lawns. right now, although We all want the Inturf remains hopeful green spaces that this will change. and the He might not have benefits of to wait too long; Davies recently had hands-on experience with the first two autonomous tractors in the UK. The driverless George Davies, owner, George Davies Turf, tractor with no cab is controlled remotely, with 75-horsepower engines used as a generator to provide electric power to the back axles, which provides 700v of energy, meaning its more fuel efficient.

“I would love to go completely electric, but it doesn't make sense to me. If we had 10 HGVs, they would do a morning run and an afternoon run, but in order to fast charge them at lunchtime, it would take the same amount of power as it would to power a small town and that infrastructure in my mind is not there for it.”

We've got to ensure that any information we can get a hold of, we’re sharing it, discussing it, and using it – doing things the best we possibly can

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having a nice, lush lawn is great, but we've all got to try and work together to make sure that we’re not just jumping on this environmental bandwagon and that we're actually doing things in a sustainable and proper way that actually adds value to everyone's lives. We've got to ensure that any information we can get a hold of, we’re sharing it, discussing it, and using it – doing things the best we possibly can.”

Across the industry, both growers and suppliers alike are exploring the ways in which the production of turf has the potential to be adapted and evolved to build a more sustainable future.

GEORGE DAVIES TURF

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How can

RAINWATER HARVESTING BE ENHANCED IN A

domestic landscape?

TRENDS

It sounds like the perfect solution to concerns over water shortages and there are ways to maximise it in clients’ gardens

WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

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ccording to ACO’s marketing manager Angus Crichton, water quantity and quality are two of the most significant issues facing the UK in the 21st century. The head of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan, has warned that by 2050 demand for drinking water will outstrip supply, “yet we use drinking-quality water externally when we could be collecting rainwater for reuse. At the same time putting rainwater down the drain contributes to sewerage overflows.”

“Ranging from the simplest idea of putting a saucer under pots when you water in the summer, through to above ground water butts or tanks, to ANGUS CRICHTON

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extensive underground tank systems with mains-backup connected to a fully automated irrigation system,” Crichton recommends that harvesting rainwater needs to be considered within an overall approach to managing rainwater in a domestic setting.

“Collecting rainwater is but one solution to managing rainwater in our properties.”

Crichton knows that the system cannot cope with even a light rainfall event as we continue to seal over more rain-absorbing ground to house a growing population. And even at a micro-level, many plants prefer rainwater to tap water, as do honeybees.

According to the RHS website, “rainwater is always the first choice; it is free from hard water elements and is the correct pH for the majority of plants, including acid-lovers such as rhododendrons and camellias.” If you are on a water meter, you will see a reduction in your water bills and if the overflow from the tank is disposed of onsite, you can also get a rebate, currently small, against sewerage charges.

Architect Je Ahn is the founding director at Studio Weave and has more than 10 years of experience working with rainwater harvesting equipment in

domestic landscapes. “The exercise of rainwater harvesting and reusing becomes important because there are so many benefits that it brings, especially with the growing climate emergency.” When working on new housing projects, Ahn says that below ground reservoirs are always taken into consideration now to regulate the amount of water flow and to align with environmental agencies and engineering disciplines.

“It’s something that has not been communicated well to existing domestic situations with houses that are preexisting and occupied – improving this is a similar conversation to insulation. There are several benefits, depending on how you distribute the water, whether it's a pond, to create water features or to contribute to the ecology of your garden.”

Crichton believes that, ideally, all new-build properties should have an underground rainwater harvesting system installed during construction, as is legislated for in Germany and Belgium. “Once installed, the tank is virtually invisible and the cooler

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TRENDS temperature of the water underground The simplest thing would be collecting the restricts algae growth, while the soil rainwater from the downpipe from homes; insulates the water from freezing in but for those who have the ability to do so, winter,” says Crichton. then they can add a below ground reservoir The only disadvantage, according which will give them a much bigger to Crichton, is when you most capacity systematically to use. want more rainwater “The system requires effort for irrigation, such as to build, but I think is The exercise of during a drought; quite a small effort in rainwater harvesting there is no rainfall comparison to and reusing becomes to replenish the designing and important because there water in the tank. building and are so many benefits “Conversely, maintaining the when the rain is whole regard,” that it brings, especially pouring out of says Ahn. with the growing the sky, you have Crichton would climate emergency precious few uses agree that it is Je Ahn, founding director, for the stored water challenging and Studio Weave outside – unless you are expensive to retrofit an also using rainwater underground system, so the internally. Ideally the tank most appropriate time to do needs to drain down ahead of a large this is during a major landscaping storm, so its volume is available to be project. “Above-ground systems are filled, which will reduce pressure on the significantly easier to install in comparison. sewerage system.”

The challenge here is to square the circle of

available space, storage volume and aesthetics. Flows of rainwater in and out is often easier to manage and accomplish, often using gravity alone.”

These systems are therefore cheaper, less complex, and often don’t require a pump.

“Integrated rainwater management must be central to landscaping and design, not just limited to a single solution like rainwater harvesting or tacked on as an after-thought.

We all need to become part of the solution to water quantity and quality. That means intentionally planning how rainwater moves through our properties from roof level to ground level and below, channelling, storing, enjoying, slowing, and dispersing rainwater.”

Crichton is eager to encourage both landscapers and garden designers to be a key lead on this due to the central role of plants and soil in managing rainwater.

For further information on this approach, download a copy of ACO’s booklet Reimaging Rainwater in Gardeners New World.

©Tom Massey

International not-for-proafit WaterAid has announced plans for a spectacular show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, which will harness the power of rainwater collection and highlight the importance of sustainable water management to combat the effects of climate change. WaterAid harnesses a range of simple, affordable rainwater collection methods to bring essential water supplies to households and schools in areas prone to water shortages or water contamination. WaterAid’s show garden has been designed by award-winning landscape designer Tom Massey in collaboration with architect Je Ahn.

©Katie McCraw

THE RESILIENT GARDEN FOR WATERAID AT RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2024

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Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

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It’s perfectly at home among tall grasses or in a colourful border.

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PRINCES CIRCUS, LONDON

LIGHTING THE WAY

©Mike Massaro

WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

A third of people – half of which identified as female – do not feel safe when walking alone at night, according to the OECD Better Life Index. Studies conducted by the College of Policing saw that, as well as increasing visibility, improved street lighting could also prevent situational crime and improve safety.

It's time we shed some light on the ways in which public spaces can be made more inclusive to all...

C

reative lighting design can help public realm, creating a natural stewardship to support a sense of safety and of the space by the local community after security where it delivers dark, which in turn inspires confidence and imaginative, welcoming lit spaces a positive identity that attracts more people that people enjoy, interact with, and want to who want to spend time there.” spend time in, or choose to use as a regular Public spaces can be made to feel much route to pass through,” says Byers. safer simply by giving pedestrians more From film and television awareness of their surroundings, to landscapes, Melissa Byers says Byers. “It is human has been designing with nature to have a fear of light for over 25 years. the unknown. That She is the head of lingering, foreboding Michael Grubb feeling you get Studio’s when you sense Bournemouth danger was once practice and has an essential recently worked instinct for our on projects such ancient ancestors. as lighting Although now we masterplans, don’t need to worry Melissa Byers, head of strategies and design so much about being Michael Grubb Studio, Bournemouth for the new public realm eaten as we roam, that in Silvertown, St Pancras fight-or-flight sensation still Hospital, King’s Cross and exists within us when our Newcastle city centre. Byers’ portfolio immediate safety isn’t certain.” alone showcases her capabilities and Managing director at Landscaping Direct, understanding of how lighting can be used Tom Arrundale, believes that city-centre to enhance various elements of life. “Well spaces and public parks can offer wonderful considered lighting design activates the landscapes to enjoy, but come nighttime,

Creative lighting design can help to support a sense of safety and security where it delivers imaginative, welcoming lit spaces

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they can quickly become places to avoid when our awareness becomes compromised by dark nights and obstructed views.

Byers suggests that “from a lighting perspective, at a base level, we must provide some level of amenity lighting that may be required to run through the night. This doesn’t necessarily mean it always has to be a conventional streetlight in all instances; Landscape design LDA Design Lighting designer Michael Grubb Studio Client London Borough of Camden Civil, M&E and structural engineer Arcadis Cost consultant Norman Rourke Pryme Contractor idverde Overarching West End project strategy DSDHA Photographer Mike Massaro

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TRENDS you might use catenary lighting, spotlights on columns or other creative approaches – it depends on the vision.” Or as Arrundale suggests, “by removing blind spots such as tall walls, opting instead for columnar trees or pergolas to add height to the design, leaving the view at eye-level unobstructed.”

With a carefully designed landscape, and the effective use of lighting, spaces both public and private can be made to feel much safer and secure by those enjoying them.

SQUARE, Case study KINGS GLOUCESTER, UK

First opened to the public in 1972, Kings Square has been a focal point of the City of Gloucester for the last 50 years. The square was in need of a remodel to create a contemporary office, retail and leisure area for residents and visitors. Michael Grubb Studio created an innovative lighting design that is programmed to illuminate the square at night.

The use of colour was identified as a major element and ambition of the scheme, which features water fountains and dynamic colour-changing lighting.

LANDSCAPING DIRECT

Lighting, in its many forms, can be used in different ways to improve safety – by highlighting hazards and illuminating dark spots, lighting can effectively open up spaces at night, and allow more of the area to be seen, providing comfort and security.“The use of lighting in landscaping offers both beautiful aesthetics, and the practicality of creating a safe, comforting space,” says Arrundale.

He highlights the main three lighting techniques: in-ground lights and decking lights, which can be recessed into the paving or platform and used to highlight perimeters to prevent trips; spotlights pointed in various directions to illuminate any focal points, which is particularly effective when pointed

Client Gloucester City Council Design team Reef Group, George King Architects, Michael Grubb Studio Photographer Mike Massaro

upward to cascade light across plants from below; and floodlights, which help to create a pool of light over an area and are particularly effective for open sections, such as shared, communal spaces.

“We know that there is always a requirement to support safety and security and we have many conversations around this topic, but we also know that flooding a space with light at night alone does little to enhance it and is also not

CIRCUS, Case study PRINCES LONDON, UK

favourable in terms of protecting ecology or supporting sustainability.”

Working closely with the landscape architects and clients early in the process, Byers understands what their vision is and then considers how this will translate after dark. “Our approach always complements theirs, but it may also be different. After dark many of the visual cues we use to interpret the space disappear; we’re therefore redesigning three-dimensional space so people can interpret it once more, it’s a new chapter.”

Considering how layers of light can be used, opposed to just lighting the horizontal

Princes Circus is the final public space to be delivered as part of an array of award-winning West End Projects.

Commissioned by Camden Borough Council, the ambition was to transform key neglected areas blighted by pollution, heavy vehicular traffic and anti-social behaviour into green spaces that provide the opportunity for all to dwell, relax and enjoy the newly designed, welcoming, natural habitat.

Laid out in two triangles, the northern triangle is enjoyed by local workers and visitors frequenting the surrounding

LANDSCAPING DIRECT

restaurants and bars whereas the southern triangle presents a grand plaza, with Shaftesbury Theatre as its backdrop. A drinking fountain monument, originally installed to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, will also be reinstated following its restoration and uplit by night, creating the focal point.

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plane, designers are taking into consideration the vertical planes within a space to create depth, show form, and add interest. “We also spend as much time thinking about what we shouldn’t light as we do consider what we should light to create the right balance.”

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TRENDS By using these techniques and increasing the lighting, making wide, direct, highly visible pathways, designers can provide an element of safety and comfort. “It is fair to say that public spaces, particularly at night, have a reputation for being unsafe and areas to avoid,” says Arrundale. “By illuminating spaces and removing hiding spots, the space may become less of a habitat for nefarious activities, and more comforting places to walk through. City centre recreational areas, with high visibility across the space, provide comfort in numbers, where it’s easy to be seen by others in the vicinity.”

All the elements discussed with Byers and Arrundale can work in all types of public spaces, but that doesn’t mean we should apply them all. “They are simply choices that the designer needs to make in collaboration with their client, the landscape architect, the wider design team and those who will be left to maintain it.” Byers considers every public space as being unique, even a series of projects delivered as part of a wider scheme. “The overall approach needs to be cohesive, but each individual project may have a unique identity to it.”

Mentioning that many of their public realm lighting design projects are informed by initially being appointed to create a lighting masterplan or a lighting strategy for the area, for Byers, the extent of that work can range from just a few pages to a much bigger study that considers the lit approach at a strategic level. “These are then used by

STREET, Case study SUSSEX BROAD MARSH, NOTTINGHAM Sussex Street is part of a wider Master Plan for Broad Marsh, a new public realm development in the heart of the city, which sees Nottingham leading the way on a new approach to city centre regeneration. The Lighting Strategy creates a dynamic and exciting scheme which injects drama and life into the space while connecting the different routes and spaces within.

This cohesive lit environment unites the various developments of Carrington and Collin Street to create attractive, high quality public spaces with appealing aesthetics.

Client Nottingham City Council Design team Townshend Landscape Architects, Pick Everard, Michael Grubb Studio Photographer Alex Bland

us and others, including potentially other lighting designers, now and in the future to help guide the overall vision for an area, supporting a cohesive lit approach, but one that doesn’t stifle creativity.” Believing that people are drawn to light when it inspires

them, and this supports communities to feel safe and at home in their environment after dark, Byers and Arrundale continue to put landscapes in the spotlight and make them more appealing spaces once the sun goes down.

KINGS SQUARE, GLOUCESTER ©Mike Massaro

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Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

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GU ID ED BY N ATU RE

GRDN Landscape + Garden Design (Photography by Alister Thorpe)

Guided by Nature Schellevis® produces concrete paving and elements to connect architecture with nature. Always supporting and respecting the outdoor space they are placed in.

The entire range has the same Schellevis® appearance. Used in combinations, the products help transform every outdoor space into a harmonious, timeless living environment.

Visit our website to see our products in a variety of outdoor spaces, in different ways and often combined.

For UK enquiries: Ryan Burge | 07960 988 327 | ryan@schellevis.co.uk www.schellevis.co.uk

BUSINESS AWARDS

2023 WINNERS

A

fter holding this highly anticipated annual event at East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf since it first launched in 2018, we decided to switch things up and host our 2023 Pro Landscaper Business Awards in association with Caribbean Blinds at a new location – the Old Billingsgate, a Victorian building in the city with views of Tower Bridge and the Shard.

Held on 21 April 2023, the awards have come a long way in the last five years, setting themselves apart from other industry ceremonies by recognising exceptional businesses that stand out in areas such as training and development, CSR, profitability and more in their sector.

Supreme Winner

These are the only industry awards that are open to all companies and are focused on the running of successful businesses within the UK landscaping sector. with all entries being independently judged by a selection of industry leaders. We were joined by more than 600 individuals at the most recent event and had the highest number of applications to date. Seventeen category winners were announced, as well as our overall Supreme Winner.

We look forward to exploring the potential that the industry has to offer in 2024. Join us again, on Friday 19 April 2024, at The Old Billingsgate!

In partnership with

Nicholsons

“A really strong entry all round, with lots of evidence to support each answer; this is a company that the landscaping sector should be really proud of, with a great focus on staff, sustainability, the future and customer satisfaction – well done team Nicholsons.”

Stuart Dantzic, Caribbean Blinds

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BUSINESS AWARDS

New Company (Under Two Years' Old)

In partnership with

Due to hard work and dedication, Utopia Landscapes has flourished as a business in a short space of time. Founded by 30 Under 30 winner Adam Stewart, it strives to positively impact the industry and the local community, both of which are extremely important to the company. It transforms its clients’ outdoor spaces with beautiful, high-quality work and gives them the best customer service possible to make it an experience to remember.

Supplier and Service Provider

In partnership with

Caribbean Blinds UK Ltd

In partnership with

YGS Landscapes

In partnership with

Tony Benger Landscaping Ltd

Established more than 35 years ago, Tony Benger Landscaping Ltd works with a welcoming open-door policy, it strives to maintain the same family feel despite growing to more than 130 staff.

Regularly acclaimed for its people-led culture, Tony Benger Landscaping is affectionately referred to by its staff as ‘a great place to work’. Having built a strong focus on in-house training and staff development.

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Chloe Ryman has quickly become an asset to Azpects since joining in 2021, and her success is measurable. The digital marketing trainee has significantly boosted the supplier’s social media following, improved its Trustpilot rating and increased its website traffic whilst reducing its bounce rate. Her first major project to rebrand the EASYClickBase product proved an overwhelming success, impressing the project manager which her variety of ideas.

Trade Nursery of the Year

In partnership with

Its employees, clients, suppliers and credentials – combined with its unwavering focus on upholding the highest standards in biosecurity – make Provender Nurseries stand out from the crowd. By focusing on its three cornerstones – employees, clients and stock – Provender Nurseries’ desire is to be the leading cash and carry in the UK.

Landscape Architecture Studio

In partnership with

Fira Landscape Ltd

YGS Landscapes is an innovative landscaping business with more than 30 years’ experience. Started as a one-man-band by founder and managing director Steve Warren-Brown, it has since grown to more than 35 staff.

Armed with an enthusiastic team, YGS Landscapes is passionate about enriching outdoor spaces with the benefits of nature, building habitats for local wildlife and pollinators, reducing harmful air pollution and providing green space to aid people’s mental health.

Commercial Landscape Company

In partnership with

Provender Nurseries Ltd

Dedicated to external shading for more than 35 years, Caribbean Blinds manufactures high quality, award-winning external shading systems. These include contemporary patio awnings, innovative external blinds and all-weather louvered roofs which come set up for a hassle-free installation and are rigorously tested to meet or exceed stringent quality and safety standards, backed with an industry leading guarantee.

Landscape Company £1m - £5m Turnover

Apprentice of the Year

Chloe Ryman, Azpects Ltd

Utopia Landscapes

Fira is a nationally recognised practice of landscape architects with a people-centric ethos. Fira's approach – which emphasises sustainability and wellbeing – has strengthened its position as a leading landscape design practice. Fira's designs focus on its belief that the environment has a significant impact on health, behavior, and state of mind. Fira strives to create beautiful, sustainable places that enhance health and wellbeing.

Garden Design Company

In partnership with

Rachel Bailey Garden Design Ltd Rachel Bailey Garden Design is an award-winning landscape and garden design practice based in Scotland at the forefront of environmental design. Through a collective vision, it creates unique, atmospheric gardens set within a strong spatial design, that are good for the people and wildlife that use them. Continuing its commitment to creating a long-term vision for each design, Bailey is the sustainability lead for the SGD and is now implementing an Environmental Action Plan.

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BUSINESS AWARDS

Grounds Maintenance Company

In partnership with

Glendale Countryside Ltd

In partnership with

Connick Tree Care

In partnership with

Nicholsons

In partnership with

Mitie Landscapes

Mitie is committed to eliminating its impacts on the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change with its ambitious Plan Zero commitment, which aims to reach its net zero emissions target in 2025.

This plan focuses on three key themes: emissions, resources and infrastructure. Mitie is helping its customers to deliver similar ambitious targets whilst improving biodiversity across their estate and is committed to a sustainable future through its various different initiatives.

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Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

Employer of the Year

In partnership with

Ground Control is a leading external maintenance business and biodiversity expert committed to enhancing and improving the physical environment. It has a business wide commitment to sustainability and uses technology and data to nurture environments and enable its customers to deliver on their environmental promises. Ground Control creates better landscapes, nurtures natural environments and construct spaces that bring people, places and the planet together to realise the potential of human nature at its best.

Industry Collaboration

In partnership with

Conquest Creative Spaces

Nicholsons offers professional, expert advice on all matters relating to trees, woodlands and the natural environment. The team of highly qualified arborists, ecologists, foresters, garden designers, landscape architects, soil specialists and contractors provides a unified service to Nicholsons’ clients and partners in the industry. From environmental planning to garden design and delivery, Nicholsons offer a unique, end-to-end service and expertise of the highest quality within one cohesive team.

Sustainable Company of the Year

Since it was founded in 2006, West Midlands-based Landscapia has become a multi-award-winning design and build company. It puts a focus on recruiting, training and developing staff to find and keep the right people. Its in-house training matrix encourages progression and provides a pathway. It explores new and innovative technologies to help the operations to become more efficient and, as such, the majority of its work comes from recommendations and returning customers.

Ground Control Ltd

Connick Tree Care provides highly professional, quality arboricultural services to commercial and residential customers in the south east of England. The Arboricultural Association approved contractor has begun the transition to becoming an Employee-Owned Trust, with the management team and employee structure to remain unchanged to ensure the family focus and friendly ethos continues. All employees will become beneficiaries, though, eligible to share in the trust’s profits.

Landscape Company Over £5m Turnover

In partnership with

Landscapia Ltd

Through its highly driven teams, privately-owned Glendale Countryside Ltd strives to offer a quality service throughout the UK. It focuses on the development and training of its employees through its Glendale Academy, along with supporting the next generation through apprenticeships.

A carbon neutral company, Glendale is making sustainable switches to go beyond net zero and has set ambitious goals to continue to reduce its carbon footprint.

Arboriculture Company

Landscape Company Under £1m Turnover

in collaboration with Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, industry suppliers/contractors

With the help of industry suppliers and contractors, Conquest Creative Spaces was able to build a surprise garden for a family in need. The family’s five-year-old son had physical and neurological disabilities, and so their previous garden had proved to be unsafe. In a short space of time, and with more than £50k in material donations, over 12 different contractors, and help of the local community, a multilevel garden was created, which can be easily accessed in a wheelchair.

Design and Build Company

In partnership with

Rosebank Landscaping

Rosebank Landscaping is a multi-award-winning and internationally renowned landscape design and build practice. It has been creating luxury landscapes since 2016 and tries to promote a “culture of freedom and autonomy” whilst having a clear staffing structure for its employees to see the career possibilities ahead of them, with CPD offered on a weekly basis to aid development.

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AUREO

Design: David Karásek, Radek Hegmon

AN INVISIBLE TRAVEL COMPANION enquiry@mmcite.co.uk www.mmcite.com

We make cities smart and beautiful

30 UNDER 30 WINNERS Age

’S

28

M

entoring, encouraging sustainable practices, reaching senior leadership positions and encouraging ED&I in the landscaping industry – these are just a few of the ambitions of the winners of this year’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation in association with Green-tech. They’re eager to grow the reach of their companies, to explore fauna and flora in other countries and to set up their own organisations and charities. They’re passionate about biodiversity, peat free production and inclusive design. It is a privilege to read the numerous and wide-ranging goals of our winners, all with their own unique career paths.

Amongst our winners, you’ll see passionate people from garden design, sales and marketing, grounds maintenance, nurseries and growers, arboriculture, landscape architecture Age and podcasting, to name a few.

Some are showcasing how non-visible disabilities need not hold you back or are eager to draw a more diverse pool of talent to horticulture, be it more women or those from the LGBTQ+ community.

Congratulations to the DANNY GREEN class of 2023!

Account manager, Crowders Nurseries

Age

ASHLEIGH AYLETT

GEORGE BARTON Key account manager, Green-tech

Age

CHARLOTTE COLE Horticulturist/Podcast Presenter, The MacRobert Trust/For the Love of Plants Podcast

28

MAX DENTON Director, Wild by Design Ltd

Age

Age

29

30

EMMA HINDLE

HARRY HOBLYN

Business development manager, Ground Control

Director and nursery manager, Rymer Trees Ltd

Age

27

Age

30

30

BRANDON KING

KYLE LESLIE

SOPHIE LOCKHART

ELSA MELROSE

Director, Broadleaf Midlands Tree Care Ltd

Contracts manager, Nurture Landscapes Ltd

Consultant landscape architect, WSP

Horticulturist, Harry Holding Studio

Age

Age

23

22

Age

19

Age

28

29

Landscape designer, Erlam Studio + John Davies Landscape

25

Nina

Age

22

Age

Age

31

29

ROBBIE PHIPPS

JACK READER

HELEN STICKLING

GEORGINA STRETCH

Gardener, Nurture Landscapes Ltd

Junior landscaping site coordinator, Landform Consultants Ltd

Arboricultural support officer, London Borough of Bromley

Chartered landscape architect, The Royal Parks

Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

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30 UNDER 30 WINNERS Age

Age

29

Age

25

23

KELSEY BRACE

CHARLIE CHAMBERLAIN

RYAN CLARK

Head of marketing, Primethorpe Paving

Team leader, Tivoli Group Ltd

Landscape supervisor, Oak View Landscapes Ltd

Age

Age

27

Age

31

ABI FAIRBROTHER

REBECCA FRYER

Accounts manager, Palmer Landscapes Ltd

Contracts manager, Nurture Landscapes Ltd

Age

24 GEORGE GAIA HOLMES ACIHort Horticulturist/Podcast presenter, The MacRobert Trust/For the Love of Plants podcast

Age

26

Age

29

26

ANNABELLE HODD

DANIEL JOHNSON

MIHKEL KAJANUS

Owner and senior designer, Ivy and Whyte Garden Design Sussex

Landscape architect, WATG

Landscape foreman, Garden Club London Ltd

Age

Age

28

Age

27

28

HENRY MILLS

SAMUEL MONAGHAN

WILL PETTITT

Junior garden designer, Arne Maynard Garden Design

Production manager, Wildflower Turf Ltd

Director and landscaper, Topoforma Landscape

Age

Age

Age

24

29

©Tim Howell

30

From the sponsor

“Congratulations to all winners of Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation awards.

Green-tech is proud to sponsor this initiative which seeks to find and profile 30 rising stars within our industry.

The awards help to highlight first-hand the career opportunities available within our sector and demonstrate that roles within landscaping, horticulture, arboriculture, and garden design are a meaningful and respected choice.

All 30 winners are shining examples of what hard work and determination looks like.

Pro Landscaper provides a valued platform to showcase your skills and achievements whilst inspiring those that follow in your footsteps.

To be named as a winner is a significant achievement and one which singles you out and provides the opportunity to promote yourself and boost your career. Congratulations once again.”

KRIS NELLIST EMMA TIPPING

PENNY WALKER

TIM YOUNG

Garden designer and horticulturist, Emma Tamsin Tipping Garden Design

Junior landscape architect, Ann-Marie Powell Gardens

Regional manager, Countrywide Cheshire

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MANAGING DIRECTOR, GREEN-TECH

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PROJECT AWARDS

2023 WINNERS

W

e were blown away by the quality of the entries for the Pro Landscaper Project Awards in association with Provender Nurseries. More than 60 projects were shortlisted across the 10 categories, with the winners being announced at an evening ceremony at FutureScape. It was an incredibly difficult task for this year’s judges to narrow down the entries; each project showcased technical ability, creativity, and problem-solving skills, not to mention the ability to fulfil the client’s brief to the highest standards, going the extra mile to create what have now become award-winning results for some.

A note from our headline partner

“As an active and avid supporter of the industry, Provender Nurseries is extremely proud to be headline sponsor for the Pro Landscaper Project Awards 2023. The Project Awards are an excellent opportunity for designers, landscapers and suppliers to collaborate together to produce award worthy gardens. The 10 categories in this year’s awards reflect the diversity of skills and expertise in our industry and encapsulate the different areas we collectively reach including domestic gardens, community gardens, hard and soft landscaping.”

DESIGN

In partnership with

PROVENDER NURSERIES

BUILD

In partnership with

UNDER £50,000

UNDER £50,000

NATURALISTIC WILDLIFE COURTYARD KATHRYN COX GARDEN DESIGN STUDIO

A JAPANESE-INSPIRED GARDEN JJH LANDSCAPES

Built in 1900, the south-west facing property with a small 20m2 courtyard in Camden, North London, is the victim of noise and pollution from the neighbouring railway. So, Kathryn Cox wanted to design a garden that would feel a world away from the train line and would attract wildlife despite the urban location, creating a picture window view. The pre-existing mature plants were incorporated, whilst romantic planting was added, and hardscaping was kept to a minimum.

SPECIAL FEATURE UNDER £35,000

SEACLIFF POND WATER GEMS (ALBA) LTD

In partnership with VILLIERS

Here, clients wanted to resurrect an existing water feature in order to create more pleasing views and enhance it as a wildlife feature. There was to be a larger pond, with curves and plantings both in and out of the water, and a cascade that would create visual interest as well as sound. The space now creates continual changes across the seasons, with long season border plantings, marginals and aquatic species, all chosen to suit the climate and aspect.

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RICHARD MCKENNA,

Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

A Japanese-Inspired Garden by JJH Landscapes showcases a complete redesign of a south-facing, rear garden into a sustainable, modern space.

Representing the inspiration in a modern, minimalist style, JJH Landscapes leveraged the contrast of rocks and greenery whilst increasing the biodiversity within the landscape by increasing the soft landscaping areas to 65% of the garden space, reusing and recycling over 85% of the client’s existing hard landscaping materials.

PLANTING DESIGN

In partnership with

UNDER £25,000

THE CIRCLE GARDEN ALICE MEACHAM GARDENS The semi-rural setting of this gently sloping rear garden meant that there were lots of rough hedgerows and plenty of attractive mature trees visible in the wider environment, with an open aspect and distant hill views.

The clients wanted the large, raised deck and swimming pool to be retained, whilst the rest of the garden had an empty space of rough lawn that the client wanted to be filled with low maintenance visual interest to create a family garden.

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PROJECT AWARDS

HARD LANDSCAPING

In partnership with

In partnership with

UNDER £50,000

BANKS FARM FINT COUNTRYSIDE GARDEN QUALITY OUTSIDE LIVING LTD Living on a mixed agricultural and residential estate, the client wanted to make the design of the courtyard consistent with the house and the key features of most period Sussex properties, such as flint and brick walls. The area was a mixture of gravel and a tarmacked car parking area which had been used previously as the entrance to the front of the property. Now, it has been switched to the back, giving this area a new purpose as an inviting courtyard garden.

SUSTAINABLE GARDEN

DESIGN AND BUILD

In partnership with

UNDER £50,000

MAJESTIC RETREAT LANDSCAPIA LTD The clients were desperate to transform their neglected and under-utilised garden, where large areas of existing paths and patio disjointed the space, into a space that combined cosy seating and striking visual features.

Landscapia Ltd transformed the landscape, overcoming the challenges of the desired design. The contrast of the smooth porcelain, veneer walling and the Corten steel complement each other perfectly, creating a stunning outdoor space.

OUTDOOR LIGHTING PROJECT UNDER £35,000

In partnership with

A JAPANESE-INSPIRED GARDEN ADAM VETERE LANDSCAPE & GARDEN DESIGN

SKY ENTERTAINING MAÏTANNE HUNT GARDENS & LANDSCAPES

Adam Vetere Landscape & Garden Design carried out a complete redesign of this garden into a sustainable, modern, and beautiful Japaneseinspired space. Being as sustainable as possible, such as recycling and reusing materials, was a core value for the client. There was a target to recycle and reuse 80-90% of the existing hard landscaping materials, and retaining the statues and garden ornaments also needed to be considered for inclusion in the redesign.

An exposed roof terrace was transformed into a sophisticated and functional entertainment space, offering privacy and protection from the elements. Maïtanne Hunt used a carefully planned lighting design to reveal what the clients wanted to show off and conceal what they did not. The client’s terrace is metamorphosed at night into another spectacular setting, benefitting the clients’ sophisticated style and drawing endless compliments.

TEMPORARY INSTALLATION In partnership with

COMMUNITY GREEN SPACE

UNDER £50,000

THE MARY ANNING SPACE TO LEARN GARDEN RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2023 SANDHURST GARDEN DESIGN Created as an exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023, this garden follows the client’s brief from Charmouth Primary School to design an outdoor learning space for a small group of primary school age children. The clients requested natural materials that echoed the local coastline and were sustainably sourced. The garden was to engage the children with lessons through play, nature and caring for plants to increase confidence and self-esteem.

Both images ©Marianne Majerus

In partnership with

UNDER £50,000

NATURE’S GIFT GARDEN MERTHYR TYDFIL COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL – PARKS AND COUNTRYSIDE Troedyrhiw Park is at the heart of the community, but a space within it near to a play area needed an upgrade. The site consisted of an abandoned tennis count but has since become Nature’s Gift Garden, with planted areas surrounded by and interconnected with a series of edged and resurfaced footpaths. Those behind the project worked with local volunteers to establish the garden and now to maintain it.

SUPREME WINNER

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©Marianne Majerus

UNDER £50,000

In partnership with

SKY ENTERTAINING MAÏTANNE HUNT “There are some fabulous ideas incorporated into the design and using the lighting to define the spaces is a great idea.”

“A masterful use of lighting to create a magical space.”

“An excellent understanding of how aesthetic and practical lighting works in a garden as well as technical understanding of the fittings and light output/lumens.”

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SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS

W

e see one of our most important roles at Pro Landscaper as showcasing the positive impact that the landscaping sector can have by proving that landscaping and green spaces are part of the solution to mitigating climate change. So, we are incredibly proud to have launched our new Pro Landscaper Sustainability & Biodiversity Awards in association with Kress this year to shine a spotlight on the great initiatives within the industry. Congratulations to our 12 category winners who demonstrated outstanding examples of companies, projects and products with environmental innovation at their heart and which have now been recognised as some of the industry’s environmental leaders.

A note from our headline partner "We are proud to be the sponsor of the Pro Landscaper Sustainability & Biodiversity Awards. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Kress, so it is important to us to recognise the contributions of industry towards this vital goal and to celebrate these important achievements towards a better, greener future for all. Kress are dedicated to the commitment towards a future that will forever eliminate the need for petrolpowered equipment, and we are proud to support the industry in its transition to zeroemissions landscaping.

We would like to recognise every application and the hard work that has gone into them.

We wish everyone luck and thank all of you for the part that you play, however big or small, in working towards a shared vision.”

TONY MACER NATIONAL SALES MANAGER UK & IRELAND, KRESS

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Pro Landscaper | The Collection 2023

GARDEN DESIGN COMPANY

MATTHEW WILSON GARDENS

In partnership with

LANDSCAPING COMPANY

QUALITY & SERVICE (Q&S) LTD

In partnership with

Matthew Wilson Gardens is a multi-awardwinning landscape design practice based in Rutland, East Midlands. It specialises in creating gardens ‘of the place’, that respect the local vernacular and surroundings and that are designed with the environment and biodiversity at the forefront. This thinking influences everything from minimising waste from site, to upcycling and repurposing materials, to minimising road haulage and plant selection.

Quality & Service (Q&S) Ltd has an ethos that is client centric, covering all aspects of its business, from sales to service delivery and customer liaison. Q&S creates and maintains urban landscapes that connect communities and creates spaces that allow people to connect with nature. It also proactively facilities its employees in obtaining enhanced horticultural training and but also in supporting sustainable initiatives.

COMMERCIAL DESIGN PROJECT

DOMESTIC DESIGN PROJECT

THE FAUNA & FLORA In partnership with GARDEN, RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2023 – JILAYNE RICKARDS

MEADOW VIEW WILDLIFE In partnership with GARDEN, OXFORDSHIRE – HOLLANDGREEN LANDSCAPES

Jilayne Rickards puts sustainability and biodiversity at the heart of all her designs, and The Fauna & Flora Garden this year was no exception. It was an exemplar of sustainable design, construction and legacy whilst promoting a positive global conservation message. Bold approaches, such as being free of cement and concrete, demonstrated how to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible.

The team at award-winning practice HollandGreen is passionate about creating wonderful gardens that perfectly frame clients’ homes whilst connecting people to nature and enhancing the local ecology and biodiversity of each site. The practice has a sustainability-led approach from the earliest stages of design and carries out a biodiversity enhancement strategy on every project.

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SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GROUNDS MAINTENANCE COMPANY

2023 WINNERS

ARBORICULTURE COMPANY

TYLER GRANGE GROUP LIMITED

In partnership with

From achieving certification as a B-Corporation to permanently implementing a four-day week, Tyler Grange sees sustainable and responsible practices as the lifeblood of the business. The environmental consultancy is an expert in arboriculture, ecology and landscape planning, working with the UK’s leading architects, housebuilders and developers to ensure that projects are delivered with optimal benefits to people and the environment.

COMMERCIAL BUILD PROJECT

EXCHANGE SQUARE – MAYLIM

In partnership with

A major new public park for the City of London, Exchange Square has been re-imagined as a bucolic landscape with trees, generously planted borders and green space.

Exchange Square is a unique place for people and nature in the heart of the city. As principal contractor for the project, Maylim led the scheme's delivery and collaborated with British Land, Stace and Greengage Environmental to ensure sustainability and innovation were carefully considered with excellent results.

prolandscapermagazine.com

I DVERDE

In partnership with

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

NICHOLSONS

In partnership with

idverde is committed to protecting the environment for future generations and recognises the importance of sustainability in its practices. It says it has a “cultural bias towards improving outdoor spaces and supporting wildlife conservation”. It has a partnership with the RSPB, which sees six RSPB employees embedded within idverde teams to support and advise on wildlifefriendly green space management and to help maintain, enhance and restore sites for nature conservation (SINC).

Landscape architecture is one of a range of offerings by Nicholsons, which provides end-to-end design, moving seamlessly through to contracting services to realise projects. It is driving sustainability in all aspects of the business, including design, with a series of goals for the year set out in its Connect 23 document. The company delivers tree planting and community-led projects in the Maasai Mara and also supports staff through a series of measures, such as a discretionary bonus scheme and access to a Smart Health app.

SUPPLIER

MAINTENANCE CONTRACT

THE GREEN ESTATE COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY

In partnership with

STOCKLEY PARK – NURTURE LANDSCAPES

In partnership with

The award-winning Green Estate Community Interest Company has more than 20 years' experience supplying sustainable landscaping products and services to commercial, public and private customers. It has become an expert in contributing to the delivery of resilient urban landscapes, one of the first companies to be recognised by the King for its work in sustainable development.

Stockley Park was formally opened by HRH, the Prince of Wales on 6 June 1986, making it the oldest business park in the UK. The Park was the brainchild of Sir Stuart Lipton who wanted to provide the local community with space for recreation as well as business prosperity. It has been awarded the Biodiversity Benchmark Award, Green Apple Awards and Green Flag Award.

DOMESTIC BUILD PROJECT

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

In partnership with COUNTY DURHAM BIODIVERSITY POND AND REWILDING – WATER GEMS (ALBA) LTD

A private client approached Water Gems – which specialises in unique, self-designed landscaping, water and biodiversity projects – to help them rewild an area of field in County Durham. So, Water Gems created a 20mx13m biodiversity pool with a large deck, beach area and all native planting. The pool has become a “biodiversity hotspot” with dragonflies, newts and swallows all using it.

RAINBOW TERRA, RAINBOW PROFESSIONAL LTD

In partnership with

Over the last five years, Rainbow has developed a full range of 100% plant-based alternative products, which include vole guards, spiral, and tree shelters. The Rainbow Terra is a natural and biodegradable solution for the protection of newly planted trees and vines. Currently, the this is the only certified soil biodegradable tree shelter on the market.

It launched a recycling scheme for plastic guards to avoid littering the environment.

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UNSUNG HEROES

H

idden behind the frontline of every successful business are stars that keep companies and the industry going. They are so critical, and you often hear them referred to as the “glue” that holds everything together.

Our Unsung Heroes awards were launched earlier this year to recognise these individuals who often slip under the radar. We invited readers to nominate who they believe deserved to be recognised and were unsurprisingly inundated with hundreds of nominations from office administrators to marketing to operatives on the ground to small business owners. There were some amazing stories of dedication and examples of how critical the entrants were in underpinning the successes of the businesses they worked for.

We gave our audience the opportunity to make the final decision on who deserved to be crowned Pro Landscaper’s Unsung Hero, and with over 1,000 votes cast we revealed the overall winner at FutureScape.

OWEN BAKER

TARYN BAKER

DAVE BRADBURY

ROY CANDLIN

Technical officer – policy and research, British Association of Landscape Industries

Sales co-ordinator, Greenwood Plants

Planning and logistics manager, George Davies Turf

Regional operations manager, Ground Control

KATE COONEY

Corporate partnerships manager, Perennial

BARRIE DUESBURY

EDDIE EVEREST

SHARON FROST

Nursery operative, Living Walls

Landscaper, Frosts Landscape Construction

Office manager, Tim O’Hare Associates

LOUISE GRANGER

FERN SNOWLING

RAY STEPHENSON

PETER THURMAN

Office administrator, Harrowden Turf

Planting & logistics manager, Majestic Trees

Landscape consultant, Talasey Group

Consultant and principal, The Thurman Consultancy

MAL VICKERS

RICHARD WAGSTAFF

DAVID GRIFFITHS DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR, PRO LANDSCAPER

From the sponsor

“The Landscapeplus team are proud to be sponsoring the very first Pro Landscaper Unsung Heroes Awards that will shine a light on so many amazing individuals who work tirelessly to make our industry a pleasure to be a part of. As a company, we are passionate about developing the industry and the Unsung Heroes Award is the perfect match alongside our training days and design support.”

SAM COX,

LANDSCAPEPLUS

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UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR FRANKIE PATMAN MARKETING MANAGER, MAYLIM Winning the Grand Award at the National Landscape Awards in 2017 catapulted Maylim into the spotlight. It had been quietly expanding for two decades, undertaking major commercial landscaping projects; but it was this prolific win that cemented its reputation within the industry.

It’s no wonder, then, that one nominator says

National green space manager, Remus Management Ltd

Owner, RJW Fencing & Decking

Patman has been “central to the success of Maylim”.

She started as an administrator, before taking on responsibility for marketing and events, going on to establish Maylim as one of the most recognised brands in the built environment. As a nominator says, “she should be recognised for her unfailing dedication, passion, and achievements”. A true unsung hero.

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A timeless

COURTYARD MAYLIM

PROJECT DETAILS

LANCER SQUARE

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esponding to its illustrious history, Lancer Square is a 13,600m2 mixed-use development comprising four blocks ranging from four to seven storeys, with 51 oneto four-bedroom private and affordable residential apartments, leisure, ground floor retail and cafes, a new office building and the introduction of a high-quality landscaped public courtyard garden located on prosperous Kensington Church Street, near Kensington Palace and Gardens.

The design is a contemporary interpretation of the architectural character typical of the Kensington Palace Conservation area. The decision to use a two-tone brick on the façade has been inspired by the varying brown and red brick found on Kensington Palace, and the traditional vertical window proportions, horizontal stone banding and brick columns of the Palace have been translated into a contemporary elevation. This style and approach are echoed in the public realm design.

The landowners, Chesington Investments, appointed CIT Group as development managers and Squire and Partners as the project architect. Scape Design produced the ground floor public realm scheme, which Maylim implemented on behalf of principal contractor Mace.

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Project value £2.3m Build time 53 weeks Size of project 1,500m2 (Maylim package) Awards National Landscape Award, Residential Roof Garden or Podium Landscaping over £250k category

In 2014, the site comprised a six-storey 1980s red brick building on Kensington Church Street and an office and residential building on Old Court Place. The Kensington Church Street building stands where the former Kensington Barracks building was located.

The courtyard is anchored at the heart of the development and in the same historic location as the military centre of Kensington Barracks. It references the past and an opportune pocket of breathing space within the surrounding luxury retail, residential arrival courts and sunken terraces. Squire and Partners’ design is a contemporary interpretation of the architectural character found within the Kensington Palace Conservation Area. The design draws inspiration from the site’s palatial and horticultural past as the original palace grounds and kitchen garden and later as the Kensington Barracks for the Royal Lancers.

The design of Lancer Square is rooted in place from the urban scale down to the final details of the development, with nature always playing a part. Interiors take inspiration from Kensington Palace – from its grand proportions to its flow of spaces. A series of bespoke branded elements, designed to identify the new timeless garden

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square, are woven into the fabric of the buildings – from the external façade, feature screens and ironmongery to the door handles and texture that is touched – with each of the residential, office and retail components of the development given its own emblem which extends into the decorative metalwork throughout the external areas.

Collaboration Maylim was contracted to supply and install all works to the public realm, including the contractor's design portion for the water feature. Key elements of the project included: structural build-ups over the basement slab; linear and below-ground drainage; paving and cladding, including sampling and mock-ups; raised planters; bespoke

monolithic benches; soft landscaping with mature and semi-mature trees, herbaceous planting, and bulbs; road and footpaths for adoption by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; and design of bespoke monolith water feature.

Maylim delivered the majority of these works with in-house teams. Specialist subcontractors were engaged for the water feature, soft landscaping and irrigation with the coordination of statutory service providers.

Maylim worked diligently to design, supply and install this intricate and detailed design to the highest quality.

The project team sourced high-quality materials through supply chain partners and worked very closely with the client and architect to fully realise the joint ambitions for the scheme. Maylim strongly believes that the delivery of a beautiful new public space has been achieved through the combination of shared determination and a focus on quality.

Mace appointed Maylim as a specialist sub-contractor to deliver the external works package. This required extensive coordination and collaboration with other trades and specialists in the sequencing and planning of Maylim’s works. An extensive Section 278 package was varied into the scope of works, delivering the scheme to the requirements of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The scope of works extended to include the structural build-ups and all surface finishes,

A bespoke stone water feature provides the focal point of the courtyard garden. Formed from proteus black granite, the monolithic reflection pool sits centrally within the courtyard square.

Maylim worked with a specialist sub-contractor, Fountains Direct, to deliver on the concept ideas produced by Scape Design. This was, along with the drainage and M&E requirements, a technically challenging feature to integrate into the construction buildup for the scheme.

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from granite paving, natural stone cladding and copings to granite kerbing and tarmac surfacing. A decorative water feature and monolithic benches complete the hard landscaping along with a diverse planting scheme and supporting irrigation system.

Preparation is key As a sub-contractor to Mace, Maylim worked to tight timelines with several complex trade and statutory interfaces and a live roadway to Kensington Church Street.

With several key stakeholders, such as the main client, development manager, main contractor, design team and RBKC, communication and planning were critical to the project's success.

Several samples, benchmarks and mock-ups were required in advance of the works to ensure that the quality requirements were achieved across the scheme. This process presented an opportunity for value boosts, including offering alternatives for stone, utility hole covers and adding maintenance to the soft landscape post-project completion.

Maylim sees aftercare and maintenance of a completed scheme as key to the successful establishment and long-term success of the planting and longevity of the scheme.

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The scheme sits over a podium slab which extends across the site over the basement car park. Due to the site's location, a sensitive approach was required regarding the construction. This carefully structured approach helped to ensure that works were planned and coordinated accordingly so that all materials arrived at the site on a just-in-time basis to meet the parameters of point loading.

Before finishing the works, a series of lightweight fills, structural substrates and water flow-reducing layers were placed.

The void former was utilised across all the project's hard and soft landscape areas.

A bespoke drainage scheme comprising gulleys in hard and soft regions, linear slot drains and channels were also installed across the site. One of the complexities in

working on site was the existing levels of the site boundaries and the stepped structural slab.

A mix of materials The hard landscape scheme for Lancer Square comprises a contrasting materials palette. The main drive through the space and portecochère is paved in dark grey granite, with the pedestrian realm in medium grey granite.

A total of 880m2 of granite paving, incorporating vehicular and pedestrian build-up, was installed over the podium slab. Paved areas were edged with 160m of distinguishable light grey granite. In contrast, the Laurel Bank sandstone stepping stones within the courtyard garden add another element to the scheme's colour palette. The Laurel Bank sandstone was a consistent material for the courtyard retaining walls and was utilised as cladding and copings.

188m2 of cladding and 320m of coping were installed in a combination of low walls framing planting and pedestals for pots and urns. Light white pebbles complete the hard landscape materials palette for the courtyard and areas surrounding the roof lights.

Two feature benches carved in honed Laurel Bank Sandstone complete the courtyard garden and provide ample space for residents

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and visitors to sit and enjoy the surrounding area. Freestanding pots and urns line the courtyard and porte-cochère, giving structure and a sense of formality. Raised planters, formed in folded aluminium frame planting, mask the roof lights from sight.

The courtyard is graced with three sculptures created by Based Upon, a London-based studio of highly skilled artists and creatives. The sculptures pay homage to the stories of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, which strongly link to Kensington Gardens. The first of the sculptures correlates with the courtyard's architectural floor plan. By utilising angular forms, the sculpture (2.5m x 2.5m) stirs the illusion of pages of a book being flicked through, creating a magical portal in mirror-polished stainless steel nestled within the foliage of the courtyard garden.

The other two sculptures depict children and represent our inner child that dreams of playing in such fantasy realms. Placed at four metres above ground level, they have been created in Portland stone with applied gold leaf. At first look, they are reminiscent of traditional British statuary; however, on closer inspection, they are contemporary

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pieces with intricate detail inspiring a connection between viewer and child.

During the project, Maylim was instructed to complete the Section 278 works to Kensington Church Street, York House Place

and Old Court Place as a variation to the contract. The works were delivered in close liaison with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to adoptable standards on both

the existing public highway and the Section 38 adoption areas.

The team coordinated the works with statutory utility providers such as TfL, Thames Water, Cadent and UKPN to complete a complex reduced dig excavation around existing services, enabling the complete construction buildup of surfaces. The works included adjusting chambers, replacing covers, and liaising with RBKC and TfL to install traffic lights, signage, lighting, and Santander Cycle Stands. Materials included 270m of granite kerbs and edging, 800m2 of Yorkstone paving, 130m2 of granite paving and 185m2 of new carriageway over reinforced concrete.

Formal planting The planting provides the structure to the Lancer Square courtyard garden and is formal in its layout. A generous 500m2 of planting plays an essential role in this scheme and contributes to screening, enclosing and softening the space and providing seasonal interest. Ten box-clipped hornbeams create an elevated screen to the boundary of the courtyard, providing a much-needed human scale to the surrounding built form.

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REFERENCES Client Chesington Investments Ltd Architect Squire and Partners squireandpartners.com Landscape architect Scape Design Associates scapeda.co.uk Key sub-contractors: Tarmac Spadeoak spadeoak.co.uk Soft landscaping Willerby Landscapes willerby-landscapes.co.uk The formal layout continues with the placement of mature Japanese coral-bark maples, and snowy mespilus set within the courtyard. A diverse array of shrubs and herbaceous perennials extend through the soft landscaped areas, held together by the introduction of evergreen shrubs. In spring, snowdrops and white daffodils, which contrast against the dark foliage of the evergreen shrubs, provide colour and animation to the garden.

The planting strategy seeks to provide formality, interest and contribute to biodiversity.

Box-leaved holly was used significantly as hedging – this species was selected for its resilience compared with Box. Plants such as dahlia, red hot pokers, cone flowers and bearded iris contribute to the planting scheme, with a bulb layer throughout to provide further interest in late spring. A site-wide irrigation system supports the planting to aid the establishment. Maintenance of the planting extended to practical completion and a further 12 months post-completion.

One of the most challenging site constraints was the limited space and numerous trade interfaces. The site was only accessible from one point and had height restrictions. This meant that for operations, including the distribution of concrete via a concrete pump and lifting and placing trees and prominent features such as the water feature and carved benches, works

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had to be carefully coordinated to avoid any conflicts in the requirements for space.

As the works were completed over a structural slab extending over a basement car park across the site, this limited the amount of space for storing materials as a result of point loading limitations and not impact the work's progress. The nature of the slab being stepped meant a significant requirement for temporary works to enable access to areas for works to progress.

The outcome, though, is a courtyard which is fit for its surroundings and leaves no doubt as to why Lancer Square scooped a National Landscape Award this year.

ABOUT Maylim specialises in landscaping, external works and civil engineering projects. In 2022, the company celebrated 20 years in business, and its solid reputation for quality work and exceeding client expectations has helped them reach this milestone. Working to improve public spaces, they help develop new neighbourhoods and bring together existing communities.

Maylim's integrated approach enables flexibility and adaptability to successfully deliver longlasting, high-quality projects. maylim.co.uk

Cleaning Token Cleaning Services tokencleaning.com Water feature Fountains Direct fountains-direct.co.uk Electrical MDN UK mdnuk.co.uk Irrigation Waterwise Solutions waterwisesolutions.co.uk Key suppliers: Metalwork Kinley kinley.co.uk Paving and cladding Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Trees Deepdale Trees deepdale-trees.co.uk

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Creating healthier urban spaces in harmony with nature

JANUARY 2023

Garden of F

MIRRORS ADOLFO HARRISON GARDENS CHELSEA TOWNHOUSE

or this family garden in West London, Adolfo Harrison Gardens needed to balance the personalities of both parents – an Irishwoman and an Italian. It needed to have areas for them to entertain and lounge in the sun and in the shade, whilst creating a seamless flow from the front door all the way through to the studio at the end of the garden.

Working closely with the clients, Adolfo Harrison Gardens spent a day with the clients, showing them how the different needs of the brief could be overlapped and how the space could be broken up, via SketchUp. A design was created using square shapes throughout, with two circle

PROJECT DETAILS

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Project value £100k+ Size of project 96m2

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The checkerboard mirrors help to reflect the plants, creating layers, and the shapes and forms of the hard landscaping needed to be simple in order for the complexity to come from the plants rather than the space itself.

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forms – a moon gate and a moon bench – added to draw the eye whilst the rest of the garden disappears amongst the planting.

The design compartmentalised the different parts of the brief. “By splitting up the garden into three, we would be able to accentuate the differences in each of those spaces and highlight the difference between the husband and the wife at the same time; so, one is much greener and another more Mediterranean in atmosphere,” explains Adolfo Harrison.

Triple offering To create the seamless flow throughout the space, Crittall windows used inside the house inspired the bespoke dividing screens and the pergola, created by T Brown & Sons.

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The zig-zag concrete Moroccan tiles from a mosaicist in Shoreditch are frost proof, and the higher price of these tiles was balanced by the client choosing Indian sandstone to replicate the paving in place in the garden previously, helping to keep the project on budget.

The metal welding and fabrication company also installed the checkerboard mirrors, used to reflect the planting, and a screen of mirrored bronze Perspex overlaid with bronze mesh which runs along the bench in the middle outdoor room. The mesh is reflected in the mirrored bronze Perspex, giving the sense of seeing the garden through a veil, says Adolfo.

A checkerboard mural behind the moon bench is composed of a woodland image and a plant illustration. This flat graphic plant illustration appears on the cushions lining the bench, adding depth to the 2D mural.

Smoke and mirrors Planting was chosen for its porosity; half of the plants are structural, and the other half were chosen for the clients to see reflected in the mirrors. There were only narrow bands available for the planting, so the mirrors were

1 View of the house through the moon gate 2 Mirrors add another dimension to the space 3 Fantastic patterns surround the moon bench 4 Areas of the garden are thoughtfully divided 5 Comfort meets nature – fancy a lemon?

Photographs ©Mischa Haller

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REFERENCES Landscape contractor Town and Country Gardens tandcg.co.uk

added for the planting to appear denser, and the checkerboard effect of the mirrors makes it unclear whether a reflection is being seen or a glimpse of the next outdoor room.

For structure, climbers such as Trachelospermum and wall shrubs ensure as much of the structure as possible is shrouded in greenery. Adolfo Harrison Gardens used “grounding” plants – Pittosporum, Hakonechloas and Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ – to add density to the corners.

Some of the initial planting had to be tweaked, though, when the clients wanted a sail shade. Tall plants such as Stipa gigantea, Thalictrum and Verbena were included originally, but the light level changed with the shade, leaving them bending towards the light rather than reaching up tall.

However, the space now provides an outdoor space for all the family and is maintained by the landscape contractors who built it, Town and Country Gardens, ensuring it will continue to thrive.

6 A quiet spot to relax for all the family 7 Chris Randall's murals create spectacular interest Photographs ©Mischa Haller

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Plants Palmstead palmstead.co.uk Tendercare tendercare.co.uk Metalwork T Brown & Sons Ltd tbrownandsons.co.uk Tiles Mosaic del Sur mosaicdelsur.com Upholstery 7Upholstery 7upholstery.co.uk Murals Chris Randall

ABOUT Adolfo Harrison Gardens is an award-winning design practice based in London, with projects across the UK and abroad. adolfoharrison.com

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Screened OASIS YOUR GARDEN DESIGN CHESTNUT LODGE

A

contemporary version of an English garden was the desired outcome for this Sussex-based space. The clients wanted their outdoor area to incorporate traditional elements whilst including more modern clean lines and structure. It also needed to complement the house and the surrounding vernacular, as well as to be screened from the neighbouring property through the use of strategically placed trees and planting.

Lighting needed to highlight and accentuate the focal points and key features of the garden as well as subtly illuminating access routes.

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £60k (including the bespoke garden room)

Build time Three months

Size of project 160m2 Awards Homes and Gardens Awards – Highly Commended Small Garden Category

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Seating areas had to be integrated into the design to provide spaces for contemplation and appreciation of the garden without overpowering the space. In the rear garden, there also needed to be space for entertaining and al fresco dining for up to six people, with provision for a BBQ or pizza oven.

A fire pit and water feature were to be considered.

The hardscape was to be extended from the existing paving situated outside the house, to lead the eye towards and connect to the rest of the garden and a proposed garden room. Power and water needed to be supplied from the house to this garden room to allow for interior and exterior lighting as well as an outdoor tap for the raised beds. A paved courtyard and seating area in the rear garden captures the morning sun whilst the garden room opens up fully to allow for evening ‘Sundowners’.

For the planting, the clients wanted year-round interest, with the inclusion of colours such as white, blue, purple, yellow and various shades of green, whilst excluding bold oranges and pinks.

A good-sized area of lawn should balance with the planting plan in the back garden. The spaces had to be easy to maintain, though. There needed to be solutions for weed control, and irrigation and routine maintenance was to be engineered into the design, allowing for the clients to focus on “more interesting garden tasks”.

In the front garden, Your Garden Design needed to create a sense of arrival to the house and for the design to define the boundaries to the property.

Planting was to be enhanced whilst providing structure and form to break up the space and lead the eye towards the front door as the focal point.

There needed to be lighting included

and provision for outdoor power, with fencing and a matching gate installed along from the house to the wall next to a stream which bordered the property.

Formative pruning and the addition of carefully placed planting was required to screen the house from the public footpath beyond the stream. The design had to also allow for a new entrance with a solid timber gate around six feet in height which could maintain privacy as well as keep wind disturbance to a minimum.

Focus on functionality The main idea was to create a garden that was functional. As such, it contained various seating areas and linked different parts of the house; but it also needed to feel unique and secluded from the outside.

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Despite not being a dominant element of the client brief, the water feature came to be one of the garden’s main features, as did the garden room.

Other ideas, such as the raised beds, were not incorporated in the final design since the client decided not to have a vegetable garden in the end.

An important design point was to use aesthetic features and give them a practical use, such as the rill that divides the garden into two separate areas in a subtle and sophisticated way.

The planting plan at the property entrance is another example of this; Your Garden Design wanted to frame the building, making it softer, more attractive and welcoming, while at the same time creating a sense of arrival.

Using pleached trees and upright grasses, the team concealed the garden from the adjacent property and embellished the space, providing both structure and movement.

Trio of planting layers Through the soft landscaping, Your Garden Design wanted to create a feeling of tranquillity and serenity, which it achieved by using white and cream tones with different shades of green and various leaf textures. More specifically, the team divided the planting into three different layers: the structural, the seasonal and the groundcover layer.

The structural layer is formed by evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs that are present

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throughout the whole garden. In the rear garden, evergreen spheres of clipped yew and holly provide a backdrop for the planting that surrounds the water rill. The existing chestnut trees remained situated at the entrance to the garden to provide a sense of maturity.

1 Looking down the rill to a unique ‘Owl Sculpture’ by Olivia Ferrier 2 Planting surrounds the private and secluded entertaining space 3 Looking through the rill planting to Your Garden Design’s one-off ‘Grazebo’ living roof garden room 4 A previously unused area to the north of the house is now an attractive utility space 5 The garden in late summer

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REFERENCES Garden design, build and maintenance Your Garden Design yourgardendesign.co.uk Trusloe limestone paving and copings Artisans of Devizes artisansofdevizes.com Garden room steelwork Outdoor Design outdoordesign.co.uk Morsø woodfire pizza oven and woodburning stove in garden room øsoliving osoliving.co.uk Hornbeam pleached trees are also part of this layer.

These bring privacy and provide a beautiful backdrop while increasing the garden’s vertical space. Climbers such as Clematis armandii and Trachelospermum jasminoides cover the walls of the garden and add further vertical interest.

Evergreen ferns, hostas and upright grasses bring additional textures and green tones. Colour and light are provided through the seasonal layer, which also provides food for pollinators.

Herbaceous perennials soften the clipped topiary and bring light to this part of the garden. At the entrance of the garden, salvias, verbenas, lavenders and geraniums create volume and add a splash of colour. Alliums make an appearance in early summer and rise to 1.5m in height.

The last layer, and a crucial one, consists of groundcovers. Nature doesn’t like bare soil and that is why it’s vital to plant enough groundcovers to prevent weed growth as much as possible. The areas with part shade are planted with Epimedium and ferns. Erigeron karvinskianus is planted along the water rail, softening the edges and beautifully thriving.

Looking locally The garden is located 20 minutes away from Your Garden Design’s studio, so the design process and building stage was very feasible and didn’t require moving people or materials far distances.

Many of the materials and tools used for the hard landscaping, such as cement, power tools, hiring tools and sundries, were supplied by local trades which are less that 15 minutes away from the building site. The nurseries used are a maximum of 20 miles from the studio. “We are

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aware of the environmental impact of transport, and that is one of the reasons we try to take advantage of every trip and collect plants for several clients at once,” says Your Garden Design.

The sedum roof of the garden room ensures that the usable space within the garden available for planting, wildlife and insects is maximised whilst providing insulation against the high summer temperatures otherwise associated with conventional flat roofing.

Making the most of the space The main challenges of the site involved the existing trees and associated shade and unusual shape of the small sized garden around the house and how this interacted with the proposed use of the site.

This was overcome by clever positioning of key elements of the garden such as the garden room and central feature rill which pulls the planting right through the centre of the space, making the garden feel larger than it is. The garden room was designed to ensure all year around use and enjoyment of the garden, even in the depths of winter having fitted a high efficiency wood stove along with full insulation and double-glazed folding sliding doors, which can be opened in summer to bring the outside space in.

By positioning the garden room into the furthest northeast corner of the site, maximum possible sunlight could be provided, and the large folding sliding doors allow the terrace area and internal floor space to become one, essentially doubling the area for entertaining.

6 T he view from the dining room of the central rill garden

Pleached trees, topiary and specimen items Griffin Nurseries griffinnurseries.co.uk Perennials North Hill Nurseries northhillnurseries.co.uk Owl Sculpture Olivia Ferrier moncrieff-bray.com

ABOUT Your Garden Design is a garden design practice based in Chichester, West Sussex. It offers a bespoke design, consultancy and building service and likes to create unique, functional and beautiful outdoor spaces. Its portfolio ranges from small courtyard gardens, roof terraces through to large-scale rural landscapes. Your Garden Design’s aim is always to balance inspired design with creative horticultural expertise, enhancing the visual relationship between interior, exterior and the surrounding vernacular. yourgardendesign.co.uk

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POND life TIVOLI GROUP

TWYCROSS POND PROJECT

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £400k+

Build time 5 months (Sept 2021 – Feb 2022)

Size of project Approximately 4,000m2 Awards BALI National Landscape Award 2022 winner: Hard Landscaping Construction (Non-Domestic) Under £500k

S

ituated in a small village in Leicestershire, these purposebuilt headquarters are set within a parkland landscape complete with wooded areas and lakes. The client was looking to enhance the surroundings to create an exceptional environment for people to work in. So, they approached Sodexo UK Projects Team to assist in producing a concept design proposal to refurbish their pond and transform the surrounding area by their main building. Tivoli was commissioned to work on the design concept and associated deliverables.

The end client’s expectations and key criteria included: consideration of sustainability in the management stages and design; materials and construction longevity; minimum maintenance going forward; and easy access to the pond for ongoing maintenance.

Transforming the pond and the surrounding area required the appointment of a landscape architect to review the high-level design detail and for an ecological survey review of the site to be arranged.

Following DNA sampling, an EDNA survey of the pond and its natural environment was carried out by Tivoli’s regional manager – a qualified ecologist and member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and

1 The new pond area with picnic benches added 2 Planting pockets border the pond and top decking area

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Environmental Management (MCIEEM) – to determine if any great crested newts were present as these are a protected species.

The existing decked walkway surrounding the pool and protruding into the pond area was to be demolished and all fish were to be professionally and carefully removed from the pond, which would then be emptied of water. The old lining needed to be removed with minimum damage to pond foliage, which would be stored in the required conditions and reintroduced into the new pond design or relocated.

A new pond design was then to be incorporated with new lining and surrounded by composite anti-slip decking. The pond would need to be oxygenated and the bore hole would be retained.

Ecological considerations This project was complex and demanding in many ways and the need to be flexible was paramount. For instance, the end client is currently building a new office wing on site, which will become the UK’s most sustainable

OLD POND DRAINAGE

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building. Therefore, site access involved entering the pond area via a live construction site, with many other contractors working in close proximity. This required Tivoli and the subcontractors to work closely with the other suppliers and employees on site to ensure there were no clashes and the pond area project was completed seamlessly.

One element of the specification was the installation of a landscaping feature, which required a crane to lift and lower into place.

Due to high winds and the presence of another very large crane on site, this had to be postponed on two occasions until conditions were optimal and crane access was possible.

Throughout the project, some changes to the specification were made to enhance the final construction. The original plan was to have two floating islands with a tree on each; however, it was decided that the risk of root development and contact with the pond liner was a risk and therefore bog and pond plants and grasses were installed on the floating platforms instead. Once the decking was installed, consideration was

SETTING FOUNDATIONS FOR THE POND PLATFORM

FLEECE UNDERLAY TO PROTECT POND LINER

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POND EDGE CONSTRUCTION ON BUTYL LINER

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made to the rainwater running in between the decking boards, therefore a reservoir was installed under the pond platform with a sub pump and float to release the water into the pond when the reservoir reaches a certain level.

A filtration system with a waterfall was added to the water feature. Additional stone benches were introduced, with matching dog water bowls and steps into the pond to support the company’s ‘bring your dog to work’ policy.

To ensure the project was progressing as planned, weekly project meetings were

held on site between Tivoli, Sodexo and the end client. This consistent, collaborative approach ensured that any issues could be discussed and resolved as quickly as possible, and timeline pressures such as adverse weather conditions or supplier delays could be highlighted and resolved at the earliest opportunity.

3 Comfy seating added to the pond platform 4 Impactful stone boulders and feature lighting surround the pond

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REFERENCES Landscape architect and designer Outside Spaces Landscape Design outsidespaces.net Civil engineer and main subcontractor MTS Landscapes mtslandscapes.co.uk Decking Millboard millboard.co.uk Pond Edging Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Stone boulders Mid Wales Stone midwalesstone.co.uk Plant supplies Crowders Nurseries crowdersnurseries.co.uk

ABOUT

Low maintenance planting The planting schedule was designed to bring the space to life whilst taking into consideration minimal maintenance going forward in line with the client brief. Beds surrounding the decking area were filled with complementing plant varieties and foliage shades including Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost', Euphorbia polychroma, Cirsium rivulare 'Trevor's Blue Wonder', Euphorbia x martini, Hydrangea 'Kyushu', Geranium sylvaticum, Pittosporum tobira 'Nanum', Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' and beautiful grasses, including Calamagrostis brachytricha, Carex muskingumensis 'Oehme' and Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'.

The floating islands were planted with impactful Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster', which was also dotted throughout the surrounding planting areas to bring together the pond and the spaces around it. Amelanchier lamarckii (multi) were planted in the larger beds to give height, structure and bring spring beauty to the site, with splashes of purple and orange from Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', Liriope muscari 'Big Blue' and Kniphofia 'Poco Orange' added throughout the planting too. A row of striking birch trees

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From amenity horticulture, such as the maintenance of parks, estates and sports grounds; the mowing of wide areas such as airfields, through to landscape construction, graffiti and fly-tipping removal, ice and snow clearance, and interior plants and floristry, Tivoli is an expert at maintaining and creating beautiful landscapes. tivoliservices.com

also frames the pond and provides a stunning backdrop for the boulder seating area.

Through careful planning and a vast planting scheme, Tivoli has created a beautiful and award-winning landscape for those working on this site in Twycross to enjoy and reap the rewards.

5 The water feature area with waterfall and filter 6 Stone benches installed and planting commencing Photographs ©Tivoli Group

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An outdoor room

FOR RETIRING

PROJECT DETAILS

ANDREA NEWILL GARDEN DESIGN PRIVATE RESIDENCE, BERKSHIRE

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ith retirement imminent, the clients for this West Berkshire-based space were looking for both the house and garden to suit their new lifestyle. They commissioned an architect to design an extension for the house, which would enlarge the kitchen and include new bifold doors extending across this new addition. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels looked out onto the garden, which would be redeveloped once the extension had been completed.

The extension opened up the interior of the house to the garden, and so the redesign of the garden needed to make the most of this, with a strong connection between the interior and exterior. The style

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Project value £120k Build time 6 months Size of project 270m2

was to be contemporary, with a varied palette of textures and materials to add interest and contrast with the planting.

Though the garden was small, the design needed to include well-defined functional areas, with spaces to accommodate dining, lounging, a fire pit and a space to grow vegetables. A water feature was required as well as lighting. There also needed to be focal points, which was achieved by careful placement of sculptures, along with walkways to garden areas hidden from view, which gave the illusion of more space.

The original design also needed to consider the potential addition in the future of a studio and hot tub, though the client decided to add these in once the build had started.

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Planting was to be naturalistic with swathes of perennial planting and grasses to soften the hard landscaping, with feature multi-stemmed shrubs and trees mostly for screening. The roots of mature lime trees under tree protection orders in the neighbouring garden had to be taken into consideration for any landscaping works.

Connecting spaces Responding to the brief, Andrea Newill Garden Design created a great connection between the house to the garden, with a large raised dining terrace and a level threshold to the new kitchen-diner via bifold doors. A further seating area was positioned to the side of the house with a cantilever bench set into raised planters.

Unity was achieved with porcelain paving matching the kitchen, as well as being used to clad the planter. The roots of the neighbouring lime trees were protected by retaining the ground level with aluminium retaining walls – powder coated grey – which also created a strong structural impact in the garden. In addition, matching aluminium planters were

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used against the house and acting as dividers within borders, as well as for growing vegetables. A large grey aluminium water table was also positioned amongst the planting. Bands of charcoal granite setts contrasted with the porcelain, and a grey aluminium pergola with an awning provided a lounging area around the fire pit, with an adjacent hot tub and another pergola framing the path leading to the studio.

The soil was gravel over clay, and so it was decided that the team would work with this medium rather than replacing all the existing soil, with the addition of organic matter. Subsequently, plants were chosen with drought tolerance in mind, which was fortuitous with the drought and high

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temperatures that followed the spring planting. The palette comprised an array of perennials and grasses, with multi-stemmed trees such as Arbutus unedo, Acer griseum and Cornus kousa selected as feature plants, with pleached Carpinus screening the property to the rear. The colour palette was chosen to complement/contrast the dark grey aluminium raised beds and planters.

Bulbs were planted in the following autumn.

1 Cedar bench in porcelain clad planter 2 View across the raised terrace to the studio 3 Sofa set positioned around the fire pit 4 The bespoke sculpture provides a focal point 5 The bespoke aluminium arch frames a path leading to the studio

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REFERENCES Landscape contractor J Drewe Landscapes jdrewelandscaping.co.uk Lighting and all electrics Scenic Lighting sceniclighting.com Fire pit Solus Décor solusdecor.co.uk

Supply challenges Construction of the new garden began late in the summer of 2021 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. However, supply chain issues caused by the pandemic meant that there were delays in some of the materials being delivered as well as price increases to contend with. The landscape team was also working on multiple projects, so there were periods of inactivity. One plant supplier (not listed in the references) then proved to be unreliable, delivering plants in a “substandard condition” and others turned out to not be the variety specified, so replacements were required – a challenge Andrea Newill says she has not encountered in more than 20 years in the industry.

However, the plants were replaced and material substitutions with shorter lead times were sourced, allowing the build to be completed at the start of last year and creating the perfect space for the now-retired couple.

6 Garden blends seamlessly with the house extension 7 Hydrangea 'Annabelle' features amongst shade-loving planting in the raised beds Photographs ©Anna Omiotek-Tott

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Porcelain paving and sawn granite setts London Stone londonstone.co.uk Studio Green Retreats greenretreats.co.uk Hot tub Walfins walfinshottubs.co.uk

Aluminium retaining walls, water table, aluminium planters Adezz adezz.com

Pleached trees Kingsdown Nurseries kingsdown-uk.com

Pergola and bespoke arch Harrod Horticultural harrodhorticultural.com

Sculpture Mark Stonestreet mstonestreet.com

ABOUT Andrea Newill is an award-winning garden designer with more than 20 years’ experience in designing beautiful, practical gardens. Andrea’s designs ensure that each new garden is in accord with its house and surroundings, whilst maintaining core principals of sustainability, ecology and value for money. andreanewill.co.uk

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Co-located with...

SAVE THE DATE 15 - 16 October 2024 ExCeL London

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enter your company now ENTRIES CLOSE

12 February 2024 Contact ollie to enter and for tickets 01903 777579 ollie.finch@eljays44.com

contact russell for partnership opportunities 01903 777582 russell.eales@eljays44.com

Awards ceremony: friday 19 april 2024 PROLANDSCAPERBUSINESSAWARDS.COM

MARCH 2023

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £521k (£454k construction, £67k maintenance) Build time 6 months Size of project 2,600m2 (soft landscaping) Awards BALI National Landscape Award 2021 Winner

Raising

THE BAR

S

even high-rise buildings overlook the podium landscape at Canada Gardens. The private public realm, also known as ‘plot E03’, forms part of the wider masterplan for Wembley Park, one of London’s newest neighbourhoods.

It sits on the fourth floor, above a 160-space coach park with the iconic Wembley Stadium as a backdrop.

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GODDARDS (LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS) LTD E03 CANADA GARDENS, LONDON

The new elevated oasis, situated in Brent, needed to provide spaces for families, pets, children to play and areas for residents to work from home. Summerhouses with electricity and WiFi were included for the latter, as well as a BBQ and a bar area for the residents to entertain. To encourage residents to grow their own produce, allotments and raised beds were created,

with greenhouses and sheds with tools.

Wembley Park has set up a gardening club to help share skills to make the most of the space.

Seasonal interest Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd took the first delivery of plants in November 2019 and had to tackle a global pandemic before

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being able to complete the soft landscaping at Canada Gardens in 2020. The carefully chosen planting scheme includes herbaceous perennials such as Liriope muscari, Geranium macrorrhizum and Alchemilla mollis, as well as grasses such as Libertia formosa and Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’. Shrubs include Ilex crenata, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ and Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus Group', with ferns Polystichum aculeatum and Asplenium scolopendrium being woven into the scheme.

The planting needed to look as mature as possible, to give the impression of it having

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been there for a longer period of time.

So, 100 individually tagged extra heavy standard and semi-mature Airpotted trees were planted. Each of the trees, such as Amelanchier lamarckii, were around four metres in height and at least 20cm in girth. Not only do they add height and visual appeal, but they also add a layer of privacy for residents.

For further screening, apartments on the same level as the podium landscape have small courtyards lined with evergreen hedging. There is also a large area of lawn, around 800m2, and two areas of artificial

grass for the ‘dog parks’ on site, each fenced off with planting around the edges.

To create seasonal interest, the bulbs were chosen to flower throughout the year, with some in early spring, late spring, early summer and in the autumn. These included Galanthus nivalis, Narcissus cyclamineus 'February Gold'. The majority of the trees are native and flowering, with the intention of enhancing the biodiversity of the area. This is supported by insect houses, big hotels, as well as hibernacula and refugia for beetles, with plans to add beehives to the gardens as well.

Head for heights Plants, trees and shrubs all had to be carefully chosen for the site, thanks to its location as a podium landscape and the impact of being surrounded by high-rise buildings. The apartments overlooking open spaces each had to have three-metre-high glass screens which not only get incredibly

1 Looking North across the podium 2 Raised planters and a bespoke timber workstation set within tree planting belt 3 View of the outdoor kitchens and clubhouse 4 Planters and workstation set within shrub beds

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REFERENCES Landscaping Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd goddards-landscape.co.uk Design PRP Landscape prp-co.uk Plants Tamar Nurseries tamarnurseries.com Trees Lorenz von Ehren Nursery lve-baumschule.de Compost, subsoil and topsoil Bourne Amenity bourneamenity.co.uk Subsoil and topsoil MCM mcm-se.com Mulch AHS Ltd ahs-ltd.co.uk Tree anchoring systems Platipus Anchors platipus-anchors.com

hot but also reflect sunlight, scorching the ground. The long block of flats along the southern boundary and three blocks at a 45° angle create shade at certain times of day and leave bright sunlight at others, whilst some areas receive no direct sunlight at all. Maintenance can be somewhat challenging as a result, with watering schedules adapting to the site’s needs.

Goddards maintains the sight three days a week using hand tools or battery powered equipment to keep noise to a minimum. The site is accessed via a small service lift, so the operative tends to plan ahead, carrying out tasks little and often rather than all in one go and utilising a tool store where Goddards can charge the batteries on site.

With no irrigation designed into the scheme, Goddards created a ‘leaky pipe’ irrigation system and installed an irrigation tube for each tree should additional watering be required. Each

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planting bed also has a rainwater harvesting tank to create a more self-sufficient site and minimise water consumption.

It’s not just planting which had to be carefully considered for the podium gardens. Weight loading was a key concern, so specially formulated lightweight topsoil and subsoils were supplied, which had to be craned – along with all the other materials – up one side of the landscape. A small forklift was then used to transport the materials around the site, though some still had to be handled manually.

Nearly three years later, Canada Gardens is a thriving space for its residents, with additions such as a gardening club and beehives all part of plans for a continually enhancing oasis.

5 Private ground floor terraces screened with planting Photographs ©Gary Britton Photography Ltd

Turf Lindum Turf turf.co.uk

ABOUT Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd is an established landscaping business with more than 40 years’ experience in the commercial and residential sectors. It offers soft landscaping and grounds maintenance as well as environmental, ecological and tree surgery services and runs its own nursery in Surrey for contract growing and containerisation services. goddards-landscape.co.uk

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MARCH 2023

Coming W

OF AGE CHILTERN GARDEN DESIGN

RESIDENTIAL GARDEN, AMERSHAM, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

ith the clients’ children now in their late teens, they decided to upgrade the garden into more of an adult-focused area, with less space for play. They wanted a contemporary look but to avoid a minimalistic or clinical feel.

Towards the start of the first lockdown, the family had converted their garden room into the ideal ‘chill out’ space, with a pool table, TV, and a bar with draught beers on tap.

With lockdowns behind us, they wanted it to be more for entertaining, dining, lounging and relaxing by a warming fire.

The rear of the house had been extended to create contemporary open plan living, with anthracite framed bi-fold doors giving extensive views into the garden from the kitchen and dining room areas. It was crucial to improve these views

PROJECT DETAILS

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Project value £170k Build time 3 months Size of project 600m2

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and ensure the garden held the eye and could tempt people outside to explore further for a good proportion of the year.

Paving issues were to be addressed, as the existing paving was poorly laid and shifted, particularly the steps, and a smooth, durable path was required round to the rear of the bar to allow for beer deliveries. They wanted to retain a good-sized lawn space, to renovate an existing but dilapidated shed, and to improve the lighting scheme with functional and atmospheric lighting where necessary.

Undercover dining with a cooking space was requested near to the garden room, along with relaxed seating area for 20 people which would include a gas fire bowl to provide warmth and a focal point in the evenings. The clients would use their existing furniture for this space. For the planting, the clients wanted interest from early spring

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right into the autumn, as well as evergreen structures and pollinator-friendly additions.

The naturalistic planting was to be full and effusive, contrasting a sharp, contemporary style to the rear.

Down the line The design bringing together these ideas is mostly linear, with clean lines and the large expanses of paving being broken up with small design details which draw the eye down the length of the garden.

Unused hardscape on the west side was removed to allow for more softscape – both lawn and planting – and seldom-used garden games were screened by clever mobile hedges on castors.

The level changes were reworked to create three wide and elegant steps up from the existing upper terrace to the deck, which

allows visitors to ‘float’ up to the final entertaining space under the pergola.

The bio-climatic pergola allows the family to entertain for a much longer season, with light, heat and shelter extending its use into cooler and wetter days and evenings. The outdoor kitchen positioned at this end of the garden allows the family to make full use of the entertaining space, easily accommodating barbecues for 20 or more people, with plenty of space for circulation around the dining table and into the bar for additional seating.

Views down and across the garden and back to the house have all been enhanced with planting. The main feature planting bed between the lawn and the entertaining spaces features naturalistic planting with a long season of interest, and strong zingy colours planted in bold drifts amongst textural grasses and selected structural shrubs and evergreens to hold the

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scheme together all year round. It is broken up by a curvaceous path which snakes around the existing magnolia tree and round to the access point at the rear of the shed, providing hardstanding all year round to the beer store.

More than this, the path ties in the dark brick details that cut through the large format paving of the main terraces with the rest of the garden, and leading the eye through the planting, drawing the visitor in to explore further.

The dark grey picks up on the contemporary anthracite door and window frames on the rear of the house, matching the planters too.

1 Contemporary entertaining spaces for all seasons 2 Sculptural focal point nestled in planting 3 Fire terrace captures the afternoon sun 4 Curving clay paver path invites exploration and constrasts with porcelain terrace and steps 5 Lighting enhances use of spaces into the evening

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REFERENCES Landscape contractor J&S Scapes jands-scapes.co.uk Versilia porcelain paving and composite decking by Millboard London Stone londonstone.co.uk Titan Septima clay pavers by Vande Moortel Country Supplies countrysupplies.uk.com Decorative outdoor tiles Artisans of Devizes artisansofdevizes.com Planting design At the heart of the of the garden is a large lawn in a formal arched shape, edged with steel, which means that the space still feels inviting for family games and play, whilst also setting off the surrounding planting, acting as a foil. At the apex of the arch a contemporary sculpture forms a focal point nestled amongst grasses and perennials, whilst a trio of standard liquidambar trees create a structural backdrop to the garden, underplanted with a range of lower growing grasses, ferns and perennials.

The west-facing border is quieter in summer, primarily planted with ferns and the repeating rhythm of six Acer palmatum ’Shin Desho-Jo’ which are green in summer. In spring and autumn this border comes alive with the Japanese maple foliage turning bright pink to steal the scene from the main borders at the start and end of the growing season.

The main planting beds are filled with an effusive prairie style mix for maximum seasonal interest, in both colour and form. The colour scheme was bright and zingy with hot pinks, purples and lime greens mingling with soft grasses to add energy to the space. These grasses include Stipa gigantica, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ and Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’, with shrubs such as Callicarpa bodinieri var. Giraldii 'Profusion', Euphorbia mellifera and Euphorbia wulfenii.

For the perennials, Chiltern Garden Design incorporated Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Lychnis coronaria, Echinacea purpurea ‘Pow Wow’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’ and Agastache barberi ‘Blue Fortune’. The main delivery of these was delayed, resulting in a truckload of hot,

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dry plants arriving having been stuck in the lorry for days. These were planted late into the evening, with the client completing it over the weekend.

All the existing hedging and the magnolia tree remained, and a number of Buxus balls and small olive trees were also kept. Through the planted area, permeable paving was laid and metal edging was used instead of concrete haunching. The impermeably paved area of the garden was reduced and a number of pollinator-friendly and habitatforming plants were introduced. The old paving that was removed was given to a family member to be re-laid, so that it didn’t end up in landfill.

Through contemporary hard landscaping, softened with a series of planting, Chiltern Garden Design has recreated this garden as a space far more suitable for this family in Amersham.

6 The bio-climactic pergola creates an idyllic spot Daytime photographs ©Nigel Proctor Photography (night photograph ©Chiltern Garden Design)

ABOUT Chiltern Garden Design is the brainchild of Sam Proctor. Sam loves to create diverse and beautiful gardens in the market towns and countryside of Chiltern Hills. With a focus on client satisfaction, detail, atmosphere and style, Sam excels in bringing together disparate requirements to create a harmonious vision and seamless execution. chilterngardendesign.com

Fire table Solus Décor solusdecor.co.uk Pergola by Biossun Cedar Nursery landscaping.co.uk Laser cut panels Decori decori.co.uk Planters Europlanters europlanters.com Dining furniture

by Royal Botania Indian Ocean indian-ocean.co.uk Trees Deepdale deepdale-trees.co.uk Perennials, shrubs and grasses Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com Bulbs Kingsdown kingsdown-uk.com

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APRIL 2023

Touch of the O EXOTIC

wners of a newly renovated property in Bramhall were looking for a low maintenance garden to provide beautiful surroundings. With large format sliding doors to the rear garden, Johanna Pilgrim from Green & Wood wanted to provide a continuation of the beautiful interior space with an expansive view.

GREEN & WOOD GARDEN DESIGN BRAMHALL GARDEN

PROJECT DETAILS

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Project value £60k approx.

Build time 6 weeks Size of project 400m2 approx.

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The interior layout was therefore mirrored by placing the lounge and dining areas in the same footprint, creating ample space for entertaining family and friends.

The clients enjoy preparing and cooking food outside, so an additional patio with large format steppingstones through planting provided a separate space to BBQ as well as a smaller seating area for more casual eating and drinking.

As the clients have two children and a young dalmatian dog, they needed a good-sized lawn space and a play/sport area for their active children. To maintain the clean aesthetic of the main garden, Green & Wood screened off the rear third of the garden to house the trampoline, netball hoops and football goals as well as a shed for storage.

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The existing boundary treatments were looking a little tired, so slatted screen style fencing was factored in around the perimeter to update this and create a foil for the planting.

Whilst the clients don’t have much time for gardening, they were attracted to architectural planting and exotic-looking plants. The challenge with the planting plan was to deliver the look that the client wanted whilst keeping maintenance as low as possible. So, Johanna worked closely together with the client to establish what level of time investment they could manage and chose some key specimen plants that would give them the ‘wow’ factor.

1 Large format stepping stones through grass 2 Secondary patio for casual dining 3 View from interior space 4 Lounge/fire pit area 5 The owner's photogenic dog, Ronnie, stealing the limelight

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REFERENCES Landscaping McMillan Landscapes

Grasses including Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass), Ophiopogon japonicus (mondo grass) and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ were used, as well as ferns such as Polystichum polyblepharum (Japanese lace fern), Asplenium scolopendrium (hart’s tongue fern) and Dicksonia antarctica (soft tree fern).

Perennials Kniphofia uvaria (red hot poker) and Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ add colour, as does Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’. From the banana family, Ensete ventricosum and Musa basjoo were incorporated into the planting. Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) and Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm) add structure, with the scheme being completed with Zantedeschia aethiopica (calla lily) as well as textural Fatsia japonica (paper plant).

The landscaping by McMillan Landscapes took around six weeks to install. The project was still hindered by some delays, coming off the back of the pandemic but the team rallied to get materials to site in time and on budget.

6 Corten steel water table focal point 7 Ensete ventricosum (Abyssinian banana) Photographs ©Kat Weatherill

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Decking Millboard millboard.co.uk Paving Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Corten steel fire bowl and water table Adezz adezz.com/en

ABOUT Established in 2005 by Johanna Pilgrim, Green & Wood Garden Design delivers beautiful, thoughtful, and engaging outdoor spaces to our varied clientele. From small city gardens to large country properties, it works by first getting to know its clients and their spaces to deliver truly bespoke outdoor solutions. greenandwood.co.uk

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APRIL 2023

A greener

WEST END LDA DESIGN

ALFRED PLACE GARDENS

A

lfred Place was a commonplace back street off Tottenham Court Road, a major West End thoroughfare – more of a service road, car park and taxi run than anything else.

With narrow pavements and nowhere to sit, it was a place to quickly pass through. The street itself is lined with offices and the back entrances of large stores from along Tottenham Court Road. Access to green spaces and nature was lacking, as were places to sit and play.

Just a mere two hours of contact with nature per week significantly reduces the risk of individual poor health. So, the brief from Camden Council was to reimagine, enliven and make Alfred Place greener so that it could become a great community space and provide a richer visitor experience, as well as strengthening Camden’s response to climate breakdown and nature loss. The mantra was ‘cleaner, greener, safer’.

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value Part of Camden Council’s £35m West End Project Build time Eight months Size of project 2,800m2 (0.28ha)

For Alfred Place, this meant turning grey to green by reclaiming road space, whilst also maintaining essential access for services and emergency vehicles.

Renamed Alfred Place Gardens, the street has become a welcoming linear park – Camden Council’s first in the area for 25 years. Improving air quality and access to play, supporting greater biodiversity and reducing flood risk were key drivers behind the project. An attractive, climate-resilient planting palette offers year-round colour and new habitats, with lounging lawns framed by gentle slopes and grasses.

Alfred Place is part of Camden’s West End Project, a £35m investment into improving the borough’s central London public realm. The project includes rethinking eight streets and spaces

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in the Tottenham Court Road area to make them more attractive, prioritising pedestrians and cyclists. It is the biggest council-led public realm and transport scheme the borough has seen.

Prioritising people The project team working on Alfred Place Gardens wanted to set the highest design benchmark, making it one of the best permanent road-to-park conversions in any city, not just London, and demonstrating what’s possible in a constrained space. Alfred Place Gardens is now a street redefined as a memorable and valued place that can improve the quality of everyday living.

BEFORE

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It’s a small space that’s making a big difference, and since opening to the public in March last year, shoppers and workers have benefitted.

This is a highly accessible environment with generous pavements removed of clutter and a good balance between hard and soft landscape.

Alfred Place Gardens still functions as a street with service access maintained, but this is a softer, slower-paced environment. Pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised, making this a safe, useful active travel connection.

The gardens offer a variety of experiences, with the planting providing continuity. A series of outdoor rooms provide woodland and play

AFTER

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glades, lounging lawns, exercise and a flexible community events space. Mature London plane trees continue to frame the space. They are now strengthened with distinctive woodland-inspired understorey planting and joined by a line of Amelanchier and birch providing dappled shade. There’s lots for pollinators, with flowering cherry and herbaceous perennials. Planting has been selected to withstand hot, dry summers.

Incidental features such as stepping stones dotted through the planting, sculptural walls and climbing features provide a playable landscape. Elegant, curved timber seating with back and arm rests provide a comfortable lunchtime spot in an area underserved with outdoor seating.

Pop-up power to the south of the park can be used for community events or a coffee kart.

The connection to the nearby Building Centre has been improved, drawing more people to the area. The gardens' first visitors relaxed into the space quickly, taking immediate ownership and stretching out on

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the seating to read in the sunshine. New play spaces encourage families to spend time here. Alfred Place Gardens was a host site for the launch of ‘Breathe’, the well-received 2022 Bloomsbury Festival.

Planting over parking The Mayor wants over half of London to be green by 2050; this will involve reclaiming streets to create more doorstep green space.

Alfred Place Gardens provides substantial planting where there was none and significant biodiversity net gain on a street once largely reserved for parking, with more than 2,000 new plants and 5,000 bulbs. Planting is designed to be low maintenance and to align with Camden’s Biodiversity Action Plan.

Non-toxic, biodegradable moisture retention gels in the soil act as miniature reservoirs.

All of the street’s established trees are retained, cooling the space. New bike stands and Santander docking stations support active travel and footpath options allow fast direct or leisurely slow walking options.

The park is designed to tolerate deluges.

All new paths are permeable, with resin comprising 30% recycled content. Surface water percolates through paving to borders during heavy rainfall. Combined with the new flowerbeds, this delivers a substantial water catchment area where there was none. Materials designed or manufactured in the UK were used where possible and selected for longevity and sustainability.

The site constraints required upskilling to respond. Challenges included shallow tree roots and finding ways of designing modular seating for manufacture off-site but for easy install on-site. Complex utility constraints were resolved through detailed discussions and positive engagement, helping to keep costs down.

1-5 A slower, softer, greener city. West End back street, Alfred Place, has been transformed into a lovely linear park Photographs ©Neil Speakman – Maple Studio/LDA Design

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REFERENCES Client Camden Council camden.gov.uk Lead designer and landscape architect LDA Design lda-design.co.uk Civil, M&E and structural engineers Arcadis arcadis.com Construction project management and cost consultancy Norman Rourke Pryme nrpltd.com Lighting design Michael Grubb Studio michaelgrubbstudio.com Contractor idverde idverde.co.uk Overarching West End Project strategy DSDHA dsdha.co.uk As well as transforming Alfred Place, part of the West End Project initiative has been restoring local treasure Whitfield Gardens. Princes Circus – a jewel of a new civic space carved out by reassigning traffic and removing sections of Bloomsbury Street and Shaftesbury Avenue – will be unveiled later this year.

Alfred Place Gardens is a radical shift in how people can expect streets to function. It is an example of a slower, greener, healthier car-free city that feels more satisfying and rewarding.

It has been shaped through engagement with the people that matter most: local residents, workers, business owners and interest groups.

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6 Alfred Place Gardens better connects to Store Street 7 More views of the Gardens' connections in use Photographs ©Neil Speakman – Maple Studio/LDA Design

ABOUT LDA Design is a 100% employee-owned creative consultancy made up of landscape architects, urban designers and planners.

It holds true to its mission: to create great places and shape the world around us for the better. Its origins lie in landscape architecture, and this strengthens all the services it offers. lda-design.co.uk

Natural stone and seating furniture Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Play equipment Russell Play russell-play.com Planting Crowders Nurseries crowdersnurseries.co.uk

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An urban

NATURE RESERVE

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £7.5m

Build time 2 years

Size of project 17ha Awards Landscape Institute Awards 2022 for Excellence in Place Regeneration and Public Health & Wellbeing

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wo centuries ago, a historic area in Glasgow was being used for clay extraction for the Forth & Clyde Canal in Glasgow. Fast forward to now and the area – known as The Claypits – has been transformed into an awardwinning biodiverse, inner-city nature reserve.

LUC was appointed in 2014 to lead a design ‘charette’, a four-day consultation process with the community ahead of the project for the Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership, a collaboration between Scottish Canals and Glasgow City Council.

The objective was to work collaboratively with members of the local community from Woodside, Hamiltonhill and Firhill, as well as interested stakeholder groups, to establish a shared vision, a cohesive development framework for the wider area, and a preliminary Green Infrastructure masterplan for the Claypits site.

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LUC GLASGOW CLAYPITS

Through this consultation, the main aim was to explore the site’s potential in terms of what multifunctional green infrastructure could offer in terms of contributing to wider sustainable development, and to explore better connectivity and environmental improvement in the wider area.

This charrette was supplemented by another strategic study undertaken by LUC on behalf of Scottish Canals in 2016 – the North Glasgow Canal Access and Environmental Improvement Strategy.

This study sought to understand where access and environmental improvements would offer the most benefit in terms of connectivity and socioeconomics. It reinforced the case for Claypits as a strategically important project, offering a new destination on the canal, as well as the contribution it could make to sustainable regeneration in the wider North Glasgow area. LUC was retained by

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Scottish Canals in 2017 to design and oversee the construction of preliminary access improvements. Using the Charrette Preliminary Masterplan as a basis for development, LUC was recommissioned in 2017 to develop the design for the remaining Claypits Green Infrastructure masterplan, obtain the necessary consents, and oversee construction of the works from 2019 to completion in 2021.

Collaborative design From the charette, the vision and design principles for the Claypits as a distinct project were borne. These included to improve connectivity between communities and their respective facilities – such as health centres – whilst overcoming the barrier and constraints

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presented by the canal, topography and associated post-industrial land.

The project also needed to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities by facilitating access to meaningful greenspace and encouraging activity and exercise; to create a distinctive, attractive and multi-functional new greenspace where people can connect with nature; to protect and enhance biodiversity; to enhance appreciation of industrial heritage and ecology; and to facilitate future sustainable development by integrating SuDS and service infrastructure.

Based on these strategic design principles LUC sensitively developed a Green Infrastructure Masterplan and associated detail for the Claypits site. Importantly, the

design proposals sought to protect the unique ‘wild’ character of the site, subtly reveal key views and landmarks in the immediate context and promote a varied and sequential spatial experience through a mosaic of habitats punctuated by activity nodes and destination points.

To address the vision and design principles, the proposals included a 1.5km new pedestrian and cycle path infrastructure, several bridges and boardwalk structures, and public realm enhancements at key gateway locations. LUC also incorporated extensive tree planting; significant SuDS infrastructure integrated with Glasgow’s Smart Canal scheme; sporadic play, viewpoints, interpretation and wayfinding to encourage activity and exploration; street

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APRIL 2023 DESIGN PLAN: OVERVIEW

furniture; residential moorings on the canal and associated service infrastructure; repair to canal wall infrastructure; and artwork.

The emerging design proposals, underpinned by the strength of community support and a robust design philosophy, helped Scottish Canals secure around £7.5m from various third party sources to deliver the project.

Connecting place and people Fundamentally, a multi-functional community greenspace has been created in an area formally designated as ‘vacant and derelict land’. It is now partly designated as a Local Nature Reserve.

Material generated during site clearance earthworks has been used to cap

contaminated areas which has facilitated safe public use. Other materials uncovered during the works have been recycled and reused within the design. Take the timber from felled trees, which has been used to create steps and seating, or has been left in deadwood piles to encourage biodiversity.

Large blocks of discarded stone have also been repurposed as seating walls throughout, and an old pair of canal lock gates has been reused to form a meeting point and stage in the centre of the site.

Various self-established habitats have been retained, protected and enhanced including significant areas of woodland,

wetland and grassland. More than 8,000 trees have been planted as part of the works. These habitats are now positively managed by a volunteer community management group.

Low carbon ‘active travel’ has been promoted via improved pedestrian and cycling connectivity, in an area where car ownership is relatively low and public transport provision is poor. This is demonstrated by the delivery of 1.5km paths, cycle lanes, bridges and boardwalks all of which have been designed in accordance with SUSTRANS design guidance. Extensive cycle parking has been incorporated across the site especially at key gateway points.

Although designated as a Scheduled Monument, the historic canal infrastructure was in a poor condition, and has been repaired and repurposed for residential and leisure purposes. For example, the Firhill Basin now accommodates water sports and accessible fishing platforms whereas the silted-up old timber basin has been planted with reeds to create a rich wetland habitat.

An overgrown former canal spur now accommodates the main outfall point for the SuDS. Canal walls have been repaired or rebuilt and service infrastructure implemented to provide residential

1 Glasgow skyline from the Claypits 2 Garscube Link entrance 3 Activity play node 4 Living on water infrastructure 5 Panmure Gate entrance and boardwalk 6 Ellesmere Canal spur bridge

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moorings for canal house boats. Significant strategic SuDS infrastructure has been incorporated within the site to facilitate the construction of more than 700 new homes in the adjacent Hamiltonhill area as part of the Glasgow Smart Canal scheme.

The SuDS infrastructure takes the form of naturalistic swales and basins which are integrated within the Local Nature Reserve.

A number of complex site issues were better understood via the procurement of various technical surveys or studies, such as ecological and tree surveys, geotechnical and contaminated land surveys, hydrographic surveys, structural surveys of the canal infrastructure, and a Heritage Impact Assessment.

The design was informed by various best practice guidance and/ or policies. Most notably, the ‘Traffic-free Routes and Greenways Design Guide’ (SUSTRANS), ‘Cycle by Design’ by Transport Scotland, the ‘SuDS Manual’ by CIRIA, and ‘Green infrastructure: design and placemaking’ from the Scottish Government.

Working with various partners on the project team, as well as the local community, LUC was able to deliver a wild and biodiverse escape for inner-city residents that will serve as a natural oasis for years to come.

7 Firhill basin accessible platforms 8 Secondary path infrastructure Photographs ©LUC

REFERENCES Client Scottish Canals scottishcanals.co.uk Principal designer, landscape architect, project manager LUC landuse.co.uk Principal contractor Mackenzie Construction Ltd mackenzieconstruction.com Project engineer Narro Associates narroassociates.com Mechanical & electrical engineer DSSR dssr.co.uk Quantity surveyor Thomas & Adamson thomasandadamson.com

Bridge designers Mayflower Engineering Ltd mayflower-engineering.co.uk Allen Gordon LLP allengordon.co.uk LB Foundations lbcivils.co.uk Fairfield Control Systems fairfields.co.uk Newgate Construction newgateconstruction.co.uk SuDS designer AECOM aecom.com Specialist metalwork fabricators Coatbridge Engineering DAB Fabrications dabfabrications.co.uk Specialist timberwork Scott MacDonald Pontoon design Gael Force Engineering gaelforcegroup.com

ABOUT LUC is a planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology and geospatial consultancy with expertise across a broad cross-section of environmental disciplines. landuse.co.uk

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Mediterranean MUSE CRISTINA BERGAMIN BLUE TOWN GARDEN

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £35K Build time 4 months Size of project 56m2 Awards Shortlisted in Pro Landscaper’s small project BIG IMPACT Awards 2022

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hen garden designer Cristina Bergamin first viewed this small back garden in St Albans, it was a tired-looking and cramped space, dominated by four overgrown trees with plants struggling to grow beneath them.

The hard landscaping was in a state of disrepair, as was the fence in mismatching styles and colours, and an awkwardly shaped shed sitting on the patio. The winding path from the house to the patio was uneven and a walking hazard; a narrow strip of old decking by the bi-fold doors was not wide enough to be useful; and dozens of pots were scattered around to cater for colour in the absence of suitable planting space.

It needed to be overhauled, says Bergamin. The clients wanted a new layout with clean lines and functional spaces for their individual needs, with better access to the garden from the house and from the communal parking. To replace an existing west-facing patio, a sunny seating area was required to accommodate a table and chairs for four people, the existing four-seater sofa and coffee table, and a large new parasol.

The design had to take into account accessibility in the future, so level changes were minimised to just one single step, while level changes between the entrance of the garden and the communal parking area outside the gate were avoided altogether.

An existing water feature was to be integrated and a few of the trees and shrubs left in situ, such as Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’.

Dicksonia antarctica, Sarcococca confusa, two Hydrangea paniculata and a rose of sentimental value were also to be retained. As much planting space as possible was to be created, introducing pollinator-friendly plants and bright colours to create an 1 Trendy black porcelain and Ice Blue gravel path to the upper patio

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environment where the clients would feel surrounded by nature.

Magenta, pink, purple and blue for the planting, features and structures would provide a Mediterranean feel too, and the existing blue colour of the side fence was to be replicated throughout, as the client’s own hint to Provence. The design also needed to include a shed, a birch tree and a flowering tree, as well as a plan for irrigation and lighting.

Colourful spaces To accommodate a new, more functional, and open layout, the space had to be cleared of all existing hard landscape and vegetation, with the exception of acer and smoke bush, which were left in situ as it was too risky to move them. The tree fern and some smaller shrubs that the clients wanted to retain were lifted and stored away.

Two separate seating areas were created: an upper patio to capture the midday and afternoon sun for dining, entertaining and relaxing; and a lower patio for a morning coffee in the sun, and for shade in the afternoon.

Despite the garden’s small size, it includes a cleverly disguised, made-to-measure shed for storage of garden furniture, a portable BBQ, and electrics and irrigation programming units. Clad and painted to match and blend with the fencing, it ‘disappears’ from view instead of attracting attention when sitting on the upper patio. A large, cantilevered parasol is anchored neatly on the patio behind the bespoke trellis, when viewed from the house.

To complement the sharp geometrical layout and modern porcelain paving, there are three custom-made steel planters, powder-coated in a vibrant turquoise colour, two of which are bottomless and function as raised beds. These provide not only a change of level without the bulk of masonry or wooden constructions, but also year-round Mediterranean colour – particularly in the winter when the garden is barer – and planting space for the birch tree, limiting the spread of roots at ground level and so allowing plants to thrive around it. The steel planters were manufactured in the UK using British raw material, thus reducing the carbon footprint.

New close board featheredge fencing now defines the boundaries. It is horizontally clad throughout to deliver a smooth and seamless appearance. The much-loved, historic ‘Provence blue’ colour has been applied all around, providing a clean, fresh look complementing the planters.

As only one change of level could be incorporated into the design, the last section of the

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path towards the upper patio is built on a gentle ramp. The stepping-stone path made of porcelain and gravel is wide enough for future accessibility and can be turned into a solid surface without major building works, if ever needed. The gate is designed to open to 180° for easy access and, like the shed, it seamlessly ‘disappears’ as a continuation of the fence. The handle is in silver, flush with the surface for subtler appearance, and to maintain path width.

A bespoke wooden trellis, screening the shed and folded parasol, when viewed from the house provides a desired purple accent in winter together with other purple-leaved plants such as Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’. When acer and smoke bush are in leaf, the colour repetition creates a strong punctuation across the garden.

The porcelain tiles and the new garden furniture were selected for their muted tones to allow the bold colours of features and plants to take centre stage. The gravel – used for the path, drainage rills and the base of the water feature – is also a muted mix of white and grey, and complements both the porcelain tiles and the planters.

The existing water feature was repositioned where the calming sound of water can be enjoyed from all seating areas. Placed in the shadier part of the garden, it provides lots of reflected light towards the wall, allowing for

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plants to thrive that would normally prefer a sunnier position.

The remotely controlled irrigation system allows for adjusting the schedule as required, even when the clients are away. Electrics include Alexa controlled lighting and up lighting of trees.

2 Dining in the upper patio 3 Morning coffee on the lower patio by the open plan doors 4 Birch silhouette in early spring night 5 Connecting with nature and planting for biodiversity

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Pollinator-friendly planting An abundance of plants and colour was an essential part of the brief. The planting plan was designed to incorporate all retained plants and trees, as well as lots of new bulbs and a variety of species for biodiversity and year-round interest.

Two additional trees were introduced to provide height and meet the brief: a multi-stemmed Betula utilis var. jacquemontii ‘Doorenbos’ underplanted with Erigeron karvinskianus and Persicaria affinis ‘Darjeeling Red’, and a tall Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ for early spring blooms.

The much-loved Dicksonia antarctica is now the centre piece in the large, steel planter and a good focal point when dining indoors.

The planting scheme closer to the house comprises a number of evergreen shrubs and ferns, and many herbaceous perennials with contrasting textures and colours creating

a rich tapestry and good visual structure in the winter months. These include Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’, Liriope muscari ‘Moneymaker’, Azalea ‘Vuyk’s Rosyred’, Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’, Helleborus orientalis, and the existing Sarcococca confusa. Among the perennials are Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Astrantia major ‘Roma’, Anemone ‘Ruffled Swan’, Achillea millefolium ‘Saucy Seduction’, and for ground cover under the acer canopy Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ and Pachysandra terminalis.

Equally, the planting scheme under the cherry tree and around the water feature includes evergreen climbers on the wall and trellis, such as Holboellia latifolia, evergreen shrubs, ferns, and Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ along the path to soften the hard landscaping.

By contrast, planting in the bed by the upper patio is more naturalistic, with an abundance of pollinator-friendly species, catering for the clients’ desire of a colourful mixed border with lots of favourite herbaceous and grasses, such as Echinacea Sombrero Baja Burgundy, Gaura lindheimeri, Penstemon ‘Hidcote Pink’, Aconitum henryi 'Sparks Variety’, Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’. A row of Verbena bonariensis mixed with tall Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ grasses planted along the patio create a light screen of the seating area. Shrubs include Choisya x dewitteana ‘White Dazzler’, the existing hydrangeas and rose, Salvia greggii ‘Amethyst Lips’ and the smoke bush trained as a small tree.

In all the beds and planters, lots of early spring/ summer bulbs such as white daffodils, purple and orange tulips, purple Allium, and lateautumn flowering herbaceous plants, such as the crimson-scarlet Esperantha coccinea ‘Major’, were planted to prolong the flowering season.

All existing Clematis climbers were repositioned to grow on the fences and reduce the impact of the hard landscaping, with additional Trachelospermum jasminoides climbers for evergreen structure.

The slate paving and concrete base of the original patio were crushed and used as backfill, and part of the fence panels were recycled in the clients’ allotment nearby. Pebbles were re-used in the front garden and most of the existing soil was retained and reconditioned.

Being neighbourly The build of the garden took four months, with several interruptions such as materials shortages due to the pandemic, and adverse weather conditions. Paint products were slow to dry at low temperatures, with the finish remaining vulnerable to rain and contact for extended periods, and paving was delayed

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6 Jewel colours of Echinacea and Aconitum with multistemmed birch in the background 7 Vibrant green and jewel colours in springtime 8 Colour repetition 9 Trendy black porcelain and Ice Blue gravel path to side gate and house viewed from the upper patio 10 Running water

REFERENCES Contractors The Hertfordshire Landscaping Co thehlc.co.uk Duncan Tomblin Trees Surgeon Philip W L Jenkins Services Porcelain paving London Stone londonstone.co.uk Ice Blue gravel Thompsons of Crews Hill thompsonsofcrewshill.com Fencing, shed and trellis timber Kensworth Sawmills Ltd kensworthsawmills.co.uk

due to the freezing temperatures and wet weather too.

The size of the site and available access also created logistical challenges, as well as a high degree of manual labour and much-needed management of neighbourly relationships.

Access for HGVs was restricted, so materials had to be moved into the site from the nearest point of delivery and seven neighbours needed to be warned that access would be blocked for the time required to unload. Remote unloading also increased the area over which a clean and tidy site had to be maintained. Materials and skip deliveries had to be tightly controlled as only a single parking space was available for storage outside the site area.

After delivery, the finished steel planters had to be moved from one end of the garden to another.

Once placed in their final position, they were protected with wooden crates prior to bringing in the new soils and lifting in mature trees – using levers and body weight – as well as laying the finished paving and closing the boundary (through which site access was available). All this work was performed manually as the access route into the garden at that stage was 900mm with tight turns that prevented the use of a mini digger or other machinery. The tree fern had to be moved around the garden too while building progressed, and new plants had to be stored offsite and delivered as needed.

Despite challenges, Cristina Bergamin created the oasis her clients had dreamed of, and the garden is now a true extension of their indoor living.

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Steel drainage grid ACO aco.co.uk Galvanised steel edging EverEdge everedge.co.uk Bespoke steel planters Metal Wizards metalwizards.com Parasol Whitestores whitestores.co.uk Chairs and extendable table SKLUM sklum.com

ABOUT Cristina Bergamin is a garden and planting designer with eight years’ experience in creating inviting, functional, and biodiverse outdoor spaces. Cristina’s designs ensure that each project meets her clients’ needs, reflects their taste, and suits their lifestyle, while her planting always aims at promoting an appreciation and deeper connection with nature. cbergamin.co.uk

Plants and bulbs Majestic Trees majestictrees.co.uk Joseph Rochford Gardens Ltd rochfords.net Europlants UK Ltd europlants.net Burncoose Nurseries burncoose.co.uk P. de Jager & Sons Ltd dejager.co.uk

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For the

MAY 2023

COMMUNITY BLAKEDOWN LANDSCAPES

RECONNECTING BOSTON MANOR PARK

PROJECT DETAILS

B

oston Manor Park is Brentford’s largest public open space, a Conservation Area and SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation). Purchased by Brentford Urban District Council in 1924, the park is one of the London Borough of Hounslow’s most cherished spaces; of great value and significance, owing to its historic Grade I listed Jacobean house, community facilities and the landscape in which it is set.

Over the years, several challenges emerged which meant that the park had become severely underused due to lack of facilities and activities. Additionally, overgrowth in parts meant that biodiversity was being limited, visitors felt unsafe and areas by the river and woodland were becoming inaccessible.

The £5.34m Reconnecting Boston Manor Park Project, funded

by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund and the London Borough of Hounslow has allowed some of these long-standing problems to be addressed and secured the future of the park.

The overall vision was to transform Boston Manor Park into a vibrant asset that reflected the needs of the community and

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Project value £2.5m Build time 15 months Size of project 13.75ha

reconnected it to nature, to its history, to its immediate locality and to the people who live and work around and nearby.

The masterplan was progressed over a three-year period by Allen Scott Landscape Architects and the London Borough of Hounslow, considering extensive desktop studies, on-site surveys, design research and resident consultation. The key drivers were openness, connectivity and integration that would encourage wide use, provide coherence and reconnect the park with the river.

Best practice Appointed by the London Borough of Hounslow as specialist landscape contractors, Blakedown Landscapes’ remit was to supply and deliver the landscape masterplan. Blakedown has previously worked in partnership with the London Borough of Hounslow, re-landscaping the popular riverside Watermans Park in Brentford and delivering improvement works at Feltham Arenas, Feltham.

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Operating in a ‘live’ park environment, the delivery of the works was approached in a sectional manner for the most part, with each area isolated from public access whilst maintaining the freedom of the public to use the remaining destinations. Flexible working and rationalisation of the programme also came into play due to unavoidable changes to the café build schedule.

Clear communication channels and best working practices were adopted with other contractors concurrently on site – Borras Construction building the new café and changing rooms and Desertoak renovating the main manor house –

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ensuring works were undertaken effectively and to time and budget.

The project team, together with the client, have all been committed to developing and executing the project using principles that are rooted in sustainable design. Best practice standards were used and exceeded where appropriate by working with local partners and suppliers and by taking a long-term view of the project.

Works commenced in August 2021 with the site-wide installation of new paths and the upgrade of the existing path infrastructure, which included reclaimed granite sett thresholds. A new pedestrian

access was created along the meadow perimeter and through the woodland which connected the canal and Boston Manor entrances, creating a full loop around the park and opening the entire site.

Woodland walks Approached next was the woodland area, one of the main parts of Boston Manor Park which had become overgrown, with uninviting entrances and a general feeling by visitors of not being safe due to density and bad sightlines.

To improve access and safety, entrances to the wood were enhanced and the existing

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nature trail re-aligned. Earthworks utilised cut and fill and locally won soil generated from the new site wide paths and the café footings.

New timber edges were installed, and the trails finished with hoggin path surfacing sourced from the Hamer Warren Quarry. Along the margins of the River Brent, the woodland is naturally boggy, and a timber boardwalk has been added so visitors can traverse this area more easily. Sustainable design has been a key focus and habitat creation projects, including deadwood and brash piles, beetle pyramids and hibernaculum for amphibians and reptiles were undertaken.

One of the main character areas of Boston Manor Park is the lake which was in poor condition and visually disconnected.

Restoration began with dredging and de-silting, with all silt placed to the extremities and re-used to re-form the lake boundaries. In total, 98% of all site-wide soils and silt were re-used. The lake was re-profiled and edge treatments applied, which included construction of oak revetments to stabilise the banks and placement of ragstone to help waterfowl access the islands for refuge.

A boardwalk and dipping platform were installed to improve access and allow sitting, education and interaction with the lake and habitat. Finally, to enhance biodiversity and aid establishment of the new bank margin, marginal aquatic and lily planting was carried out.

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Picking the plants Historically the walled garden was used for horticultural production and growing food for the estate, and more recently for community events and private hire. Landscape works here have predominantly ensured that the space

will be used to its full advantage; York stone and brick-paved paths have been upgraded, the drinking fountain relocated to allow the lawn to be opened up for events and access improved.

Espalier fruit trees – figs, pears and apples – have been planted to screen views from adjacent properties and pleached limes trained to the boundary walls to improve the

sense of seclusion and atmosphere. Across the park, nearly 200 trees have been planted all chosen for their shape, form and continuity, depending upon their designated character areas. Collaboration between landscape architects Allen Scott, Blakedown and Van den Berk Nurseries has ensured the correct specimens, with the selection of trees taking place virtually due to the pandemic.

Planting has been contract grown by Greenwood Plants and chosen to increase diversity, with planting beds being enlarged and filled with ebullient herbaceous mixes.

Across Boston Manor Park, this has included habitat enhancements to the woodland, improvements to the grassland meadow and ornamental planting to the Walled Garden and parkland. Furthermore, plants were selected to suit the site’s clay soil and to encourage birds, bees, butterflies, moths and beetles.

Restoring the park As part of local consultations, park users were keen to see improved facilities to attract both young and older generations of users to the

1 The manor house and lake from the air 2 Aerial view of the improved landscape setting 3 Activity Hub 4 The fully restored lake 5 The Woodland Walks 6 Espalier fruit trees within the Walled Garden

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REFERENCES Client London Borough of Hounslow hounslow.gov.uk Landscape architect Allen Scott Landscape Architecture allenscott.co.uk Reclaimed granite CED Stone cedstone.co.uk Planting Greenwood Plants greenwoodplants.co.uk park. To assist with this goal, two half-court basketball courts were installed under the shadow of the M4 flyover and adjacent to the outdoor fitness area. Following removal of the old MUGA, the area was re-levelled, re-surfaced with specialist sport tarmac and fitted with rebound fencing, basketball posts, backboards and hoops. The courts were finished with basketball sports markings, including branding with ‘Boston Manor 3 x 3’.

Boston Manor House itself has also been subject to a £6m restoration project to bring the building back to life and make it fully accessible for the first time. To improve the setting of the house, new planting has been carried out to the boundaries to reflect the Jacobean period, and the oval lawn and drive layout has been rationalised. The Yorkstone flag apron has been restored, the layout updated to reflect the new internal and external uses and paths repaired and resurfaced.

Trees Van den Berk Nurseries vdberk.co.uk Soils Bourne Amenity bourneamenity.co.uk

and implemented sustainable funding and management models to ensure the park thrives and is financially resilient for the next 100 years.

7 New basketball courts shadowed by the M4 flyover 8 The Walled Garden 9 Her Majesty the Queen Consort unveiling a plaque commemorating the re-opening and 400-year anniversary of Boston Manor Park House Image 9: ©Sadia Barlow Photography All other images: ©Blakedown Landscapes

ABOUT

Reconnecting Boston Manor Park has restored and unlocked the heritage of the site; maximised its incredible biodiversity; capitalised on the site’s pivotal location; provided learning and educational opportunities for training, arts and creative initiatives; improved health and wellbeing; helped to reverse social deprivation;

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Blakedown Landscapes is an award-winning landscaping and civil engineering specialist delivering high quality projects throughout the UK. With more than five decades of experience, its extensive knowledge spans all sectors from local authorities, royal parks, commercial developers, schools and universities to high-end luxury developers. blakedown.co.uk

Fencing Alpha Rail alpharail.co.uk Street furniture Public Spaces publicspaces.eu Bespoke benches Chris Nangle Furniture chrisnanglefurniture.co.uk Lighting DW Windsor dwwindsor.com Lighting Selux Lighting selux.com/gbr/en Resin bound surfacing Addagrip addagrip.co.uk

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Investing in the

LANDSCAPE B|D LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS FIDELITY, HEART ZONE

PROJECT DETAILS

S

ituated in the Surrey countryside is the largest UK office of Fidelity International, a financial services company which provides world-class investment solutions and retirement expertise to institutions, individuals and their advisers.

Three buildings form its expansive campus – Beech Gate House, Kingswood Place and Windmill Court. It’s at the heart of these that Fidelity wanted a more fluid and contemporary landscape which could facilitate connection and interaction with nature at its core.

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Project value £750k Build time 10 months Size of project 0.5ha Awards Landscape Institute Award 2022 for Excellence in Horticulture and Planting Design

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B|D Landscape Architects was tasked with designing healthy green spaces and a green heart for users as part of establishing the campus as a pleasant place to work – a project which saw the practice win the Landscape Institute Award for Excellence in Horticulture and Planting Design last year.

One of the key parts of the brief was to enhance spaces to foster community cohesion and interaction by providing areas that would actively encourage socialising and engagement. The team also needed to complement the existing architecture of the buildings.

The functionality and flow of people between buildings and across the site was to be optimised by providing clear routes, access points, signage and by simplifying levels. Drops in levels across the site offered an opportunity to incorporate an integrated sustainable draining system to address issues of drainage and stormwater runoff on the site.

The proposed landscape design included highlights and features to create a series of distinct spaces reminiscent of natural landscapes. These included a rain garden, central courtyard, incidental seating elements, extensive ornamental planting, an informal gathering space and an edible landscape.

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Biophilia and biodiversity Principles of biophilia were also requested to improve the wellbeing of employees, but also to increase biodiversity on the site. This biophilic approach at Fidelity's Heart Zone has since been a success, with a well-considered soft landscape forming the backdrop to the activity within the space and an outlook for all workers at the campus.

To create a green oasis at the heart of the campus, a variety of species-rich habitats were planted, including shady woodland, a wildflower meadow, floodable rain gardens and focal spaces that create a sensory rich environment and boost the site’s existing biodiversity. Year-round visual interest has been provided and feature trees were planted throughout the site, such as semi-mature ornamental trees, orchard trees and specimen screening trees.

Jenna Watkins, project landscape architect from B|D Landscape Architects, says: “It was a privilege to work on this award-winning project which restored the heart of the Fidelity campus.

“Our planting design was inspired by natural landscapes including woodland, hillside and meadow habitats. Working hard to increase biodiversity, the planting palette includes seven different tree species including evergreen and fruit trees, six planting typologies, meadow and bulb planting, providing a species-rich landscape with seasonal interest.”

Leading the landscape Fidelity appointed B|D Landscape Architects in August 2018 to lead the regeneration of the landscape and public realm at its Kingswood Fields campus. Working as the lead in a design team including structural, civic, arboricultural and ecological consultants, B|D’s role was to steer the Heart Zone project through planning, tender, construction and completion with a tight budget and optimistic programme.

B|D's approach was that this space should be a calm and reflective oasis of layered planting with improved accessible connections to each of the building entrances and a new canopy of semi-mature trees that could filter views, provide dappled shade and focus the space.

It collaborated with the art curator to relocate

1 ‘New Shoot’ by Julian Wild at Fidelity campus 2 Stipa calamagrostis, rough feather grass 3 Main route through the central Heart space 4 Garden feature capturing surface water run-off 5 High quality in-situ concrete surface softened by a diverse mix of perennial planting

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REFERENCES Landscape architects B|D landscape architects bdlandarch.com Client Fidelity International fidelity.co.uk Architects HLW hlw.design Engineers Elliott Wood elliottwood.co.uk

existing sculptural pieces by David Nash, Julian Wild, Peter Randall-Page, Alison Crowther and others into the space, renewing and revitalising the campus.

Working with BREEAM and WELL consultants, B|D Landscape Architects sought to maximise the credits for ecology, to reduce the maintenance burden and to source materials as locally as possible, to ensure a robust and sustainable space for the expanded workforce at Fidelity.

Surface profiles and details were designed to direct surface water runoff to a rain garden.

Planted with water-tolerant plants and encompassed by amphitheatre seating, this

focal point ensures a visually attractive yet hardworking landscape. Additionally, permeable paving to the car drop-off point absorbs surface water into the ground.

Site-specific solutions The site is on the edge of the green belt and surrounded by ancient woodland, providing a unique and sensitive setting for the campus.

The challenging but successful planning process led to a detailed scheme that focused on improving connectivity, biodiversity and sustainability, as well as a space to be cherished by staff and visitors to the site.

After extensive site analysis, B|D Landscape Architects drew up a design which improved pedestrian routes and gradients to create a more accessible and legible space.

The rain garden was developed by working with the existing topography and natural surface water flow to the low point of the site.

The challenge came when developing the detailed design, when the landscape architects worked closely with the supplier, contractors and engineers to ensure a high quality and successful, sustainable drainage system.

“After working on the project through concept design, technical design and construction, we are delighted with the completed project and hope it continues to thrive and provide benefit to the Fidelity campus,” says Watkins.

6 Layers of planting beneath tree canopies 7 Summer flowering penstemons Photographs ©Jack Hobhouse

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Project managers BW Project Services bwprojectservices.co.uk Landscape contractors Andland andland.co.uk

ABOUT B|D Landscape Architects is an award-winning practice, committed to the integration of sustainable design in this climate emergency, to create amazing and resilient places for people. It was established in 2008 and is a Registered Practice with the Landscape Institute with design studios in both Gloucestershire and London. In 2022, it won three national Landscape Institute Awards including ‘Outstanding Overall Winner’ for its "trailblazing" work on Lovedon Fields – adding to its 14 national Landscape Institute Awards over the past seven years. bdlandarch.com

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panning one and a half acres, this Buckinghamshire property needed a new lease of life. The existing house was knocked down and redesigned by Spratley & Partners Architects, and the half-acre garden needed to match the new, more modern exterior. Angus Thompson Design was tasked with creating a family garden with both entertaining spaces for the adults as well as a lawn for the young children to play which could also serve as an event area in the future, with space for a marquee.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £150k+ Build time 6 months Size of project 0.5 acres

1 Poolside lounge seating

From city to

SERENITY ANGUS THOMPSON DESIGN

PRIVATE GARDEN, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

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The end of the garden backed onto the woodland beyond and so the clients wanted to add privacy whilst also creating the [t] 01865 552446impression [e] info@angusthompsondesign.com [w] www.angusthompsondesign.com that the woodland was part of their outdoor space. They also wanted the children’s play equipment and an existing playhouse to be accommodated, and the design of the terrace to suit al fresco dining for around eight people.

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A pool room or storage option was to be considered, as was relocating the pool if ROOKWOOD VIEW 2: REVERSE AXON necessary. For the materials, the clients angus thompson design preferred sawn stone and a grey colour scheme. For the front garden, granite setts or similar were discussed, and the idea of a curving drive with garden elements around the house proved popular, providing there was space to turn a vehicle comfortably.

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Taking the plunge It was decided that the existing pool would be retained, despite being in a “challenging position,” says Angus Thompson.“It’s not quite aligned with the house, which has strong geometry.” A bold design response was needed, so Thompson used strong axial gestures of sawn and tumbled Yorkstone around the pool to link to the architecture of the house and seamlessly flow into the path leading to it.

For the children’s play equipment, it was decided that a dedicated space would not be required as it would not be relevant in a few years’ time as the children would outgrow it. The existing playhouse was kept, and the equipment left within view of the kitchen window, though off centre with the trampoline screened by planting heads whilst still being visible from the kitchen.

The large ‘zonal’ terrace takes its cue from the architecture, using sawn stone where seating and dining are positioned , whilst

softened with cobbles for a more traditional feel with sawnstone paving beneath the table and chairs, responding to the architecture and including planting such as Amelanchier multi-stems and perennial underplanting.

Iris sibirica and Astrantia ‘Roma’ help to add colour to the garden, whilst herbaceous OUTLINE DESIGN perennials such as Heuchera villosa

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‘Autumn Bride’ and Allium nigrum provide a paler, more contemporary tone.

2 Axonometric sketch of rear garden 3 Swimming pool framed in ‘Combedale cobbles’ 4 Sawn stone ’tongue’ within larger terrace by perennial borders and multi-stem Amelanchiers 5 Kitchen view of the new Spratley & Partners house

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ROOKWOOD VIEW 1: FROM KITCHEN

[t] 01865 552446

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[w] www.angusthompsondesign.com

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Budding gardeners The existing mature woodland at the end of the garden allowed the garden to feather out from formality closer to the house to informality towards the end; from manicured lawn to wildflower fringe to woodland. Holly hedging was used to subtly mark the boundary to the woodland.

Driven by sun and semi-shade requirements, the planting scheme had an emphasis on length of season, seasonality and relatively low maintenance, though the clients were keen to learn and to introduce their children to gardening.

The clients had moved from London and were new to gardening, but Thompson says they were open to introducing seasonality and softness to the garden. They have even started a herb garden to teach their children to grow their own. This, for Thompson, was the most satisfying part of the project; to see the clients take pride and invest in their new outdoor space.

6 Terrace path of Combedale cobbles 7 View back to house from wider woodland garden Photographs ©Rachel Warne

ABOUT In 2004, Angus graduated from the Inchbald School of Garden Design with the Principal’s Award, where he is now a guest lecturer. His Oxford studio has built a reputation for creating beautiful, multi-layered gardens of quiet elegance, and holds an RHS Gold for the ‘Nature Ascending’ garden at Chelsea Flower Show. angusthompsondesign.com

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REFERENCES Contractor Gardenlink gardenlink.co.uk Hard landscaping Artorius Faber artoriusfaber.com Trees Deepdale deepdale-trees.co.uk Perennials Arvensis Perennials arvensisperennials.co.uk Crocus crocus.co.uk Furniture Cane Line cane-line.co.uk

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High

HOPES

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fter purchasing a penthouse apartment on the eighth floor of new development Lincoln Square, the clients wanted an instant green “oasis in the sky” that would look lush and well planted from the outset.

It needed to have two seating areas and a dining area with views across the London skyline, with Lincoln Square located on the edge of the city’s iconic Covent Garden.

BLUESTONE LANDSCAPES LTD LINCOLN SQUARE ROOF GARDEN

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £100k+ Build time 3 weeks Size of project Around 160m2 Awards BALI National Landscape Award

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Bluestone Landscapes incorporated the seating areas and dining space, as well as smaller areas adjacent to the bedrooms to sit peacefully and reflect upon the elevated landscape and city beyond.

The lighting creates a breathtaking, unexpected ambience on the London skyline with multistemmed trees adding to the complex silhouette. It was chosen to offer illumination but also to highlight focal planting in the raised planters to create drama and interest, whilst the seating was picked by the client to offer practical yet elegant furnishings in an exposed environment.

With triple aspect terraces and regimented glass facades of the apartment, planting was sought to create privacy whilst also maintaining key views overlooking the city skyline including St Paul’s Cathedral.

Using carefully selected trees, shrubs, and planting, Bluestone Landscapes designed custom-made interconnecting planters, forming organic, flowing borders around the perimeter of the apartment’s terraces. The divisions between the key spaces provided a celebrated punctuation through a range of specimen trees, and this was extended where necessary by the use of freestanding pots.

The planters and pots were finished in a neutral, acid etched patina in a light grey tone. Due to their height and size, Bluestone utilised both polystyrene, Leca

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and a lightweight soil, while the exposed north, east and southfacing aspects of the planters required a robust, automated irrigation system.

Plants included evergreen shrub Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues' and perennial Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear), whilst the ball of Prunus lusitanica (Portugal laurel) added another dome to the skyline and the Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri' towers above a sea of Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender). Osmanthus x fortunei was also planted alongside, Osmanthus x burkwoodii, Sorbus commixta ‘Dodong’, Cornus mas, Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ and Phillyrea angustifolia.

1 Luxurious dining located on top of the world ©Coco Wolf 2 Erigeron glaucus ©BSL 3 Geranium 'Rozanne' ©BSL 4 Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' ©BSL 5 Dining and seating areas nestle within the lush planting ©BSL 6 Larger specimens create interest amongst lush planting ©Coco Wolf 7 At certain angles, one can forget how elevated the garden is ©Coco Wolf 8 The city’s skyline creates a breathtaking backdrop ©Coco Wolf 9 Lavender shadows dance against steely tones ©Coco Wolf

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Due to the weight of items such as the specimen trees and soil a large mobile crane unit was required for items weighing in at around one tonne. Challenging logistics involved orchestrating a mammoth 'lift' requiring a central London road closure with associated permits, and a finite one-week time slot, to position the gardens constituent parts by crane.

A precise lifting schedule for the key components of planters, soil, specimens, and plants, arriving from various sources into the city, required months of planning to achieve a relatively stress-free build with the lift completed slightly ahead of schedule.

Initial hopes of using the on-site crane that had been used by the building’s construction company did not work to the schedule of the sourcing of the plants and getting the planters constructed and delivered; but Bluestone Landscapes managed to overcome these issues and deliver the desired green oasis in the sky to its longstanding client.

10 A peaceful corner for reflection ©BSL 11 Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues' provides a perfect wind break while elevating privacy ©Coco Wolf

REFERENCES Chairs and tables Coco Wolf cocowolf.co.uk Plants and trees Deepdale Trees Ltd deepdale-trees.co.uk Tendercare tendercare.co.uk Tamar Nurseries tamarnurseries.com Europlants europlants.net Soil Freeland Horticulture Ltd freelandhorticulture.co.uk Lighting Wishbone Exterior Lighting wishboneexteriorlighting. co.uk Irrigation Irrigarden irrigarden.co.uk

ABOUT Bluestone Landscapes is the partnership between the awardwinning landscape design team of Jane Hudson & Erik De Maeijer, and the seasoned landscape contractor Dorel Talpos who formed Bluestone Landscapes Ltd to formalise over 20 years of collaboration on numerous projects. Working in North London, Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties, its discrete, unique service offers clients the simplest way to achieve a perfectly considered and expertly crafted garden. bluestonelandscapes.co.uk

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Part of a

POWERHOUSE THE MAYFIELD PARTNERSHIP MAYFIELD PARK, MANCHESTER

PROJECT DETAILS

Project cost £23m Build time 21 months (December 2020 – September 2022) Size of project 6.5 acres

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enturies of industrial use had left Mayfield riddled with contaminants. The brownfield site had become a derelict part of Manchester, situated close to the city’s main train station. Thanks to the Mayfield Partnership, though, the area is now unrecognisable. It has been transformed into a biodiverse haven with the landscape at its heart, and there’s more to come.

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Mayfield Park is part of the first phase of a 24-acre development that will see the delivery of residential, commercial and retail buildings. It is the first public park to have been built in the centre of Manchester for more than 100 years and provides a space for nature and people, along with recognising the industrial heritage of the site and taking into consideration the potential impact of climate change.

Water and wetlands, trees and wildflowers, long lawns, play areas and rain gardens create a high-quality landscape

scheme that was installed before construction of any of the new buildings had even begun. Designed by London-based Studio Egret West, the 6.5-acre park is free to access and has been called “a blueprint for 21st century innovation in public parks and green spaces.”

Once complete, the whole Mayfield development will deliver 13 acres of public realm, as well as 1,500 new homes, extensive office space, 56,000 sq ft of cafes, bars and restaurants, a mobility hub and a 650-key hotel. The team behind it is the Mayfield Partnership, a public-private partnership comprising Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, LCR and U+I, Landsec’s regeneration company.

Go with the flow Ingrained in Mayfield Park is the idea that it needed to be a “unique, world class statement park that celebrates the site’s post-industrial character.” Soft landscaping was to dominate the park, with a varied sequence of spaces catering for all kinds of activities and age groups. There was to be a mix of informal urban green spaces and

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1 River crossing and slide over the River Medlock ©Jarrell Goh 2 The Mayfield Lawn @Richard Bloom 3 River Medlock with culvert lid removed @Richard Bloom 4 Terraced garden looking towards the Mayfield lawn @Richard Bloom 5 Play chimneys ©Jarrell Goh 6 Suspended crawl net linking two of the play chimneys @Mark Waugh 7 Evening view across the reclaimed footbridge @Richard Bloom

more natural, wild areas. Overall, it needed to be inviting and fun, with visitors able to use it regardless of weather and season.

Running through Mayfield Park is the River Medlock, one of the three founding rivers of Manchester. From the outset, the meandering shape was integral to the design and character, influencing how different zones were created and organised. The landscape scheme needed to celebrate the river and its potential to act as a pathway through the site and a connector to neighbouring districts was to be promoted.

A slide winds across the river as part of the unique play area designed by play specialists Massey & Harris, which also includes six play towers reflecting industrial chimneys and tunnels referencing old railway arches in the local area, capturing the character of Mayfield.

The Partnership wanted people to be brought closer to the water, with floodable areas and softer river edges. A one in 100 year plus climate change flood scenario had to be accommodated and, to safeguard access

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during this scenario, a ‘dry’ edge around the perimeter of the park was proposed.

A geomorphologist was brought in early in the development to assess how the river could change over time to assist with flooding, but also to ensure the velocity of the water was appropriate in different places.

As a result, ‘riffles’ – or shallow areas where water can flow quickly past rocks – were

created with gravel to provide nooks and crannies for small fish. Hydroseeding has been used to create vegetative banks along the river too.

Parts of the river were previously concealed by culverts; these have now been opened up, with high walls taken down and embankments created to provide a wet-dry habitat for a new ecosystem to reside.

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Cutting carbon emissions An ecologist was commissioned to specify native flora and fauna for the river corridor to ensure that the species introduced would not cause problems for the local and existing wildlife. A wader area for birds has been introduced, as well as log piles for insects, hibernacula and bird and bat boxes. Since, kingfishers, sand martins and bats have been spotted around the park and brown trout in the river. An ecological report says the park provides a significant net gain in biodiversity, with further flora and fauna monitoring programmes to commence in 2023.

Across the 6.5-acre park, 63,000 plants were incorporated and 140 trees of 40 different species.

Native varieties such as hawthorns, birch and willow are mixed with less commonly planted species, such as Arbutus. A wildflower meadow and ornamental grasses were also planted, all to create a softer, more natural setting to encourage biodiversity.

REFERENCES Landscape architects and designers Studio Egret West studioegretwest.com Civil and river engineers Buro Happold burohappold.com

sustainability, the reconfigured design kept all the trees, plants, shrubs, flowers and the beauty of the river working within the constraints of the budget whilst still delivering excellence.

8 Wildscape area @Richard Bloom 9 Jetty over the River Medlock @Richard Bloom 10 Victorian hog back beam amongst planting

ABOUT The park was made possible by The Mayfield Partnership, a public-private partnership between developer U+I; Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and LCR. It was designed by Studio Egret West. mayfieldmanchester.co.uk

Lead contractors PP O’Connor ppoconnor.co.uk Structural engineer Civic Engineers civicengineers.com Soft landscaping contractor Ashlea Landscaping ashlea-landscaping.co.uk Soil scientist Tim O’Hare Associates toha.co.uk Play specialists Massey & Harris masseyandharris.com

The environment was at the heart of the project, with sustainability being a key focus.

The reuse of 80% onsite materials, where possible, is estimated to have reduced carbon emissions by 230t. Take the hogback beams used to support the old culvert over the river; these are now being used to support three new bridges as well as being scattered across the site as “industrial sculptures”.

Most of the old river walls were retained and repaired, whilst the wells from a former brewery on the site are being used to water the park, saving three million litres of water and one tonne of carbon a year.

The park was originally designed to be built in three phases at a higher cost than the £23m grant awarded by the government as part of its Build Back Better initiative that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of this, every aspect of the original design was revisited to see where it could be adapted without losing the essence of the initial creative vision. With a reinforced focus on

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BLENDING

new and old

THE GARDEN COMPANY

WEST HILL, BEDFORDSHIRE

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £100k+ Build time 3 months in total, completed in separate phases Size of project 2500m2 Awards BALI National Landscape Awards 2022 – Special Award for Best Design and Build

O

n moving into a new modern property in a Bedfordshire village, adjacent to older properties with more character, the owners were looking for a haven in their outdoor space for the family and friends to spend time together.

The rear garden had a small patio and no planting except for an existing mature holly hedge, and the awkwardly shaped front garden had a low-quality drive, lawn, and paved pathway. Fortunately, the homeowners had inherited handsome boundaries – a Victorian brick wall running along the back of the site and a holly hedge running from the rear boundary to the front – and a largely ‘blank canvas’ within.

To turn this into a haven, the family’s wishlist included a generous dining area, a good-sized lawn, a place to grow vegetables and a hammock to relax in. Room to entertain lots of people was a must, as were spaces for quiet retreat and – as suggested by one

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teenage daughter – a fire pit. Creating a space that would attract wildlife was also important.

Following Fibonacci Overall, the designer James Scott's intention was to create a warm, naturalistic feel. The house already had a good connection to the rear garden thanks to bi-fold doors which open straight from the kitchen/ family room into the outside space, and strengthening that connection was a vital element of the design concept. It was important to complement the original brick wall and to pay homage to the holly hedge. Unlike so many gardens that are long and thin, stretching away from the house, the rear garden spreads across the width of 1 Sunken fire pit and bespoke laser-cut Corten steel panel ©Clive Nichols

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the property – leading to attractive views of the outdoor space from the family room/kitchen.

The rear garden now reflects the modern building through strong geometry, with planting and materials chosen to soften the effect. The garden has distinct zones for different activities, with framing of views through and within the garden from these areas.

A pale grey sandstone terrace flows from the kitchen, while the planters, low walls, and laser-cut art of the fire pit are all weathering steel that rusts to warm tones.

Clay pavers leading to the fire pit complement the original brick wall at the rear, while the fire pit seating and raised beds in the vegetable garden are green oak.

The terrace is home to four large ‘floating’ planters while the lawn has four generous quadrant beds.

Both look like mass planting as the year progresses.

A handcrafted greenhouse designed by Scott was added in the final stages of the project. Next to the greenhouse is a small meadow from wildflower turf, embellished with spring bulbs and home to the hammock. The back border has been deepened to accommodate a bespoke Corten steel water feature, in keeping with the weathering steel featured elsewhere. Also designed by Scott and following Fibonacci mathematical principles, this has added visual dynamics and tranquil sounds, as well as attracting more wildlife to the space. The semi-sunken trampoline pit has recently been re-designed into

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a sunken seating area, reflecting the changing needs of the family.

Mixed materials The front garden now offers a sense of calm.

A fluid organic design has diffused the garden’s uneven geometry, and different uses of rock has added visual interest and illustrated the journey from boulder to slab. The use of natural materials along with the addition of a water feature creates a harmonious flow towards the house.

On a practical note, the driveway has been modified to accommodate more vehicles when needed. The existing porch was small and rather dingy; part of the design solution was to replace this with a larger, lighter porch that blends the home’s modern architecture with the older properties nearby. This was designed in-house and crafted by The Garden Company’s joiner.

It is possible to view directly through the house from the front garden to the rear garden’s back wall, lining up on the water feature. The landscapers paid huge attention to detail with finishing touches including a stone-carved dog bowl and a stone seat next to the front path.

Edible additions Overall, the soft landscaping complements the garden with seasonal colour and textural interest.

Specimen trees add height and focal points or frame views. The rear garden’s planting is intricately layered, featuring different species and combinations. Each terrace bed is home to a multi-stemmed Amelanchier, underplanted with spring bulbs. This mitigates the lack of depth in the garden by creating foreground interest. Four naturalistic lawn beds include

alliums, nepetas, salvias, asters, achilleas, and grasses. When the perennials reach their full height and bloom in summer, this looks like one large block of planting. The perimeter borders are more of a woodland mix. The wildflower area provides visual interest for many months, offering great plant diversity and a changing colour palette throughout the seasons.

In addition to incorporating raised beds for fruit and vegetable growing into the garden design, there is also a small herb garden area near the kitchen door, making it easy to pop outside and grab fresh produce while cooking.

The new greenhouse also provides fruit and vegetable plants with a safe haven protected from extreme weather and insects.

Creating habitats There is a good balance between hard and soft landscaping throughout the front and rear gardens. In addition to a large lawn area in the rear garden, the plant borders are deep and abundant, and the terrace is enhanced with generous planters.

Pollinator-friendly plants were chosen to attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial creatures to the garden. A small wildflower meadow was also added to the rear garden and the long holly hedge – a great habitat for birds and other wildlife – has been carefully nurtured. The existing Victorian brick wall was partially covered in ivy which is great for nesting birds and insects, and this was preserved in the new design.

2 Garden stretching width of house ©Clive Nichols 3 Sunken garden area and planting ©James Scott 4 Geums, Salvia and Irises ©Clive Nichols 5 Bespoke water feature ©James Scott

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REFERENCES Ebony Cloud sawn sandstone paving CED Stone Group cedstone.co.uk

The garden is reasonably self-sufficient with no need for ‘extreme’ garden maintenance techniques. It was designed with vernacular materials in mind, to cut back on the transport required to get materials to site and reduce the project’s carbon footprint. Materials with a high carbon footprint were avoided; hard landscaping relies largely on natural stone and weathering steel. Gravel was also used where possible, cutting down on hard, impermeable surfaces.

Three large compost containers are in use, providing a great habitat at different times of the year for many wildlife species and helping to cut down on landfill too. New water features in both the front and rear gardens not only add visual interest but are beneficial for birds and other wildlife.

Nationwide recognition The location of the site in Bedfordshire meant that the ground conditions comprised of sandy soil, which tends to leach nutrients and dry out quickly. The Garden Company overcame this by plant choice, and the addition of organic matter during the soil preparation. The garden is also top dressed annually with compost produced from the garden and supplemented with composted bark or green waste compost if required.

Once digging began in the front garden it became apparent that the area had once been a Victorian/Edwardian ‘dumping ground’ for glassware and pots, leading to some slight delays while these were dug up and inspected.

Owing to the existing mature trees surrounding the front garden, there was a ‘no dig’ landscaping solution for the new driveway. The property is also accessed by a narrow lane, and so deliveries to the site needed to be via small vehicles.

Overcoming these challenges, the gardens are now enjoyed by the family on a daily basis. A full lighting scheme serves a practical function, as well as extends the time the family can spend outdoors.

The success of the scheme was reinforced at the end of 2022 when the British Association of Landscape Industries presented The Garden Company with a prestigious Special Award for the Best Design and Build project.

Judges stated: “The transformation from bland, uninspiring, 'new build' landscaping to a landscape designed and constructed to fill the heart and the senses is a joy to behold."

6 Wildflower mini-meadow & hammock ©James Scott 7 Cut stone boulder & planting ©James Scott

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Drive stabilisation grid Core Landscape Products corelp.co.uk Plants Nederhoff Plants nederhoffplants.nl/en Sawn Yorkshire paving, rocks and feature stones Rand and Asquith randandasquith.co.uk Metalwork T Brown and Sons Ltd tbrownandsons.co.uk

ABOUT Led by James Scott FSGD MBALI, The Garden Company Ltd creates places of enduring value through expert design and landscaping. Its awardwinning work is rich in detail and drawn from over 30 years’ experience of bringing clients’ dreams to life. The Hertfordshirebased company operates throughout South-East England and North London. thegardenco.co.uk

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £9.2m Build time 12 months Size of project 3000m2

Connecting the MAYLIM

REGENT’S PLACE

P

lacemaking and sustainability are at the heart of Regent’s Place, a 13-acre mixed-use development in London. The site is one of three ‘campuses’ for property developer British Land, with two million square feet of commercial space where names such as Facebook, Lendlease and Santander reside. It borders the West End and the Knowledge Quarter, aptly named for the area being home to 22 museums and galleries as well as science institutes, universities and research centres.

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COMMUNITY A new entrance was required to the campus that would be inviting for both residents and visitors, as well as linking to the surrounding areas. A series of pavilions were used to create spaces for people to gather, with inclusivity and accessibility being vital.

The public realm , designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, also needed to be suitable for hosting events and for temporary uses that might better engage the community.

Commercial landscaping company Maylim had already completed the first phase of Regent’s Place – Triton Square –

and so was brought back on board as principal contractor in a full design and build contract for the next stage of the development.

A reduced dig excavation was carried out and recovered granite on the site was removed in order to be repurposed. Raised planter edges were sent to CED Stone Group to reuse whilst some of the existing paving was used to replace areas around the in-ground lighting. For the new paved area, 1 Luscious planting surround the path and seats

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1,600m2 of Marshall’s Neso Granite was used alongside 650m2 of resin-bound gravel.

Corten steel edging forms curved raised planters, with a higher soil depth needed to mitigate a limited rooting depth. Benches have been incorporated into the design to make these planters dual purpose, and there are further opportunities for seating, each for different uses. Take the tables and benches for groups, or the longer benches ideal for events of up to 50 people.

The standout structures, though, are the three oak lattice pavilions built by specialist Xylotek. Each space is designed for a different audience, from small groups to children to a tiered performance space. More than 400 laths have been layered to create the pavilions, made from sustainably sourced oak.

An oculus at the top of each of the two larger pavilions has been added to draw visitors’ eyes up towards the sky.

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In the evening, lighting highlights the pavilions along with other focal points such as the seating areas. Uplighting is used to great effect from beneath the trees and pendant lighting adds structure to the planting throughout the winter months.

Lighting fixtures also illuminate the large green wall within the scheme.

Around 22,000 plants adorn the living wall system from Biotecture. Its patented BioPanel, which uses Grodan rockwool blocks as the growing medium, stretches three storeys, measuring 36m by 9.7m.

For larger plants, more than 70 aluminium planters have been integrated, with smaller plants towards the top of the wall and large ferns and shrubs towards the base. To meet future biodiversity net gain requirements and attract wildlife to the site, 50 bug hotels have been added amongst the greenery.

For the green wall framework, a solution was needed to ensure that it was a safe distance from the electricals within the substation whilst ensuring the plants would still thrive. So, a void was created behind the wall, and Maylim worked with Arup to make this fireproof by installing a fireboard to protect the UKPN substation.

Outside of the green wall, planting is more practical amongst the pavilions, with a focus on edible plants such as culinary herbs and fruit trees. Multi-stem trees

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provide shade for the seating areas as well as year-round interest throughout the scheme.

Maylim also worked with The Royal Parks to relocate trees that need to be removed from the site, and Regent’s Park is now home to these birch trees.

For the soil, a combination of of BS 3882 manufactured topsoils and lightweight topsoils was used, depending on the site requirements.

Regent’s Place has also become the flagship 2 These paths double up as places to relax 3 The project holds a diverse array of unique spots 4 A living wall provides a new layer of greenery 5 Soft and hard landscaping unite perfectly

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scheme for an ongoing research project between Maylim, Cranfield University and Bourne Amenity.

The project explores the relationship between soils and the plant typologies they support, recognising the importance of soil as a resource and how understanding and managing it correctly is crucial to the success and longevity of a scheme, as well as in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

More than just a home for residents or a workplace, Regent’s Place is one of many chances to explore climate-resilient landscapes as well as how a carefully planned public realm can engage the community and build a culture for years to come.

6 Geometric sight lines give the space an elevated feel Photographs ©Paul Upward Photography

ABOUT Maylim specialises in landscaping, external works and civil engineering projects. In 2022, the company celebrated 20 years in business, and its solid reputation for quality work and exceeding client expectations has helped them reach this milestone. Working to improve public spaces, they help develop new neighbourhoods and bring together existing communities.

Maylim's integrated approach enables flexibility and adaptability to successfully deliver long-lasting, high-quality projects. maylim.co.uk

REFERENCES Principal contractor Maylim maylim.co.uk Client British Land britishland.com

Benches Kent Stainless kentstainless.com

Structural engineer Arup arup.com

Furniture Urban Street Designs urbanstreetdesigns.co.uk

Pavilions Xylotek xylotek.co.uk

Soil Bourne Amenity bourneamenity.co.uk

Granite Marshalls marshalls.co.uk

Landscape architects Townshend Landscape Architects townshendla.com

Living wall Biotecture biotecture.uk.com

Electrical MDN UK Ltd mdnuk.co.uk

Metalwork McNealy Brown mcnealybrown.co.uk

Other subcontractors Waterwise waterwise.org.uk Tom Boswell Tree Services tomboswelltrees.com Token Cleaning Services tokencleaning.com Euro Diamond Drilling eurodiamonddrilling.co.uk Limegate limegate.co.uk

Soft landscaping Willerby Landscapes willerby-landscapes.co.uk

Demolition Redbridge Construction redbridgeconstruction.co.uk

Green roof products ZinCo zinco-greenroof.co.uk

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Bedding, mortars and grouts Steintec steintec.co.uk Plants Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com

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It's only

PROJECT DETAILS

NATURAL ELLICAR SOUTHWELL NATURAL POOL

Project value £250k Build time 14 months Size of project 1,350m2 (approx.)

Awards National Landscape Awards 2022 – Best First Time Entrant and Special Award for Domestic Garden Construction Between £100k-£250k

W

ith visions of a small natural swimming pool as the focal point of her new garden, this Nottinghamshire-based client brought in Ellicar to design the pool and surrounding space. It was to be a naturalistic garden for relaxing and entertaining friends and family, but also be a bolthole from their busy lives, as a place to wind down and reconnect with nature.

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For Ellicar, the brief included everything it values: to bring wildlife and nature into the garden, and to create a beautiful natural swimming pool suitable for a family and their young grandchildren.

The borders were to be vibrant with bold architectural flowers reminiscent of the client’s upbringing in Kenya, yet soft and naturalistic with grasses. Her husband was keen to include a small stream to remind him of holidays in Scotland. As they were keen on growing vegetables and herbs, a productive garden for soft fruit, vegetables and cut flowers needed to be incorporated, along with a composting area and chicken pen. Both clients are healthcare professionals with an interest in botany and medicinal plants and so asked for a medicinal garden too, and a garden cabin already purchased had to be added.

Whilst the client enjoys gardening and was happy to take on some light garden maintenance, she asked for the garden to be easy to care for. The site was a blank canvas, sloping steeply 1:3 three ways with spectacular views across the rolling Nottinghamshire countryside.

Naturalistic look Initially, Ellicar designed a concept plan of the garden, taking into consideration the topography of this undulating site. Damaged and old trees were cleared, with crowns thinned and lifted on retained trees. The natural pool is orientated to work with the prevailing wind. The cabin, situated within the contours of the site, opens onto the deck which covers the pool’s biological filters and pumps, and enjoys sunshine all day.

There is a side paved area for BBQs and outdoor dining, leaving the sun deck free for loungers and the bespoke pergola Ellicar designed and constructed.

Gravel pathways wind around the pool softened with aromatics and creeping thyme, and generous borders wrap around the pool, deck and paving to create intimate living areas within the scheme.

Ellicar retained the garden with more than 80 linear metres of free flowing, curved railway sleeper walls which allowed the team to sculpt the land and grade the lawn into a slope that was safe to mow with a ride on mower. The stream sparkles down from the top of the garden, splashing into dropping pools, which are up lit with tiny spotlights set into cobbles under water. It appears to run into the natural pool under the deck walkway; in fact, it has a balance tank hidden here.

The stream runs through the scree garden, which has water-side planting lower down and aromatics and

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used for a tool store. Further on at the top of the garden Ellicar constructed a fox-proof chicken pen.

Journeying through the top of the garden, an orchard has been planted, a native coppice with birch and hazel trees where Ellicar sowed bespoke grass mixes to allow longer growing grass which is beneficial for wildlife. There is an attractive border wrapping around the back of the cabin with roses around the paved area turning into woodland edge planting as the border passes into shade under the tall birch trees. The sleeper walls retain an access path around the cabin. Finally, from the clients’ bedroom, they can now access a new sunken garden.

grasses to soften the sleeper steps which form terraces and a way up to the vegetable garden. To the left of the scree garden is a medicinal garden, and a kitchen garden was constructed at the top of the site with raised beds for vegetables, a cut flower bed, cold frame, compost bays and a netted fruit cage. A tiny greenhouse was also installed, and a potting table built. The electrical housing unit is beautifully clad in dry stone walling and

Ecology in mind For the soft landscaping, Ellicar designed an ecological planting scheme for the garden to create a naturalistic feel with bold colours wrapping around living areas to give the feeling of being surrounded by the garden but framing views out to the wider countryside.

Fifty trees were planted for structure with winter bark such as Betula utilis var.

Jacquemontii, Prunus serrula, Salix alba ‘Britzensis’, blossom and beautiful leaves including Sorbus aria ‘Mitchellii’, Ginkgo biloba and a Populus tremula by the stream.

A selection of orchard trees included ‘Vranja’ quinces, apples, pears and plums and crab apples for pollinating.

Seventy different shrubs were chosen to create a framework in the borders, provide screening, fragrance and colour throughout the seasons, including Daphne x collina ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and Osmanthus delavayi,

and for summer, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ and Rosa ‘Pearl Drift’. Climbers along the walls and pergola are Jasminum officinale, Trachelospermum jasminoides and Wisteria sinensis, amongst others, and various clematis and Lonicera species.

More than 2,500 perennials and grasses and 30,000 bulbs were weaved into a tapestry of colour which flows around the pool and living spaces. The colour scheme is mixed and bold; plants are chosen to flower and die gracefully, with their bleached foliage and seedheads being attractive through winter and a valuable source of food for birds.

Poolside plants Around the pool edges, a matrix of Molinia ‘Edith Dudszus’ and Molinia caerulea ‘Moorhexe’ creates an airy meadow feeling, punctuated by geums, mixed Iris sibirica and Lythrum salicaria ‘Robert’.

Alpines and aromatics softened with airy Stipa tenuissima and billowing clumps of Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterfly’ wander up the scree garden which forms the banks of the stream. Behind the cabin the woodland garden comes into colour in spring with carpeting Brunnera and various Pulmonarias and Campanulas in the summer, with woodland grasses and late season woodland Asters and Anemones.

Marginal plants fringe the edges of the natural pool, flowering March to September,

1 Aerial pool views 2 Gravel pathways wind around the project 3 The space looks natural yet tactfully planned 4 It's not just a space for humans to enjoy!

5 Peaceful, reflective views from the pool

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and deep aquatics such water lilies, Aponogeton and mixed oxygenators grow in the regeneration zones, the planting in the pool blends into the surrounding garden.

Au naturel The pure, natural water and native submerged aquatic and marginal plants are a habitat for pond life including diving beetles, water boatmen, dragon flies, damsel flies and amphibians. Bats hunt over the water in the evenings, hedgehogs drink from the shallow edges in summer, and birds visit and bathe all year round. The pool is chemical free, filtered biologically with a regeneration zone of native submerged aquatics which are also part of the pool’s filtration system.

The pool is designed for natural thermal gain too – in summer it reaches 26oC heated by the sun. On top of this, the pool acts as a carbon sink, as CO2 drawn from the soil is pumped into the pool via a carbonator to boost plant growth; it is locked into the plants and stored as carbon as they photosynthesise.

The pool has a fluctuating water level meaning it does not need constantly topping up in summer and in winter it buffers rainfall.

The pumps are submerged and sit below the deck in a pump house, with low energy requirements and operating on a timer.

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Untreated Siberian larch was used for the decking and UK larch for the frame from a local sawmill. Gravel and aggregates, steel edging and plants were also sourced locally, while the retaining walls used recycled Jarrah wood.

Sourcing solutions Throughout the project, there were quite a few unexpected challenges – Covid and the resulting lockdowns arguably being the least

predictable, causing the pool installation to draw to a halt for several weeks. Even when work could continue, there were issues with the supply chain and logistics.

So, spoil was removed by a local farmer and topsoil for grading was brought in by the lorry load as available. Ellicar collected aggregates and brought heavy Jarra reclaimed railway sleepers, which were in huge demand during the pandemic, from a local reclaim yard load by load in its own trailer.

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There was a delay in moving the mains electric supply cable running through the garden right down the middle of the stream.

Ellicar worked around this, with permission, by hand excavating and exposing cables and redirecting the stream.

The three-way sloping site with steep changes in levels called for retaining walls to be constructed and it was challenging to design a natural looking garden with such level changes. Ellicar decided to use reclaimed railway sleepers to blend into the garden, but the builders who were installing the sleeper walls were on furlough. The client asked Ellicar if it could construct the walls instead to keep the project moving, so founder Sarah Murch thought outside the box and asked her two sons to construct the 80m-long curved railway sleeper walls along with a member

of the team. As they were only 17 and 19 at the time, it was a huge achievement for them and it kickstarted their landscaping careers.

Ellicar’s tree surgeon cut the tops of the walls into a flowing curved finish.

The ground was also a challenge to prepare. The garden had previously been a chicken farm and the concrete buildings were all buried under a layer of thin, powdery soil from the local sugar beet factory. To plant even a small tree unearthed large pieces of concrete which had to be removed and cleared, and the soil was then improved with the incorporation of tonnes of soil conditioner.

On top of this, designing the stream and setting the levels proved difficult. The stream was to be viewed from the pool, paving, deck back door and various aspects of the garden.

It was to look like it dropped into the pool;

however, the stream was kept separate to avoid complications with the pool’s balanced biologically filtered system. Ellicar wanted to filter the stream biologically, so it designed a system similar to a natural pool.

To prevent nutrient overload from filling the balance tank with mains water, the stream is filled with water treated by a small domestic reverse osmosis filter. The stream switches off at night which allows the pebbles to dry to minimise filamentous algae growth. Since installation two years ago it has worked effectively with minimal algae on the pebbles and clear water.

6 Planting and pebbles create picturesque views 7 Aerial views highlight elevated design ideas 8 Diverse pops of colour fill the planting design Photographs ©io photography

ABOUT Ellicar is an award-winning natural pool specialist renowned for some of the world's most beautiful natural swimming pools. From concept to completion, its design team combines biodynamic pool and landscape design with technical detailing, biological filtration and ecological planting schemes.

These are brought to life by Ellicar’s skilled construction and landscape team, recognised for meeting the highest industry standards. Its sustainable pool and garden projects enrich lives, increase biodiversity and give back to the planet. ellicar.co.uk

REFERENCES Landscape materials Green-tech green-tech.co.uk Pipework and fittings Bosta bosta.com/en-gb Hard landscaping and pool installation Ellicar ellicar.co.uk Acer Landscapes Design and Construction acer-landscapes.com

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Biological water filtration equipment Biotop gb.bio.top Soft landscaping Ellicar ellicar.co.uk Plants and trees Howards Nurseries howardnurseries.co.uk Kenway Nurseries kenu.co.uk Arvensis Perennials arvensisperennials.co.uk

Pergola construction Arc Engineering arcengineering.co.uk

Gedney Bulb Company gedneybulb.co.uk Coles Nurseries colesnurseries.co.uk Green Mile Trees greenmiletrees.co.uk Jasmine Nursery jasminenursery.co.uk

Electric works and lighting Dales Automation dalesautomation.co.uk Pool excavation and concrete construction Eagle Building Specialists eaglebuildingspecialists.co.uk

Tree surgeon Charles Fenton Deck boards English Woodlands Timber englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk

Stone walling Noble Stonework noblestonework.com

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Wide selection of Instant Hedging: native & ornamental options Rootballed & Container stock Advisory services available

Supplying the trade for over Forty Five Years enquiries@wykeham.co.uk

01723862406

Proud to be

wykehammatureplants.co.uk

certified

Challenging Boundaries – Creating Sustainable Landscape Legacies Independent Company, proactively led by its Directors Client and Customer Centric Providing professional services that are environmentally focussed Market leading landscaping operational solutions Creating and maintaining sustainable and biodiversity rich schemes

Exterior & Interior Maintenance Landscape Design & Installations Ecology Consultancy Biodiversity Consultancy & Management Irrigation Maintenance & Consultancy Tree Maintenance & Consultancy www.qslimited.com

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Next

TIER ADAM VETERE LANDSCAPE & GARDEN DESIGN THE CONTEMPORARY COURTYARD GARDEN

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £35k Build time Six weeks Size of project 100m2 Awards The Association of Professional Landscapers Awards 2023 – Soft Landscaping and APL Collaboration (with JJH Landscapes)

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F

or years, this garden had been a traditional cottage garden with herbaceous, perennial planting. But with a new garage-cum-garden workshop attached to the house via a ‘wraparound’ portico, a contemporary courtyard design was wanted by the clients for part of their sloped garden.

Sustainability was a priority for both the materials and the plants chosen. All building materials needed to be durable and hardwearing, as well as sourced locally or within the UK, whilst the planting was to be low maintenance and drought tolerant where possible to limit water usage. The clients wanted to relocate as much of the

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existing herbaceous perennials where possible within the site, and they wanted to enhance the biodiversity and ecology of the overall site.

With all this in mind, the courtyard had to offer the clients a space to relax and entertain family and friends.

There needed to be flexible zones for cooking, dining and seating, and a small water feature to enjoy the sound of the water when outside. Being south-east facing, it could be used throughout most of the year, so providing year-round interest was essential.

Levelling up Terraced hard-landscaped zones were created using mid-grey porcelain paving and limestone gravel. Mild steel retainer planting beds showcase drought-tolerant architectural plants which will thrive on the south facing slope of the courtyard and provide year-round interest.

These are intersected with large boulders, leading down to a Corten steel water table for a contemporary look.

The herbaceous, perennial plants from the previous traditional garden were replanted elsewhere.

Before construction, the area was CT scanned for electric cables and telecom, and trial holes were dug to locate the depth of the existing drain run to ensure it was not present at the levels at which the team would need to work. Unwanted foliage was cleared and removed, with any bulbs found being saved for relocation, leaving a blank canvas to cut and fill to the new garden levels. Steel pins and level lines set out the garden design, tailoring it to the slope of the landscape.

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Before steelwork could start, minor adjustments were made and an extra step added, and electrical ducting was installed to allow for power to the water feature and garden lighting. For future additions, extra ducts were included to avoid having to dig up the project to install these.

The steelwork was fabricated around the large olive trees and boulders that were set out into position on site, which Adam Vetere notes was time-consuming as “the detail in scribing around the rocks was one of the most important parts of the project”.

Finally, the gravel areas were finished, and the porcelain was pointed to match the existing patio area.

The team had anticipated the project taking four weeks, but then had to take into account the scribing of steel around the rocks. So, an extra four days were added, and additional works requested brought the total length of the build to six weeks. The client was impressed, commenting: “The quality of our contractor’s workmanship was exceptional for the entire build, particularly the attention to detail.”

Soaring standards With the steelwork complete, 13m3 of certificated topsoil was brought in for the planting beds and three tonnes of horticultural grit was rotavated into the planters to aid drainage, while new levelled lawn areas were turfed.

The blockwork construction for the steps and ramp were started and the porcelain paving and cladding were completed.

1 View looking north-east – agave and Yucca rostrata in raised steel planters 2 Limestone boulders and intersecting mild steel detailing 3 View looking south-east. Ancient, gnarled olive tree – Olea europaea 4 View looking south-east over the Adezz Corten Steel Water Table 5 Lighting supplied by Hudson Lighting: Midi Spike Spots 6 Drought-tolerant ‘Rock Garden’ planting with aloes, aeoniums and Lampranthus spectabilis

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REFERENCES Landscape contractor JJH Landscapes jjhlandscapes.co.uk Porcelain paving Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Gravel Willis & Ainsworth willisandainsworth.co.uk Boulders Rock Farm, Shepton Mallet

Protective measures Whilst the result was impeccable, there were challenges throughout the project. Access for excavators was only through an exterior set of double doors and over existing porcelain paving under the portico. So, the team had to take great care to ensure the paving was not damaged, laying OSB boarding which also aided the transit of 500kg boulders and the two mature olive trees to their destinations. For the heavy pallets of building materials, OSB boarding was also laid on the main gravel driveway.

Then there was perennial climbing vine bindweed to contend with in one of the existing planting beds.

All soil was removed from the affected area, down to around 600mm to virgin ballast ground, to prevent it invading the new planters.

When welding outside, the use of shielding gas became difficult in the tough, winter weather conditions. Therefore, a small weather shield was created and held, when required, during the welding process.

There was no problem that Adam Vetere and contractor JJH Landscapes could not overcome to create a contemporary garden fitting for the new garden workshop, and it proves to be one which will boost biodiversity for years to come.

7 View looking west. Clients’ existing Citrus limon and Citrus sinensis ‘Chislet Navel’ pictured.

8 View looking south beyond the Contemporary Courtyard Garden. Clients’ existing multi-stemmed Syringa vulgaris ‘Madame Lemoine’ pictured.

Photographs ©Ellie Walpole

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Mild steel Buy Metal Online buymetalonline.co.uk Planting Premium Plants premium-plants.co.uk Provender Nurseries provendernurseries.co.uk Water feature Adezz adezz.com/en-gb

ABOUT Adam Vetere is a multiaward-winning garden and landscape designer.

After graduating from the London College of Garden Design in 2019, he set up Adam Vetere Landscape & Garden Design and now creates gardens that combine his passion for plants with a focus on sustainable design. adamvetere.co.uk

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Room with O A VIEW DK DESIGN ASSOCIATES BRAMHALL GARDEN, GREATER MANCHESTER

n first sight, this domestic garden in the small village of Bramhall was heavily in need of a revamp, says garden designer David Keegan. Land behind an existing double garage at the end of the garden sloped into the neighbouring property, with no clearly defined boundary. In front of the garage were the remains of a covered-up driveway, and the wrought iron fencing to the side of the garden was rusty and falling apart, with no screening. To resolve this, a new timber perimeter fence was installed to maintain privacy and painted black to blur nicely into the background.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £60k+ Build time 3 months Size of project 450sqm

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The clients – one of whom is an architect – had created a picture-perfect interior for the house (it even has its own Instagram profile), and they needed the garden to match; one that was low maintenance, family friendly and included edible plants.

The glass doors from the living room frame a view of the garden, and Keegan used this to form his design. It also impacted how the garden should perform for the year, needing to have year-round interest.

One of the first tasks was to demolish the double garages and remove the concrete base beneath, as well as the driveway remains and the old iron fencing.

Once complete, a line of multistem birch trees was planted to the boundary, interspersed with dogwood for the fine, red colour of the defoliated branches throughout the winter months. Gabion baskets create the connection with the interior space, says Keegan, and add further visual interest for winter.

At the side of the house, a deep step led up to a pair of French doors; Keegan wanted to replace this with level access to increase the connection between the internal and external spaces. So, Millboard platform decking was used. The clients’ office also looked out onto this area, so Keegan was keen to introduce colour and trees, and the boundary has been kept simple with ivy screens. It has gone from a space hardly used by the clients to one they use often, when sitting outside for a morning coffee.

The planting for the main outdoor area creates what Keegan calls a “grazing garden” because the majority of the plants are edible whilst also looking decorative. There are herbs including fennel, oregano, sage, chives, various thymes, rosemary and lavender. Fruit trees such as fig, plum and apple have been planted, along with strawberry plants. Rather than looking wild, the edibles look colourful and ornamental.

1 Dining terrace porcelain paving and herbs 2 Forming flower head Salvia purpurea 3 Allium flower head Allium aflatunense 4 Creeping thyme Thymus serpyllum 5 View through dining terrace into the garden, bespoke garden seat and gabion feature baskets

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REFERENCES Landscape construction Garden360 UK mygarden360.com Oak sleepers Arnold Laver laver.co.uk Gabion baskets Gabion1 gabion1.co.uk

BEFORE

A lawn forms the centre of the garden for the clients’ four-year-old to play on. He also has a dedicated play area created using bark chips towards the end of the garden, behind the gabion cages, which are clad with Millboard at the top and sides for safety as well as being an aesthetic consideration. The back section of the garage has been used as the new retaining structure for the play area and to help create a boundary between this garden and the neighbour’s.

Improving what was previously an undefined boundary was one of the biggest challenges of the project, as was the old garage and accessing the site. The house is situated on a main road and access is partially hidden, which created a few problems with deliveries, especially at peak times. But a banksman managed the process to keep these at a minimum. After three months on site, the outdoor space had transformed into a stand-out garden with undeniable picturesque views.

6 Millboard clad gabions screening play area 7 Garden furniture chosen by clients: nardioutdoor.com

Decking Millboard millboard.co.uk Porcelain paving London Stone londonstone.co.uk Turf Lindum Turf turf.co.uk Plants Bespoke Garden Elements Ltd Topsoil Tarmac tarmac.com

ABOUT David Keegan is an international, national and regional award-winning garden and landscape designer. His design philosophy centres on a naturalistic planting style. David’s garden design projects are located around the UK, in Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and the north-west of England. dkgardendesign.co.uk

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PROJECT DETAILS

Hackney’s

NEW HEART

Project value £1.7m Build time 11 months Size of project 7.1ha

BLAKEDOWN LANDSCAPES SHOREDITCH PARK

S

horeditch Park is one of the London Borough of Hackney’s largest parks at 7.1ha, located at the heart of the Hoxton and Shoreditch community in the south of the borough. It was created 50 years ago this year, on a site which was formerly terraced housing damaged during the Blitz, and where prefab housing had been built in the years following the Second World War. In recent years, however, the context and use of the park has been influenced by a growing population and new adjacent developments including the Colville Estate Regeneration, one of Hackney’s biggest building projects, providing 935 new homes by 2030; the Gainsborough Building, a 280-apartment gated community and the Britannia Development Scheme, which has delivered a state-of-the-art new leisure centre, a 1,100 pupil secondary school and will soon deliver new council homes.

1 R elocated bronze ‘Javelin Thrower’ statue, Tree Plaza ©Paul Upward Photography 2 E ntrance threshold marker ©Paul Upward Photography

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The Shoreditch Park Improvement Project is one of the biggest green spaces investments in Hackney in recent years and will secure the future of the park for generations to come. The brief from the client was to create an asset which would foster openness and enclosure, create a heart to the community, stitch together the existing park zones, connect the park to the surrounding developments, and develop a safe and welcoming space.

Working together The design has been a committed collaboration between Hackney Council and landscape architects LUC, with input from local ecology and biodiversity experts, and shaped by engagement with the local community, particularly young people who helped design key aspects of the park.

In total 1,900 local people and park users told Hackney Council what to protect, what to change and how to create a space that works for the community both old and new.

The Shoreditch Park Team – Hackney Council, LUC and Blakedown Landscapes, as main contractor – has worked to ensure the success of this complex project. This team effort has been built upon by Blakedown with practical landscape best practice to ensure the quality of the finished product and value of the scheme was maximised.

The refurbishment project to create a greener, more diverse park has seen many landscape improvements focusing on ecology, sport and recreation, and play. Delivered in separate phases, the site was sectioned into activity zones which allowed each work area to be isolated for public safety, whilst the park remained open. However, due to inclement weather the original scheduled phases became delayed, demanding flexible working and programme rationalisation to ensure project deadlines remained uncompromised.

For every generation A previously well-used open space for both informal football matches and recreation,

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a 1.5ha football pitch had severely degraded due to the underlying shallow and compacted soil, a legacy of its former use as terraced housing and streets. Following an in-depth soil survey by Tim O’Hare Associates, extensive renovation works were carried out to improve the soil quality and aid drainage. The pitch will be subject to a 12-month establishment period, during which time pedestrian access will be prohibited and secondary drainage will be installed.

Design proposals for the playground centred on creating an exciting space that would push the boundaries of play opportunities and cater for children of all ages and abilities. Imagined in collaboration with Young Hackney and local school children, the goal was to use mainly sustainable sources of materials and as such, the new play equipment favours wood and includes contractor-made pieces using sawn logs.

The play area is defined by a large 1.8m spinal mound which runs along the northern

section and was formed using soil from both the existing playground and other site generated fill. In a re-design exercise, Blakedown re-engineered the mounds to ensure that the maximum amount of on-site spoil was utilised as part of an environmental initiative. Additionally, a semi-circular path was created which links the new repositioned gates from which all other paths and play zones connect. Growing elements were also incorporated to avoid sterile and flat surfaces; these included flowering plants and textured and coloured trees and shrubs.

Inclusive sports The consultation results identified a requirement for additional, freely accessible sports provision and, to this end, a new dedicated sports hub was created featuring a MUGA (multi-use games area), outdoor gym and beach volleyball court.

These works posed quite a challenge as the ground contained extensive amounts of

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concrete hardcore which required to be broken out before any construction could begin. Additionally, accessibility requirements meant that the beach volleyball court required a complete re-design by LUC, which led to installation complications solutioned using Blakedown’s expertise and practical guidance.

The MUGA was co-designed by the children at the Shoreditch Park Adventure Playground and Lois O’Hara, a Brighton-based artist whose bold colourways encourage people to move, whether mentally or physically. It has been constructed with a porous macadam surface and an attenuating sub-base immediately below which overflows into a soakaway.

Centrally linking all the new elements of the park, and planted with several new trees, is the Tree Plaza, a place for sitting and resting. In total 72 new trees have been planted site-wide, both native and non-native. The Tree Plaza is now home to the relocated bronze ‘Javelin Thrower’ statue, which has been part of the Shoreditch Park area since the 1970s, formerly sited outside the old Britannia Leisure Centre. Further improvements have

seen the Dorothy Thurtle Gardens transformed with new seating, new entrances and pathways, ornamental planting and an informal play trail formed with timber-based play equipment. The Dorothy Thurtle Gardens was one of the first sections of the park to be laid out in the 1970s and this upgrade will better integrate the gardens into the park and surrounding street.

One of the many new signage and interpretation features was the construction of an exciting new boundary to the existing Adventure Playground using feature fence panels made of recycled wood. The façade captures words, poems and kennings from local young people on their thoughts about the park. Each panel was designed to fit inside the existing metal fence posts and underneath runs a row of gabion baskets infilled with stone, keeping the timber off the ground and providing ecological habitats for invertebrates.

3 R ain gardens ©Paul Upward Photography 4 Grading and levelling the sports pitch

©Paul Upward Photography 5 MUGA ©Jannine Newman Photography 6 Feature Wall ©Hackney Council 7 Tyre swing in motion in new playground

©Paul Upward Photography

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Biodiversity boost The overall landscape masterplan seeks to take a holistic approach to ecological enhancements, weaving them throughout the entirety of the scheme. They incorporate measures such as rain gardens and swales, hedgerows and linear planting, log piles and hibernacula, bird and bat boxes, a green roof to the welfare building and a wildflower meadow with nectar-rich plants to help support native pollinators and habitats for invertebrates.

The rain garden at Bridport Place provides a sustainable drainage option and was formed using Scottish beach cobbles, boulders, and stone crossing points set amongst clumps of marginal planting. Additionally, it has provided a solution to the conflict between speeding cyclists and pedestrian park users by narrowing the path and forming a chicane along its length. Bridport Place is the last remaining fragment of the historic street pattern that existed within the footprint of the park before the site was damaged by bombs in the Second World War. The soft landscape strategy ensured that all topsoil and sub-soil generated throughout the construction process was retained and subsequently re-used as either fill or a planting medium. Improved planting to the park included trees, hedges, shrubs and climbers, perennials and grasses.

Hackney Council is working to make Hackney a place for everyone, where all residents, whatever their background, have a chance to lead healthy and successful lives; a place of which everyone can be proud, with excellent services and public spaces, thriving businesses and communities; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. The Shoreditch Park landscape masterplan has and

REFERENCES Client Hackney Council hackney.gov.uk will make a positive contribution to Hackney’s vision for the future of its borough and to the park and its users, resolving key issues and strengthening the park’s identity and sense of place.

8 W ildflower meadow ©Paul Upward Photography 9 Views of the Dorothy Thurtle Gardens Play Trail

©Paul Upward Photography

ABOUT Blakedown Landscapes is an award-winning landscaping and civil engineering specialist delivering high quality projects throughout the UK. With more than five decades of experience, its extensive knowledge spans all sectors from local authorities, royal parks, commercial developers, schools and universities to highend luxury developers. Much of its work is as a result of long-term relationships based on trust and expert workmanship. blakedown.co.uk

Landscape architect LUC landuse.co.uk Civil and structural engineers Civic Engineers civicengineers.com Environmental graphic design and narrative wayfinding Wolfströme Design richardwolfstrome.com Bespoke furniture, timber feature panels, brass plaques Standard8 standard8.com Street furniture Woodscape woodscape.co.uk Broxap broxap.com Boulders CED Stone cedstone.co.uk Safety surfacing DCM Surfaces dcmsurfaces.com Plants Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com Trees Van den Berk Nurseries vdberk.co.uk

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R

L C

OMEGA GARDEN

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JOSHUA FENTON GARDENS

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £18k Build time Garden completed in four weeks, shed completed following month Size of project 9m x 8.5m

A

client approached Joshua Fenton Gardens, wanting to have a complete overhaul, to make an oasis of beauty and calm. No lawn, low maintenance with lots of plants for the benefit of wildlife.

The team's plan was to cover the existing concrete at the back of the house with hardwood decking on hardwood joists in order for the client to be able to step straight out of their kitchen or patio doors seamlessly without affecting the damp proof course.

You then step down into a circular area made of fully permeable self-binding gravel surrounded by a Corten steel raised bed so that you feel immersed in the planting once you sit down.

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Fenton planned an automatic irrigation system so that the garden could establish quickly, reducing any chance of weeds getting hold in between the planting and they used a biodegradable paper mulch product underneath the bark fines to this effect too.

It was also designed with a light-sensitive lighting system so that the garden can be enjoyed throughout the whole year – particularly as it faces the dining room. The materials chosen were all for longevity, which is an environmental consideration for Fenton’s team.

1 Seen from above, this circular dining area is perfect for entertaining and relaxing, designed with a sense of both intimacy and comfort

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“We try to do everything we can to get materials as locally as possible, with the least packaging and made from something sustainable. But failing all of that, at the very least, if it’s got a really long service life it becomes more justified in my mind – particularly when you think about the carbon footprint and calorific cost of getting the project through to completion.”

The joists for the deck were from a local sawmill cut from local coppice woodlands and the hardwood decking from South America with all the correct standards and certifications in place.

“Corten steel being steel has a carbon footprint but is incredibly long lasting so to my mind it balances, and the SuDS compliant middle area is made from self-binding gravel.

“One challenge was the side access; it was 'touch and go' getting the excavator into the garden. It was also tough creating

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THE PROCESS • To clear and evacuate the landscape, creating a gravel foundation.

• Build the Corten structure, running the electric and water feed through.

• Construct the decking and fill the remaining gravel and raised bed.

• Lay the irrigation, lighting, and paper mulch with plants scattered throughout.

• Assemble the side shed with green roof.

an equal amount of bend on each section of Corten steel so that the circle formed symmetrically and then re-adjusting after each weld slightly warped the joints.” Fenton goes on to explain how there were also two very inconveniently placed manhole covers – one which he managed to hide

2 Evening lighting redefining the scene 3 Edging and planting add pops of colour 4 Diverse flower selections bring new flavours 5 Close-up of edging and overhanging planting 6 Gravel casts a light, more natural backdrop 7 Circular dining area in the mid-day sun

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under the bespoke shed which has a false floor.

The other is in the flower bed near the back door, with weed membrane covering it and then mulch on top of that.

This part of Windmill Hill is very sandy, so once Fenton’s team had removed the 10 inches or so of topsoil, it was pure sand – which made moving the excavator around more challenging.

DURING CONSTRUCTION

Planting was a joy, Fenton explains, "as we filled the beds with bought-in product". The planting is specifically very pollinator/invertebrate friendly – the bespoke shed has a green roof of Sempervivum, and the client has been happy to allow some of the grasses to 'naturalise' the edges of the gravel.

Fenton sincerely enjoyed the redesigning of this landscape and expressed how fantastic his client had been, putting their full trust in his hands to create a beautiful garden.

8 A private space to relax and unwind 9 Decking brings a earthy base to the colour palette

REFERENCES Corten steel Buy Metal Online buymetalonline.co.uk Plants Manor Farm Nursery manorfarmnurseries.com Balau decking Morgan Timber morgantimber.co.uk Sub deck Southeast Oak Sawmill southeastoaksawmills.co.uk Gravel, compost and mulch Garden-scape direct gardenscapedirect.co.uk

ABOUT Joshua Fenton started the business as a sole trader in 2016 having worked in the gardening and landscaping sector since 2005. His partner Daisy joined in 2018 and they both did a RHS Level 3 course in Practical Horticulture, whilst growing the business together as a partnership. fentongardensltd.co.uk

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £130k Build time 4 months Size of project 272m2

The AL FRESCO GARDEN RAINE GARDEN DESIGN RESIDENTIAL GARDEN, FARNHAM, SURREY

T

he clients, who had recently moved from Dallas, wanted to create an impressive, stylish garden in a relatively small sloping plot. Ideally wanting to include a practical outdoor kitchen and al fresco dining and entertaining area, they also were looking for a water feature in an area which took in the last of the evening sun.

1 Raised walls clad with porcelain to create contemporary, stylish finish to the space

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There was a family aspect to the brief whereby they needed a small space for their young children to play, so privacy and security were of paramount importance, with the view from their kitchen/ living area needing to be more attractive because the current view was the rear of the garage.

This was a project that was thoroughly enjoyed by the team as there was only one space to transform into a usable attractive outdoor space – the sloping front garden. To lead the clients down to the evening relaxation area, the Raine Garden Design team designed some inviting steps which created a smooth transition to the lower area. This space also needed retaining walls which were faced with DesignClad and with the incorporation of plenty of soft planting. This created a feeling of privacy and seclusion with the children’s play area subtly positioned behind the relaxation area and partitioned with a smart wall and planting.

2 The new, front entrance looking very inviting 3 The modern al fresco dining area 4 Shady, luxurious relaxation in the evening sun 5 Simplicity and style; matching elements for subtle transitions

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The final area to create was the entrance which the clients wanted to have a ‘wow’ factor. Carefully positioned was an old multi-stem olive tree on the upper level, which was in direct view and a real feature on entering the garden, and a second set of matching wide shallow steps to lead the clients to the front door.

Needing to address the side of the garage that was clearly in view on one side on entering, Raine Garden Design chose decorative screens to create the illusion of an outdoor room.

Keeping to the brief of creating an outdoor space with a powerful 'wow' factor, Raine Clarke-Wills incorporated feature specimens including the multi stem olive tree Olea europaea together with some stunning Ligustrum jonandrum and Cupressus sempervirens. These all played an important part in creating the new outdoor space.

Due to the garden being formed with a strong framework to create the contemporary effect, it was essential there was the right balance of soft planting which included movement and a gentle colour palette.

Therefore, plants such as Stipa tenuissima, Hakonechloa macra, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, Erigeron karvinskianus and Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ were chosen to also encourage bees, butterflies, and other forms of wildlife.

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To overcome the various challenges, Clarke-Willis first created the gardens on different levels to enable the space to be more user friendly. She then addressed one of the most important areas of the garden which was the space directly opposite the main kitchen/living bi-fold doors, turning what was a negative backdrop into a foil for an outdoor al fresco dining area with a metal louvred pergola and water feature together with attractive soft planting. Nearby seemed the ideal spot for their wish of a simple outdoor BBQ

involved. This also helped with materials, tool hire and deliveries, having a smaller impact on the environment as they were supplied locally. The nurseries used were also all very local. Raine Garden Design says the contractor, Bushy Business, was sensitive and ‘green’, being very keen and mindful of any negative impact on the environment.

Using this sustainable outlook, Raine Garden Design successfully fulfilled the brief and created a stunning display for al fresco dining throughout the golden hours, soaking up the last of the sun with areas for the entire family to enjoy, delighting the clients and proving to be a perfect new addition to their portfolio.

6 The lower courtyard's bold planting geometry 7 A nestled-away outdoor kitchen – fabulous!

ABOUT kitchen close to all the amenities and the al fresco seating. In this same area, they needed to deal with the challenge of a sloping bank on the boundary and for this a retaining wall faced with DesignClad was included which completely transformed this into a smart social space.

This project being in Farnham, where the design studio is based, meant less travel was

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Award-winning designer, Raine Clarke-Wills, has been creating stunning gardens for clients throughout Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire for over 22 years. Clarke-Wills has a true passion for creating unique and exquisite gardens and has designed and built five award–winning gardens for RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival since 2009. rainegardendesign.co.uk

REFERENCES Landscape contractor Bushy Business Ltd bushybusiness.com DesignClad and paving London Stone londonstone.co.uk Plants and trees The Plant Company theplantco.co.uk Water feature Primrose primrose.co.uk Decorative screens Screen with Envy screenwithenvy.co.uk Photography Forest Eyes Photography foresteyes.co.uk

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value Undisclosed Build time 6 months Size of project 1/5 acre

Time for TEA MATTHEW WILSON GARDENS

BETTY & TAYLOR’S FACTORY GARDEN

B

ettys & Taylors has been bringing tea to the nation for more than 100 years. The Yorkshire-based family business is arguably the home of the British brew, boasting brands such as Yorkshire Tea and Taylors of Harrogate.

It’s “where everything’s done proper,” as that famous advert featuring the Kaiser Chiefs tells us – and that includes the outdoor space of its factory in Harrogate. The garden has always been a key space on the site, and Bettys & Taylors wanted a new design that would

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continue to provide a haven for staff from the hustle and bustle of the office and factory. It needed to be suitable for staff breaks as well as holding meetings.

Garden designer Matthew Wilson completed a re-design of the garden just before the pandemic hit in 2020, when the need for such an outdoor space became even more pronounced. His design would replace the exotic garden originally created by the

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late John Brookes, who is often touted as one of the most influential garden designers of the 20th century.

Wilson designed over gently undulating ground accessed via a series of large Caithness stone platforms that act as supersized steppingstones. Some of these platforms – each roughly the same size at 5mx5m – are designed for seating and meeting, whilst others are water features,

drilled to allow water to bubble through the slab and form a silvery film on the surface of stone. The water spills back into holding tanks beneath made from galvanised steel and lined with fibreglass, which was applied in situ. These in turn are all linked to a single below ground chamber where the pump and filtration equipment are located.

As an enclosed space surrounded on all sides by buildings, logistics and access were

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very challenging. This required sectioning some of the largest Caithness stones so they could be brought into the site. The contractors also needed to plan work carefully to minimise disruption at the busy factory.

1 Platforms/water features nestled in exotic plants 2 Outdoor spots for meetings and taking breaks 3 An oasis of calm for the surrounding workers 4 The redesigned site is truly pollinator-friendly

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REFERENCES Caithness stone slabs CED Stone cedstone.co.uk

Brookes' exotic garden included rows of camellia to evoke the tea plantations of India, against a backdrop of exotic foliage plants such as Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm), Fatsia japonica, cordyline and Paulownia tomentosa (foxglove tree). It made sense to retain as much of this planting as possible, given how well established it was, and create a new exotic garden designed around these retained plants.

Wilson says these plants provided inspiration to ‘push the boundaries’ with the new planting.

This included plants like Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’, Trochodendron aralioides, Beschorneria yuccoides and Lyonothamnus floribundus.

These plants create the exotic, foliage rich planting scheme that contrasts with the Caithness stone and gives the courtyard garden its aesthetic. The varieties selected are rarely seen in gardens in North Yorkshire, but the beneficial microclimate created by the enclosed courtyard space, between factory and office

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buildings, has enabled a bold selection. Alongside this, all the existing soil on site was retained and improved, and no chemical herbicides or pesticides were used in creating the garden or in its subsequent maintenance.

Bettys & Taylors now has an oasis for its staff to sit down and relax – no doubt with a cuppa.

5 Textural grasses, plants and Caithness stone Photographs ©Rachel Warne

ABOUT Matthew Wilson is an award-winning garden and landscape designer, writer, radio & television broadcaster and lecturer. He has worked on a range of projects, from small urban gardens to large country estates. matthewwilsongardens.com

Feature plants Architectural Plants architecturalplants.com Other plants D-Tail Plants d-tailplants.co.uk Old Hall Nursery old-hall.com Water feature contractor Aquascapes Ltd Lighting design Moonlight Design moonlightdesign.co.uk Main contractor Ray Skelton (Harrogate) Ltd (now part of the Nurture Group)

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PROJECT DETAILS Project value £230k+

Build time 5 months Size of project 650m2 Awards APL Awards 2023 Winner of Project Value £175k-£250k category

Lounging ESSE LANDSCAPES

FERNDALE, WEST SUSSEX

IN LUXURY

F

erndale is a substantial family home, located in a private residential estate in West Sussex. ESSE Landscapes was approached by the owners after a neighbour recommended the company with a brief to create an extensive contemporary space for outdoor living and entertaining. A swimming pool needed to be the focal point.

The clients had previously owned a large swim spa but found this restrictive and were keen to upgrade to a full-size pool.

The challenge was to provide the required dining and adjoining seating areas then link them seamlessly to the pool.

The client’s vision was to allow guests to fill their glasses at the bar, then chill on the large sofas or relax in the water, on the wide pool steps. With this image in mind, the layout of the garden began to take shape.

1 Poolside dining with views across the whole garden 2 Large outdoor seating area captures the last of the evening sun

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OCTOBER 2023 Designed in-house by ESSE Landscapes’ founder Stephen Etheridge, the layout achieves the seamless link to the main elements of pool, covered canopy, dining table, outdoor kitchen, bar and seating area to provide the large, useable entertaining space. The Renson canopy allows the garden to be enjoyed well into the evening and even on rainy days. It includes integral heating, lighting and blinds, which double up as cinema screens for watching films outdoors at night; this wasn’t planned but it works amazingly well.

Key to the project is the quality of materials used and the high standard of finish obtained. London Stone provided custommade pool coping to match the cinder paving and its DesignClad porcelain was used to face all the planters.

The kitchen and bar were

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laid out using products from Grillo Outdoor, all within the generous Renson Camargue.

The whole garden is lit at night to enhance the view from the house and extend the use of the space into the early hours.

Karen McClure Garden Design provided the planting design, sourced the plants and also undertook most of the planting.

Keeping energy costs and the environment in mind, a solar-gain cover and air-source heat pump ensure the pool operates with maximum efficiency.

The outcome was so

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successful, ESSE Landscapes entered the project into the APL Awards 2023 and found itself as a victor, receiving Best in Category for the Project Value £175k-£250k category.

But ESSE says the best testament is that provided by the clients: “We engaged ESSE Landscapes to both 3 Contemporary planting, with porcelain planters 4 10m pool with integral solar-gain pool cover 5 Pool, canopy, dining area and kitchen stunningly combined 6 The garden comes alive at night

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REFERENCES Planting design Karen McClure Garden Design karenmcclure.co.uk Pool equipment Bell Leisure bell-leisure.co.uk Paving and cladding London Stone londonstone.co.uk Canopy Renson renson.net/en-gb Kitchen Grillo Outdoor Kitchens grilloliving.com Light fittings Collingwood Lighting collingwoodlighting.com

ABOUT design and build our new garden. Working with the space available, ESSE Landscapes was able to provide us with everything we wanted, from the large swimming pool to the Renson and dining area.

"The site staff were a pleasure to have around. Their attention to detail and their willingness to make changes and adapt to any new ideas were great. The quality of ESSE

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Landscapes' work is excellent, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.”

Recommendation is how the clients first found ESSE Landscapes, and with a finish like the one on this project, it will undoubtedly be how it continues to gain work – and awards.

Stephen Etheridge founded ESSE Landscapes in 2003. It has since become a multiaward-winning company based in the south of England. At this year’s APL Awards it won two Best in Category awards. esseland.co.uk

7 Covered kitchen and dining area 8 Pool and canopy beautifully lit

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OCTOBER 2023

Curve

APPEAL JACQ AND WILLS LANDSCAPES LTD CONTEMPORARY DRY GARDEN

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £20k Build time 3 weeks Size of project approx 200m2

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I

n the south of Cambridgeshire, Jacq and Wills Landscapes is seeing a growing need for gardens that can withstand a changing climate.

From hotter summers to wetter winters, landscapes are more likely to face extreme weather conditions, whilst clients continue to look for low maintenance spaces that are also modern and functional.

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Two years ago, a client approached Jacq and Wills Landscapes to revamp their front garden into a low maintenance area that would fit two cars but also have visual appeal all year round. As Jacq and Wills Landscapes tends to lean towards creating contemporary gardens using natural materials, it designed a dry garden using gravel, sandstone paviours and river cobbles, all from natural hard landscaping material supplier Bannold.

While breaking out the driveway, 200mm of solid, reinforced concrete was discovered, adding time to the build as the team needed additional breaks due to the vibrations from the breaker and the soaring heat of the summer. But once complete, an organic geometry was created throughout the garden by the introduction of a curved raised planting bed – made from Suregreen’s vertical oak

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sleepers – which was complemented by a curved sleeper wall and a sweeping pathway leading to the front door. A naturalistic willow fence marks the longest boundary and blends seamlessly into the rest of the landscape.

For Jacq and Wills Landscapes, though, planting always takes centre stage in a project. The team needed to find plants that would fit with both the cottage garden feel that they were trying to achieve, as well as being sustainable and low maintenance.

1 Oak planter with low level planting 2 S edum 'Matrona', Persicaria affinis 'Darjeeling Red', Festuca glauca 3 Curved sett path with beautiful willow fence 4 Persicaria affinis 'Darjeeling Red' 5 Oak wall mirroring larger oak planter 6 View back to the house from the driveway

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Drought tolerant plants were added in and around the beds, such as a Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, a hardy grass that requires little maintenance, and Stipa tenuissima, or Mexican feather grass.

Sedum ‘Matrona’, Erigeron karvinskianus, Persicaria affinis 'Darjeeling Red' and Rudbeckia were also incorporated, alongside Taxus baccata for a yearround structural base.

Two years on, the garden has established well, and has even earned Jacq and Wills Landscapes a Gold Award for the Project Value Under £20,000 category at the APL Awards earlier this year.

7 Close up of Eryngium bourgatii 8 P ersicaria affinis 'Darjeeling Red’, Festuca glauca and Sedum 'Matrona' Photographs ©Anna Omiotek-Tott

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REFERENCES Gravel, cobbles and paviours Bannold bannold.co.uk Sleepers Suregreen sure-green.com Plants Rochfords rochfords.net

ABOUT Established in 2002, Jacq and Wills Landscapes Ltd is a family-run business based in Cambridgeshire that designs, builds and maintains domestic gardens that respond to the surrounding environment and the clients' wishes. jwlandscapes.co.uk

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Raising

THE BAR WRIGHT LANDSCAPES THE BLACK FRIAR, SALFORD

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £100k+ approx Build time 10 weeks Size of project 350m2 Awards APL Awards 2023 Commercial Garden category

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S

itting in front of towering apartment blocks, The Black Friar pub in Salford – in its own words – is a “gem amongst giants”. The two-storey Victorian building has been holding its ground for more than a century, though before 2021 it had been derelict for 15 years. Now, it’s back to its roots as a public house after major restoration works.

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Wright Landscapes’ design-and-build service was engaged by Domis Construction to transform the baron area of existing hard landscaping into a contemporary destination at the historic pub, which is steeped in character.

The client’s vision was to turn the site’s exiting courtyard and beer garden into a unique signature experience within a city centre outdoor oasis, encapsulated in natural beauty. This required hosting design workshops with Domis Construction and the management team at the venue to discuss planting proposals, themes, and entertainment elements. The design needed to incorporate and accommodate for maximum seating capacity to enable the pub to evolve. On completion of the brief, it was then left to Wright Landscapes to ensure the vision and installation was met by its design team.

In line with the client’s brief, the scope of works involved the installation of hard and soft landscaped areas using natural products to create an outdoor seating platform for customers to enjoy both during the day and night all year round.

Entertainment facilities needed to be added, carefully positioned and camouflaged to blend into the natural facilities, so an elegant grey, smoked oaked seasoned staging island was created.

Suspended festoon lighting creates an atmospheric setting, and seating pods offer an outdoor dining experience even throughout the winter months.

As the venue is located over an underground car park, the design needed to

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OCTOBER 2023 overcome the limited depths from ground level, with a high concrete slab with extensive hard landscaping restricting available options. This also impacted drainage, so Wright Landscapes created falls into slots to disperse any surface rainwater by channelling into existing services and protecting functioning manholes.

Mediterranean themed planting displays soften the landscape, and weathered hardwood timber sleeper features – including bench seating – are incorporated throughout. Unique feature trees complement these displays, as well as exotic specimen boundary hedging and effective shelf planting to further enhance the hard landscaped exterior by adding colour and interest in the outdoor space. More than 30 plant species and five tree specimens were introduced, with enhancing the biodiversity of the former hard landscaped area in mind.

To supplement the initial concept to produce a potted planting display, Wright Landscapes worked closely with suppliers to source terracotta and decorative pots from UK and overseas wholesalers, adding character to the restoration project.

Power cells have been installed for future expansion to take advantage of catering opportunities and facilities. The planting beds were required to house electrical ducting and cabling too, and it was necessary

1 The Black Friar's outdoor dining options 2 Dining within the planting mix 3 Main outdoor dining space and multifunction entertainment decking area 4 Potted plants softening angular edges

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REFERENCES

for these planting beds to be raised by 150mm to give the specified 400mm to 450mm soil depth for best horticultural practice.

Wright Landscapes worked with the client so as to not disrupt the programme of works with other contractors completing the internal restoration, ensuring the planned date for opening the pub wasn’t compromised. All works were planned to be completed before the entrance gates were erected. However, once the gates were installed, additional elements were approved which

caused restraints to site access. Throughout this, consideration was taken to ensure that there was minimal impact on residents by working restricted hours and reduced days.

Once complete, though, the extensive restoration and new green oasis gave the Black Friar a new lease of life and it continues to thrive two years on.

5 Planting complements hard landscape materials 6 Importance of creating shade and cover Photographs ©Phil Topping Photography

Steel edging and fencing SDH Engineering sdhengineering.uk Plants Pickmere Nursery (owned by Wright Landscapes) wrightlandscapes.co.uk Sleepers Wright Landscapes wrightlandscapes.co.uk Trees Ladybrook Nursery ladybrooknursery.com

ABOUT Since it was established in 1992, Wright Landscapes has continued to grow, and it now operates from a new purpose-built facility called Pickmere Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Alongside its 4.5-acre nursery, Wright Landscapes offers a full design-andbuild service across the northwest of England. wrightlandscapes.co.uk

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NOVEMBER 2023

SOCIAL

shrubbery ACACIA GARDENS LTD

COSY COURTYARD GARDEN, CROUCH END

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £29k Build time 5 weeks Size of project 40m2

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hen presented with a run-down space made up of uneven surfaces, dilapidated lawn, and narrow borders – which were full of clutter, an old rabbit hutch and no places to set out furniture – Acacia Gardens Ltd was ready to take on the challenge and create a modern, family friendly space for socialising, relaxing and creating the peace to allow the clients to unwind in.

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The team used a variety of interesting materials and textures and wildlife friendly planting to create a feeling of privacy when in the garden and inspiring views from the house.

The space was to feel like a garden and encourage the clients to spend time outside surrounded by foliage, the sound of leaves brushing together and ultimately provide a little natural sanctuary in a very developed neighbourhood.

Being a small garden, the challenge Acacia faced was to create a sociable space with enough room to accommodate a group of six to eight people without the garden becoming too hard landscaped and void of planting. The garden was overlooked from all

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directions, so allowing enough space to plant large mature shrubs and small trees was integral to maintaining a good balance of hard and soft landscaping.

The garden was split on two levels. The lower terrace immediately by the house is formed of dark clay pavers laid in a stacked bond pattern flanked with two planting areas of multi-stem Amelanchier trees and herbaceous plants, framing the views onto the larger upper terrace. A small metal morning bistro furniture set is located here, allowing wide views onto the garden.

The upper terrace is contrasted by using light grey sawn sandstone paving with a custom-made raised planter and corner bench formed of Siberian larch. The lighter tones and warmth from the timber contrasts well with the darker lower terrace and clearly defines the two spaces. The upper terrace also features an overhead pergola over the seating area where evergreen

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jasmine is encouraged to grow and cast dappled shade, privacy, and aroma to the seating area. The fences are painted dark to recede in the background and allow the upper terrace to take centre stage.

The planting maintains the architectural form of the loquat tree, which was crown lifted and pruned. This evergreen sets the tone for the garden with its large, tropical leaves. Two multi-stem Amelanchier ‘Robin Hill’ trees were planted close to the house to frame the views onto the garden from the kitchen. Bringing planting up close to the house and in the foreground helped achieve and maintain the feeling of a ‘garden’ as opposed to an outdoor room.

The lower terrace is set within these two trees, giving a different ambience and mood when enjoying a morning coffee.

A Japanese maple which was previously in a planter was freed and planted in the ground, further adding to the tranquillity of the space.

The upper terrace has a deep planting border to the rear which allows the loquat tree and the delicate Japanese snowbell to express itself. Ground planting is formed of ferns, pines, Japanese forest grasses, astrantias and geraniums. Another Japanese maple that was salvaged from the existing garden is planted in the shade of the loquat. The raised planters which surround the corner bench are planted with purple salvias, blue geraniums, alliums, pines, and grasses. Evergreen jasmine climbs high above and trained over a pergola.

Heath sawn sandstone was used as it provides warm tones of light, mid grey and occasionally copper, when wet. Its smooth texture is comforting and looks great when contrasted with the rougher textures of clay pavers, which were chosen for their dark appearance but contained a warm subtle tone of dark brown which picked up on the copper veins running through the sandstone paving.

Siberian larch was used for the corner bench, raised planter and pergola.

1 Bold textures create bursts of interest 2 Upwards views of planting 3 Seating meets multiple natural elements 4 Lighting creates new dimensions 5 A personal touch completes the package 6 Fireworks? No – just flowers 7 Contrast was a vital consideration 8 Purple with green for further sprouts of contrasting detail to the planting palette

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REFERENCES Garden design and planting Daniel Shea Garden Design danielshea.co.uk Clay pavers and heath sandstone London Stone londonstone.co.uk Fence painted Cuprinol cuprinol.co.uk Blade drain ACO aco.co.uk

The pale straw tones of the larch with its grain running through it will be allowed to silver over time and blend with the grey tones of the sandstone paving. The large pergola structure is the central hub of the garden, where time will be spent relaxing amongst the verdant planting, socialising in a private and accommodating space.

The structure is large but softened by planting within the raised planter, the trailing climbers growing over it and also the foreground and back planting. This structure integrates into the garden and will age over time along with the planting.

The materials have all been selected for their beauty but also their sustainability. These materials will improve with time and along with the matured planting, this garden room will provide many years of enjoyment.

Acacia Gardens tried to maintain as much of the plants as possible and did so. The loquat tree wasn’t a favourite of the clients, but they were persuaded to keep it, assuring them it was a positive attribute and a shame to remove. The loquat was pruned up, planted with complementary planting, and lit up at night with a wide angled light, and the client now loves the plant.

Site constraints were difficult. All materials in and out were though a shared alleyway and onto the street. The landscapers were very open and courteous with the neighbours as were the planting team. The design was conscious of the access issues, and reduced the amount of wastage, hence the decision to include a split-level terrace design which ultimately added real benefit to the space, helping define the lower and upper terrace.

Over a year on and it’s standing proud and solid, with no snags to be reconciled. The craftsmanship of the paving, and most impressively the raised planter, corner bench and pergola were of the highest quality. Acacia Gardens fulfilled and exceeded the client’s expectations, sticking to its guns and creating an exceptional and high-quality residential landscape.

9 Lighting completes the scene in lower light 10 Rising flowers add height to the planting bed Photographs ©Eleanor Walpole

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Timber: Siberian larch Silva Timber silvatimber.co.uk Support block work, sleepers, and soil Thompson of Crews Hill thompsonsofcrewshill.com

ABOUT Acacia Gardens is a north London garden design and build company. Its complete garden design and build package ensures that gardens can become a reality at a cost-effective price. Acacia Gardens has been designing and landscaping north London gardens for over 20 years. It prides itself on creating exceptional and high-quality residential landscapes, with a mission to ensure that its customers are delighted with the garden design and build service. acacia-gardens.co.uk

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NOVEMBER 2023

W PERFECT AS LANDSCAPES DESIGN & BUILD LTD AS SHOW GARDEN

ith over 20 years of working within the industry, AS Landscapes created a design brief that would showcase its flare and construction skills, as well as key design trends and a large selection of specifically chosen products for use in a family garden and outdoor living space.

This would also come to include the company office with the potential for use as a show garden for potential clients and designers to visit when discussing future projects as a physical, visual aid to assist in confirming product choices.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £300k Build time 5 months Size of project 625m2

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It would be used for both office space, entertaining and informing, with outdoor living as the main objective.

Needing access and continuity between inside and outside, AS Landscapes wanted to show how the garden can be used all year round by creating useable areas for all occasions. Separate zones for eating, entertaining and relaxing together were included, with areas

for a growing family including a fire pit, swimming pool and an area of artificial grass – all whilst retaining the flow of construction throughout the garden.

AS Landscapes used a variety of paving types and styles to create these areas and demonstrate how differing materials can be used together to add contrast within a project and create a more interesting series of textures. From London Stone alone, it included the company’s light grey porcelain, charcoal edgings, clay pavers in charcoal, black slate cladding, DesignBoard composite decking,

DesignClad in Corten steel and decorative tiles for a modern look.

With help from designer, The Distinctive Gardener, AS Landscapes used trees to build height and structure with dense under planting to enhance the colour and provide softness to the hard landscape.

Around the pool, taxus cones were potted and symmetrically placed to enhance the clean and formal unity. Flowers and foliage were then scattered throughout beds to give

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the garden a different look and colour with each season throughout the year.

Garden sculptures were later added to create a more interesting contrast and a larger impact on the beholder.

In order to enhance the sustainability of the project, a large green roof was installed on the new office building, along with fruit trees and nectar-rich native plants to provide plenty of food and homes for wildlife.

AS Landscapes also added a wildlife area

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outside the show garden where it has plans to add beehives and eventually add the construction of the planned “bug hotel”, with additional hedgehog access points under fences.

The koi pond was fitted with an extensive bio filter system that requires limited use of chemicals, alongside the lighting used which is designed with directional low voltage fittings limiting light pollution.

The garden did present several challenges along the way, such as large drainage issues, making the ground very difficult to work on.

1 Two tone furniture builds a safe atmosphere 2 Aerial views of the garden – a unique way to witness the strategic design 3 Furniture creates a complete space to share 4 Natural seating built into the design – a fire pit serves as a focal point for socialising

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REFERENCES Porcelain, edgings, clay pavers, cladding, DesignBoard, DesignClad, decorative tiles London Stone londonstone.co.uk

A rainwater harvesting tank needed to be installed before the garden could be started as the drainage system was being trenched across the garden to dry out the surface and to make the site accessible for machinery, construction, and future use especially in periods of inclement weather.

This garden project has been a significant success for AS Landscapes – fulfilling its brief and continuing to provide a space to introduce new clients to its portfolio.

5 A beautiful pool – perfect for summer weather 6 The fire pit seating area seen from the stairs Photographs ©Locations Photography

ABOUT Working in the industry for over 20 years, AS Landscapes is a landscape design and build company based in Surrey. It specialises in all types of hard landscaping such as driveways, patio installations, garden walls, outdoor kitchens, artificial grass and much more. The team also carries out various soft landscaping, create planting schemes and offering a full landscape design service. as-landscapes.co.uk

Pots for taxus cones Red Mud Hut theredmudhut.co.uk Outdoor kitchen Sumo Outdoor sumooutdoor.co.uk Garden furniture Ocean Designs ocean-designs.co.uk Artificial grass Easigrass easigrass.com Cedar battens Champion timber championtimber.com Pergola Broadview Shading Solutions broadview.co.uk Planting plans The Distinctive Gardener thedistinctivegardener.com Green roof Green roofs direct greenroofsdirect.com Garden sculptures The Sculpture Park thesculpturepark.com

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £5.4m Build time Six months Size of project 7,172m2

ELITE LANDSCAPES ONE THAMES CITY

PARK LIFE

E

lite has brought to life the entranceway park for London’s Linear Park in One Thames City. This is the Nine Elms' gateway to the park, and includes play areas, seating, hundreds of new trees, and pedestrian walkways.

London-based property developer R&F hired Elite Landscapes as acting principal contractor on this scheme, for the construction of all the external landscaping along the new Linear Park at One Thames City.

The company worked alongside Gillespies, responsible for project design and Camlins, working on the execution of the operation.

The scheme is wide-ranging and consists of complex hard landscaped areas of sandstone and granite, with resin pathways linking features such as large play equipment and precast seating around the site. There is a planted aquatic water feature, feature lighting and external electrical supplies, large mature tree planting, large usable lawns, and feature shrub planting, to soften the space.

Elite Landscapes was engaged to build the park within a six-month programme, working closely with the landscape architects, Camlins

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and Gillespies, to ensure the scheme was delivered to the high-level expectations. A build such as this would have typically taken significantly longer to complete, so planning and delivery throughout the scheme was essential to get right and avoid substantial delay penalties. The scale of this build involved up to 60 people on site at any one time working from the centre of the site outwards.

As well as complexities in the technical part of the build, there were also challenges with the soft landscaping. The procurement with the trees was on tight deadlines for areas to be planted and turfed. The size and scale of the trees, of which the larger trees weighed around 15t, meant that the team had to arrange deliveries into London at key times due to the extra-long vehicle requirements in London – Elite Landscapes believes these are some of the largest trees to be delivered into London in recent years. This involved 1 Arrival plaza acts as gateway into the park, with play area and the start of the water feature winding along the open lawn ©Flying Pix

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NOVEMBER 2023 co-ordinating cranes that had capacity to lift and locate such large specimens. All this was done with a project starting in the depths of December.

The project itself is a mix of hard and soft landscaping, with the key features being the specimen trees and water feature that cuts the length of site consisting of aquatic planting, to help encourage biodiversity amongst the urbanisations. The water feature has two bridges that allow access into the tree lines and planted areas, and large cropped granite copings to the south. The central feature is a large turf lawn with amphitheatre seating to one side.

To complement the soft landscaping and extensive tree planting is paving which splits up the Linear Park and allows access from one side to another. The paving is a mix of sandstone and granite designed to take the weight and size of a fire engine, ranging in size from 100 x 200mm to 600 x 900mm.

As the site is surrounded by construction, access was limited to certain times. The impact of this was limited during most of the hard landscaping as materials were palletised and a storage area was available. For the tree deliveries, coordination with highways, crane operations and hauliers were key.

Some of the trees weighed in excess of 14t and were 22m tall, therefore needed specialist trailers and transport to and from Europe.

Elite Landscapes had the added challenge of engaging with the fire service in order to maintain access through the complex working area in the event of a fire. This was extremely challenging when trying to install water features, hard landscaping, and planting within tight timeframes.

As the site was drawing to a completion the access to areas became less and less, essentially shutting off vehicle and machinery routes. The site teams had to coordinate reductions in labour, machinery and deliveries while maintaining a tight deadline.

Traffic management was timed with well-planned deliveries, permits and closures. Off peak working was also implemented to assist with completing the project within the programme dates. From the start of the project, Elite Landscapes was under time pressures and a condensed programme led to all involved being required to go above and beyond their daily roles in order to deliver to the time frames. A key aspect of the project’s success was the communication lines with the client and all involved parties which helped manage delays and overcome operational challenges.

Procurement and design were also managed carefully

2 Large turf lawn acts as a central feature ©Flying Pix 3 Tranquil water feature runs along the park featuring aquatic planting to enhance biodiversity ©Paul Scott 4 Trees weighing over 15t, believed to be some of the largest delivered to London in recent years ©Paul Scott 5 Play equipment to encourage a family and community atmosphere ©Paul Scott

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REFERENCES Client R&F Properties rfpropertiesuk.com Landscape architect (Project design) Gillespies gillespies.co.uk (Operation execution) Camlins camlins.com Water Feature Fairwater fairwater.co.uk Irrigation Waterwise waterwise.org.uk

so the complex palette of material with long lead times could still meet programme deadlines.

The project has sought to procure where possible all sustainable, ethical, and responsibly sourced and certified materials, contributing to the design's current 23% carbon reduction. The scheme itself involves the regeneration of the area to promote community engagement and sustainable urban development. Elite itself has moved all machinery to HVO fuels to lower its carbon footprint. It has also invested in and intends to expand on the introduction of electrical tools to lower emissions via battery or no fuel tools.

Taking six months to complete, One Thames City presents the backdrop of lush parks, mature trees, and beautiful gardens that the client R&F Properties wanted to create for local residents.

6 Two bridges connect the areas across the water feature and through the tree line ©Paul Scott 7 Benches encircle large green space ©Paul Scott

ABOUT Co-founded by Dave Twist in 1999, Elite Landscapes has quickly grown from a family business into a multi-million-pound company with over 300 site operatives and projects spanning across London, the South of England and the Midlands. Offering a full landscaping service to developers and main contractors, it prides itself on being able to deliver the complete package. elitelandscapes.co.uk

Planting Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com Trees Van den Berk Nurseries vdberk.co.uk Bruns bruns.de Soil and aggregate Sivyer hsivyer.com Paving Hardscape hardscape.co.uk Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Resin bound/play surface Ace Resin aceresin.co.uk Edging Kinley kinley.co.uk Street furniture Bramhall bramhall1840.co.uk Play area Duncan & Grove duncanandgrove.com Lighting MDN UK mdnuk.co.uk

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Varied

VIEWS DK GARDEN DESIGN CHESHIRE EAST

PROJECT DETAILS

I

n the midst of undertaking the Hà Giang Loop in Vietnam, garden designer David Keegan received an email from two former clients asking him to design their 1.7-acre garden for their new house that was being built. He’d already made an impression on them after designing their previous front garden and driveway for a somewhat more modest property. By contrast, their new outdoor space includes a rooftop garden, wildflower meadow and orchard, driveway, front courtyard, formal lawn, stumpery and the rear garden.

“They wanted something that was different, something that was out of the ordinary,” says Keegan, who was brought on board at the same time as architects to ensure there was fluidity between the indoor and outdoor space. For instance, the architects had initially added a wall that would block the view through the glass front entry of the steps to the field that Keegan was transforming into a bespoke water feature that would be lit up at night. He suggested to the clients that they move the wall and open up the view instead, which they did.

Vice versa, Keegan had planned to use a pleached hedge to enclose the front courtyard and soften the view of the parking spaces; but

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Project value Undisclosed Build time 2 years Size of project 1.7 acres

once the build had started, there were concerns that these would close down too many of the views. So, a solution was to use low level walls in a cladding that would mirror that on the front of the house.

High life The roof garden was one of the first parts of the outdoor space to be completed. This would be their “main outdoor recreational space,” so this is where Keegan focused most of his attention, incorporating a stainless steel outdoor kitchen and louvered pergola to make it more weatherproof as well as providing shade for year-round use.

There is also a pizza oven and an outdoor fire.

The property is adjacent to a National Trust walkway, so screening also needed to be incorporated for privacy. Initially, Corten steel was considered for screening and a canopy, but it was agreed that the load bearings and weight would be too heavy for a roof garden. So, Keegan reached out to Europlanters to find a solution, which it did. Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) was used to create more than 13m of screening and several large planters and inset seats with hidden

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DECEMBER 2023 storage – all hand finished to look like Corten but far more lightweight. Planters were filled with a variety of herbs to use in the outdoor kitchen, as well as amelanchier for screening and lavenders, stachy and achillea. Pots from Atelier Vierkant were planted with variegated Cordylines, with base planting being mixed sedums for contrast.

Creating contrasts A staircase – also made to look like Corten steel and made bespoke by Steelscapes – leads down from the roof to the rear garden.

The design for this could focus more on aesthetics than function, so Keegan created a Japanese-style minimalist space, adjacent to the water feature. The clients were again concerned about blocking views, but some form of structure was needed in the space, so a simplified steel structure manufactured

by Steel Landscaping – which had also supplied the edging – was installed that has the look of Corten steel.

Rather than using a traditional lawn for the front and back areas of the house, Keegan suggested a chamomile lawn instead, ideal for the sandy loam soil on the site, that would provide a completely different texture and would require far less maintenance in the right conditions. Chamaemelum nobile ‘Treneague’ was used, alongside trees such as Acer griseum (paperbark maple), Acer palmatum ‘Orange Dream’ (a Japanese maple), Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Hydon Dawn’ and Fargesia 'Red Panda' (umbrella bamboo) to create a Japanese look.

Garden360 UK – which Keegan now uses on most of his projects – built all the ground floor outdoor space (Butler Landscapes

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constructed the roof garden), and it now maintains this Cheshire East garden too.

Whilst the Japanese-style garden and the lawn were fairly formal, beyond this is the wildflower meadow and orchard, with a double oak seat sitting within the space.

“It was interesting to create a contrast that would complement the house but have its own defined aesthetic to set it apart whilst creating a complementary connection between these areas and the broader landscape,” says Keegan.

Naturalistic nuances With properties of this size, they can be surrounded by what is deemed agricultural land, preventing them from being turned into what would be considered a domestic garden, explains Keegan. So, he suggested planting an orchard in this space, which now comprises of more than 18 fruit and nut trees, from walnuts to apples, pears, plums, cherries, elderberries, mulberries and sea buckthorn.

Specific wildflower seed mixes were created

by John Chambers Wildflower Seed, whilst mixed native hedging has been planted along the boundary to the driveway.

Well-established pleached hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) marks the courtyard boundary, beyond which features a chamomile lawn and planting beds of Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' for screening interspersed with echinacea, lavenders, rosemary, salvia, dwarf pines and artemisia.

On the driveway itself and for the front courtyard, around 200t of self-binding aggregate were used, with reclaimed cobble detail to avoid it being a swathe of grey. The

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bespoke slate front doorstep was cut to size and supplied by Burlington Stone, whilst boulders in the front and back gardens were discovered during the excavation of the site and relocated as part of the new design.

An unexpected addition to the garden was the ‘earthquake stumpery’. Struggling trees in a lawn area to the side of the house needed to be removed and so were cut down, but Keegan tries to reuse materials or use reclaimed materials as much as possible. He’d previously been impressed by the stumpery at Highgrove Garden, so placed these tree stumps in the orchard with plans

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1 Roof garden pergola seating area 2 View across rear Japanese-inspired garden 3 Roof garden with canopied kitchen area 4 Ferns in the earthquake stumpery 5 Stepped water feature 6 The Garden360 UK team 7 Wildflower meadow orchard screened with formal Yew hedge

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to turn them upside down and create a stumpery. The 2023 pandemic caused delays to the project, as the development of the garden was tied into the rebuilding of the existing house, so the stumps stayed in this area for close to two years. By that time, nature had reclaimed them somewhat and they were sitting rather skew-whiff. Keegan felt that this was an interesting look and decided to create an ‘earthquake garden’, planting different types of ferns at the base as well as Soleirolia soleirolii (Baby's tears), which can be seen from the roof garden.

“Most roof gardens are in cities so you're looking out onto a cityscape; these clients have something rare where they have a roof garden that actually looks out onto countryside,” says Keegan. And what a view; with a naturalistic meadow and orchard, a minimalist garden, an enclosed courtyard and an unusual stumpery all part of this remarkable outdoor space.

ABOUT David Keegan is an international, national and regional award-winning garden and landscape designer. His design philosophy centres on a naturalistic planting style. David’s garden design projects are located around the UK, in Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and the north-west of England. dkgardendesign.co.uk 8 Wildflower meadow bursting with colour 9 Courtyard garden with feature boulder

REFERENCES Landscape contractor Garden360 UK mygarden360.com Landscape contractor (roof garden) Butler Landscapes butler-landscapes.co.uk Planters, screens, raised plants, inset seats (roof garden) Europlanters europlanters.com Planters (roof garden) Atelier Vierkant ateliervierkant.com Pergola (roof garden) Caribbean Blinds cbsolarshading.co.uk

Decking (roof garden) Millboard millboard.co.uk Stair construction (roof garden) Steelscapes steelscapes.co.uk Steel structure and edging Steel Landscaping steellandscapingco.co.uk Porcelain paving London Stone londonstone.co.uk Chairs and coffee table Nardi nardioutdoor.com/en

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Front door step Burlington Stone burlingtonstone.co.uk

Fencing contractor Firth Fencing

Planters Skyline Design UK sky-linedesign.co.uk

Soil Tarmac tarmac.com

Hunza Lighting Peter Reid Lighting peterreidlighting.co.uk

Turf Lindum Turf turf.co.uk

Aggregates Travis Perkins travisperkins.co.uk

Plants and trees, chamomile lawns Bespoke Garden Elements UK

Self-binding gravel Breedon Group breedon-special-aggregates.co.uk Outdoor kitchen My Outdoor Kitchen myoutdoorkitchen.co.uk

Wildflower seeds John Chambers Wildflower Seed johnchambers wildflowers.co.uk

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F

PROJECT DETAILS

or their tiny back garden space entered directly from the kitchen, the client wanted a natural continuation of the house and style of their interior, creating a space that is not only welcoming but flows with the seasons. With the garden always in view, they also wanted to enhance the space and create an illusion to make it seem bigger, completed with ferns native to their homes of New Zealand and Australia – not to mention the must have BBQ and all-important storage, the clients being keen cyclists.

Project value £28k Build time 3 weeks Size of project 15.5m2

Bringing the

INDOORS OUT TOM HOWARD GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING LTD TAYBRIDGE ROAD

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DECEMBER 2023 The ground level needed to run flush to the newly installed bifold doors so, when open, the garden became an extension of the kitchen. As such, a seating area that could be used for sitting back and relaxing was essential but had to double up as seating for dining if the dining table was bought outside. The client wanted to use materials that were sympathetic to those used internally and have a bit of a 'wow’ factor.

The rear boundary was an eyesore and needed to be high in order to screen the school fencing behind. Being a very small garden, the back boundary was very close to the house therefore the brief was to come up with an interesting, visually appealing backdrop that would look great all year.

With all access to the rear garden going through the house, it was very much a blank canvas with some poorly laid Astro turf on concrete and a narrow run of porcelain tiles.

The left boundary had lateral feather edge fencing and a tatty section of rendered wall, whilst the rear boundary was a high section of painted feather edge fencing, and the right boundary had a London stock brick wall with a trellis above.

For Tom Howard Garden Design & Landscaping, this was a much smaller project than it usually works on, but small spaces can throw up just as many challenges, especially when planning how to fit everything in without it becoming cramped or cluttered. However, Howard believed that the company would have the ability to fulfil the brief and then some.

The interior of the client’s house featured very stylish greys, coppers, brass, Scandi and sea grass; therefore, Howard chose to mostly

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use a black palette for the lateral trellising and raised beds to firstly complement the interior tones but to also help make the space feel larger. Black tends to make boundaries recede and eyes are drawn to the planting in front, he says opting for a Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell, and masonry in Pitch Black picked up on some of the black bricks in the stock brick wall.

The paving was key, so limestone clowts were chosen, produced, and supplied by Artorius Faber. Howard used a smooth clowt that has beautiful colour variations and veining which, again, picked up on some of the browns and greys used internally. This was laid in a Herringbone style which reflects the parquet wood flooring in the hallway, also using grout in the pavers rather than brush in sand.

By grouting the clowts, the floor helped make the garden feel much more like an outdoor room and extension of the house.

A thick 40mm Meranti hardwood was used in thick planks for the cantilever bench, left untreated so that it will silver over time and complement the grey of the paving and tones of the garden. The lights used were black and, for the paving lights, brass was used again to have continuity from the interior. A slab of marble was then chosen 1 Seating corner with cantilever Meranti bench 2 Evergreen planting – Trachelospermum, Libertia, Buxus, Sesleria 3 Ferns underplanting the bench 4 BBQ and bike storage 5 Trachelospermum jasminoides 6 Meranti bench 7 Limestone clowts 8 More evergreen planting – tactical variety 9 Collingwood light fittings

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REFERENCES Timber Elmwood Fencing elmwoodfencing.co.uk Building materials Jewson jewson.co.uk BBQ The BBQ Shop thebbqshop.co.uk Marble Prestige Marble prestigemarble.co.uk Lighting A Place in the Garden aplaceinthegarden.co.uk Collingwood collingwoodlighting.com Electrics Enovatech Solutions Paint Farrow and Ball farrow-ball.com Plants Creepers Nursery creepersnursery.co.uk North Hill Nurseries northhillnurseries.co.uk

for the BBQ to sit on; although not much of it is visible, it creates a contrasting frame with the surrounding black and complements the pavers.

Other than working in such a small space it was a fairly smooth-running project, says Howard.

Access was an issue and all the hallway and kitchen needed to be protected throughout the project. It was logistically difficult to move tools and materials around and having to break out 150mm of concrete for the entire floor area.

In a small garden Howard had to work to the nearest millimetre rather than inch. With such a tight space everything needed to be very accurately measured, in particular the BBQ area to ensure there was enough clearance to open the lid. The pavers were also all slightly different sizes which made laying them a very labourintensive experience for the Howard team.

Space for planting was somewhat limited, but

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Howard believes the team manged to pack a punch with the selection of plants used – mainly with the evergreens, but also with white flowering jasmine becoming the geometric backdrop to the whole garden and the diagonals playing on the pattern of paving.

What was once just concrete and completely nonpermeable now has a quarter of the garden being permeable and dedicated to planting. Not only did Howard succeed in making the space feel so much larger than before, but it is now a very functional outdoor room which, as asked, has now become an extension of the kitchen. The materials have all worked seamlessly together and have produced the refined ‘wow’ factor that was wanted.

10 S eating area layered with evergreen planting Photographs ©Tom Howard Garden Design & Landscaping Ltd

Paving Artorius Faber artoriusfaber.com

ABOUT Tom Howard Garden Design offers a full design service. It creates beautiful, functional, and timeless outside spaces, including design, build, planting and, if required, aftercare.

From traditional country to modern urban gardens, its designs will match all lifestyles and aspirations, whatever they may be. tomhowardgardens.co.uk

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £234k Build time 6 months Size of project 3 acres

Retiring to

NATURE REDFIELDS LANDSCAPING AUDLEY FAIRMILE RETIREMENT VILLAGE, COBHAM

T

hree acres of grounds wrapping around 74 apartments provided the perfect space for a stunning high-end landscape design at Audley Fairmile. The space now boasts a vast variety of shrubs and mature trees, to complement the retirement village, which is situated in the beautiful, affluent Cobham.

The development was by Audley Villages, and the Redfields Landscaping team was brought on board by main contractor Graham to install the landscape. The client’s aspirations for Audley Fairmile were to create visually striking green spaces for the residents to enjoy, and Redfields’ commercial and operations teams enjoyed the collaborative approach with the project team to provide successful

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solutions when faced with site specific and budget constraints.

Initially, Redfields started the landscaping one block at a time, as the site was tight for space. It became clear that the team needed to concentrate on the areas to the back of the apartments until the frontage became clearer.

The team installed all the understorey planting which was a mix of very large specimen shrubs consisting of Photinias, Taxus, Prunus and Ilex. Once the planting was finished, it covered the area in PAS100 compost and then turfed once all of this had been completed.

There was a huge amount of bamboo and brambles around the boundary of the site which needed to be removed before Redfields could install the understorey mix, and they worked alongside the

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DECEMBER 2023 groundworkers to get this done in a cost effective and timely manner.

Redfields says it was fortunate to have very detailed plans from the landscape architect, showing quantities and where exactly the shrubs were to be planted.

Audley Fairmile was completed with over 6,500 shrubs planted, 42 very large mature trees, 6,000m2 of turf and 205 linear metre instant hedging. As well as climbers such as Lonicera japonica 'Hall's Prolific' and Clematis 'Tibetan Mix', and boundary planting including Photinia fraseri 'Red Robin', and Prunus laurocerasus 'Rotundifolia'.

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The green spaces will evolve beautifully throughout the seasons, and residents can enjoy the landscape within this new retirement village for years to come. Redfields was instrumental in achieving planting that would be manageable to maintain for Audley Fairmile’s grounds maintenance team.

To boost the sustainability of the project, PAS100 compost was used, as well as a very large number of herbaceous shrubs, fertiliser and ameliorants on turfed areas, planted areas and tree pits. As is standard for all its projects, Redfields will also recycle all of its pots

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DECEMBER 2023

and pallets whilst working alongside its suppliers.

Redfields also thankfully encountered few problems during the course of the project. Working alongside its suppliers, it sourced the very large trees almost a year in advance of starting the project, including Acer campestre 'Streetwise', Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' and Sorbus aucuparia 'Sheerwater Seedling’.

Having to change one element of the instant hedging, which was agreed with ease with the landscape architect, it had a very tight time frame to complete the works but having a very experienced team on site for the duration helped with liaising with the office and site team to ensure a smooth project completion.

“Redfields Landscaping helped to design and deliver a stunning scheme for the retirement village at Audley Fairmile,” says a spokesperson for Audley Villages.

“The three acres of grounds that wrap around the 74 apartments ensure the owners have great access and beautiful views to the outside with some wonderful

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REFERENCES DURING PLANTING

Main contractor Graham graham.co.uk Trees and shrubs Greenwood Plants greenwoodplants.co.uk

features and well-designed spaces, including visually striking yet manageable borders and beds.

The gardens and grounds are as important to the clients and owners as their high-quality interiors.”

Allowing a community to retire to nature, Redfields have successfully completed this sixmonth-long project, perfectly commemorated and captured via a series of drone images to truly capture the immense scale of landscaping completed.

Turf Sovereign Turf sovereignturf.co.uk Instant hedging Readyhedge readyhedgeltd.com

ABOUT Redfields Landscaping and Design has built a reputation over 35 years for professional soft and hard landscaping within the housebuilding and commercial sectors, operating across the South, Southeast, Homes Counties and Kent. It is renowned for responsiveness, reliability, and high-quality workmanship, reinforced with accreditations.

Its highly experienced and skilled landscapers transform designs into impressive landscapes delivering aesthetic with top quality plant-stock and materials. redfieldslandscaping.co.uk

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DIRECTORY

DIRECTORY A 7 Upholstery 7upholstery.co.uk

A Place in the Garden aplaceinthegarden.co.uk

Ace Resin aceresin.co.uk

ACO aco.co.uk

Addagrip addagrip.co.uk

Adezz adezz.com/en-gb

AHS Ltd ahs-ltd.co.uk

Artorius Faber artoriusfaber.com

Arvensis Perennials arvensisperennials.co.uk

AVS Fencing AVS Fencing, Timber & Landscaping Supplies (part of the Lawsons group) is the South and East’s premium supplier of fencing and landscaping materials to the trade and DIY customer. What started as a single branch founded in 1993 has since grown to a network of 13 branches stretching from Peterborough to the South Coast.

Telephone number: 03300 130618 Email: sales@avsfencing.co.uk avsfencing.co.uk

B Bannold bannold.co.uk

Boom & Bonheur As a full-range tree supplier, Boom & Bonheur provides everything from one single source. A high-quality production method as well as good advice and personal contact distinguish it, just as much as the diversity of its product range. Keeping up with modern needs, it offers new trends and an ever-greater choice of climate resistant plants.

Telephone number: +31 6 251 25423 Email: info@boombonheur.com boomkwekerij-lappen.com

Bourne Amenity bourneamenity.co.uk

Breedon Group breedon-special-aggregates.co.uk

Broadview Shading Solutions broadview.co.uk

Broxap broxap.com

Bruns bruns.de

Alpha Rail alpharail.co.uk

Arc Engineering Fabrication Ltd arcengineering.co.uk

Architectural Plants architecturalplants.com

Bespoke Garden Elements UK bespokegardenelements.co.uk

Burncoose Nurseries burncoose.co.uk Biotecture biotecture.uk.com Buy Metal Online buymetalonline.co.uk

Arnold Laver laver.co.uk

Biotop gb.bio.top

Artisans of Devizes artisanofdevizes.com

Bosta bosta.com/en-gb

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Burlington Stone burlingtonstone.co.uk

C Cane Line cane-line.co.uk

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Caribbean Blinds Award-winning louvered roofs, patio awnings and external blinds are Caribbean Blinds UK Ltd’s specialty, proudly UK manufactured in less than two weeks to your exact specification. All products come set up for a quick and easy installation and are delivered nationwide.

Its trade team offers unparalleled support, whilst an installer training academy gives real hands-on experience on how to survey, install and commission products.

Telephone number: 01787 882582 Email: stuart@cbsolarshading.co.uk cbsolarshading.co.uk

CED Stone cedstone.co.uk

Cedar Nursery landscaping.co.uk

Champion Timber championtimber.com

Country Supplies countrysuplies.uk.com

English Woodlands Timber englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk

Creepers Nursery creepersnursery.co.uk

Europlanters europlanters.com

Crocus crocus.co.uk

Europlants europlants.net

Crowders Nurseries crowdersnurseries.co.uk

Cuprinol cuprinol.co.uk

D DCM Surfaces dcmsurfaces.com

Chris Nangle Furniture chrisnanglefurniture.co.uk

Decori decori.co.uk

Coatbridge Engineering DAB Fabrications dabfabrications.co.uk

Deepdale Trees deepdale-trees.co.uk

Coco Wolf cocowolf.co.uk

D-Tail Plants d-tailplants.co.uk

DW Windsor dwwindsor.com Coles Nurseries colesnurseries.co.uk

Collingwood Lighting collingwoodlighting.com/en

Core Landscape Products corelp.co.uk

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E Easigrass easigrass.com

Elmwood Fencing elmwoodfencing.co.uk

Evans Concrete evansconcrete.co.uk

EverEdge EverEdge is a manufacturer and supplier of steel landscape edging materials and planters. With more than 25 years of experience and knowledge, EverEdge has developed an original and comprehensive range of products based on the needs of the industry, suiting virtually all aspects of landscaping requirements. It frequently carries out bespoke work, especially on raised beds, planters and podiums.

Telephone number: 01630 417120 Email: enquiries@everedge.co.uk everedge.co.uk/shop

EVI Pools EVi Pools is the culmination of years in development to make the installation of domestic swimming pools simple and accessible for trade professionals. A guided process enables professionals to install a luxury, one piece pool that includes perfect surface finishes and the latest technology, producing the best results every time.

Telephone number: 01403 577 674 Email: hello@evi.co.uk evi.co.uk

F Freeland Horticulture freelandhorticulture.co.uk

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Harrod Horticultural harrodhortcultural.com

Kent Stainless kentstainless.com

Gabion1 gabion1.co.uk

Gardenscape Direct gardenscapedirect.co.uk

Gedney Bulb Company gedneybulb.co.uk

Howard Nurseries howardnurseries.co.uk

I

Kenway Nurseries kenu.co.uk

Kingsdown Nurseries kingsdown-uk.com

Indian Ocean indian-ocean.co.uk Kinley kinley.co.uk

Green Mile Trees greenmiletrees.co.uk Irrigarden irrigarden.co.uk Green Retreats greenretreats.co.uk

Green Roofs Direct greenroofsdirect.com

J

L Ladybrook Nursery ladybrooknursery.com

Jasmine Nursery jasminenursery.co.uk Green-tech green-tech.co.uk

Greenwood Plants greenwoodplants.co.uk

Griffin Nurseries griffinnurseries.co.uk

Grillo Outdoor Kitchens grilloliving.com

H Hardscape hardscape.co.uk

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Lindum Turf turf.co.uk Jewson jewson.co.uk

Joseph Rochford Gardens Ltd rochfords.net

John Chambers Wildflower Seed johnchamberswildflowers.co.uk

K Kensworth Sawmills Ltd kensworthsawmills.co.uk

London Stone London Stone is a market leading nationwide supplier of hard landscaping materials, offering a wide selection of high-quality porcelain, natural stone, clay paving and composite decking products, alongside boundary-pushing bespoke services. With inspirational showrooms across the UK, London Stone is committed to sustainability and ethical sourcing in its business operations.

Telephone number: 01753 212 950 Email: info@londonstone.co.uk londonstone.co.uk

Lorenz von Ehren Nursery ive-bamschule.de

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M Majestic Trees majestictrees.co.uk

Manor Farm Nurseries manorfarmnurseries.com

Mark Stonestreet nmstonestreet.com

Marshalls marshalls.co.uk

mmcité mmcité enhances public spaces with street furniture blending into landscapes and adding a modern touch. We collaborate with experts to ensure the highest quality in everything we do. Our products are made using environmentally conscious practices, while maintaining competitive pricing. Our mission centers on functionality, durability, and sustainability, values we uphold in all our work.

Telephone number: +44 7925 133 563 Email: enquiry@mmcite.co.uk mmcite.com/en

Moonlight Design moonlightdesign.co.uk

O Old Hall Nursery old-hall.com

Øsoliving osoliving.co.uk

Outdoor Design outdoordesign.co.uk

P P.de Jager and Sons Ltd dejager.co.uk

Massey and Harris masseyandharris.com

MCM mcm-se.com

Morgan Timber morgantimber.co.uk

Mosaic del Sur mosaicdelsur.com

My Outdoor Kitchen myoutdoorkitchen.co.uk McNealy Brown mcnealybrown.co.uk

Metal Wizards metalwizards.com

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Palmstead palmstead.co.uk

Peter Reid Lighting peterreidlighting.co.uk

Pickmere Nursery wrightlandscapes.co.uk

Nardi Furniture nardioutdoor.com Platipus Anchors platipus-anchors.com

Mid Wales Stone midwalesstone.co.uk

Nederhoff Plants nederhoffplants.nl/en Premium Plants premium-plants.co.uk

Millboard millboard.co.uk

Noble Stonework noblestonework.com Prestige Marble prestigemarble.co.uk North Hill Nurseries northhillnurseries.co.uk

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Primrose primrose.co.uk

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Solus Décor solusdecor.co.uk

Scenic Lighting sceniclighting.com Provender Nurseries provendernurseries.co.uk

Public Spaces publicspaces.eu

R Rand and Asquith randandasquith.co.uk

Schellevis Schellevis® produces concrete paving and elements to connect architecture with nature. The entire range has the same unique Schellevis appearance. Used in combinations, the products help transform every outdoor space into a harmonious, timeless living environment.

Telephone number: 07960 988 327 Email: ryan@schellevis.co.uk schellevis.nl/en/

Southeast Oak Sawmill southeastoaksawmills.co.uk

Sovereign Turf sovereignturf.co.uk

Standard8 standard8.com

Steel Landscaping steellandscapingco.co.uk Ray Skelton (Harrogate) Ltd (now part of the Nurture Group) nurture-group.co.uk

Readyhedge readyhedgeltd.com

Screen with Envy screenwithenvy.co.uk Steelscape steelscapes.co.uk SDH Engineering sdhengineering.uk

The Red Mud Hut theredmudhut.co.uk

Selux Lighting selux.com/gbr/en

Renson renson.net/en-gb

Silva Timber silvatimber.co.uk

Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com

Russell Play russell-play.com

Sivyer hsivyer.com

Sklum sklum.com

Steintec steintec.co.uk

Sumo Outdoor sumooutdoor.co.uk

T T Brown & Sons Ltd tbrownandsons.co.uk

Tamar Nurseries tamarnurseries.com

Skyline Design UK sky-linedesign.co.uk

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Tendercare Marking 35 years of horticultural excellence, we are opening our Beaconsfield nursery in 2024 exclusively for Trade; boasting pleached trees, trellis-trained shrubs, climbers, 5L-20L shrubs, and perennials. Benefit from our vast UK stock and European connections for bespoke plant solutions. Collaborating with designers, we ensure ideal plant-space matches for maximum client satisfaction.

Telephone number: 01895 837120 Email: trade@tendercare.co.uk tendercare.co.uk

The BBQ Shop thebbqshop.co.uk

The London Lawn Turf Company With over 25 years of experience, London Lawn Turf specialises in premium landscape supplies. With fresh turf daily, it also supplies a range of topsoil, compost, bark, artificial grass, decking and aggregate. Collections are available at each of its five depots, along with deliveries throughout London and the Home Counties.

Telephone number: 01959 897 601 Email: sales@londonlawnturf.co.uk londonlawnturf.co.uk

The Plant Company theplantco.co.uk

The Sculpture Park thesculpturepark.com

Thompsons of Crews Hill thompsonsofcrewshill.com

Torc Pots Torc makes everything from its studio in the British Isles creating beautiful pots and planters to enhance any outdoor space. Working alongside a talented team of artisans, this family run business really specialises in textures, scale and especially bespoke design.

Its green credentials are pretty impressive too.

Telephone number: 01534 717104 Email: nicole@torcpots.com torcpots.com

Travis Perkins travisperkins.co.uk

U Urban Street Designs urbanstreetdesigns.co.uk

V Van den Berk Nurseries vdberk.co.uk

W Walfins walfinhottubs.co.uk

Waterwise Solutions waterwisesolutions.co.uk

Wishbone Exterior Lighting wishboneexteriorlighting.co.uk

Woldstrome Design richardwoldstrome.com

Woodscape woodscape.co.uk

Wykeham Mature Plants Wykeham Mature Plants is a grower of large trees, instant hedging, screening plants and specimen shrubs for instant results, supplying the trade for more than 45 years from its 150-acre nursery in North Yorkshire. Quality hardy stock, Plant Healthy certified, nationwide delivery, with a planting service available (within 150 miles of nursery, T&Cs apply). Advisory services available to help ensure the long-term success of your planting scheme.

Telephone number: 01723 862406 Email: enquiries@wykeham.co.uk wykehammatureplants.co.uk

X Xylotek xylotek.co.uk

Z ZinCo zinco-greenroof.co.uk

Whitestores whitestores.co.uk

Willis & Ainsworth willisandainsworth.co.uk

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(GODDARDS)

CANADA GARDENS

PROUDLY PUTTING NATURE BACK INTO OUR CITIES REGENTS PLACE

(MAYLIM)

Bourne Amenity has been supplying hard and soft landscaping materials to the industry for over 40 years.

We work with the country’s largest civil engineering companies and most prestigious Landscape Designers and Contractors, ensuring our materials and delivery methods are second to none.

From your standard BS3882:2015 Topsoils, to Roof Garden Substrates and highly specialised soil blends, we can match your site specifications from one of our various blending facilities.

BOSTON MANOR PARK

(BLAKEDOWN LANDSCAPES)

bourneamenity.co.uk | sales@bourneamenity.co.uk | 01797 252299 BA-ProL-Dec(V.07).indd 1

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