Sandringham Show Garden

Climate change is threatening our ecosystems and environment and, therefore, the way we garden. Gardeners are often on the front line of climate change, spending longer periods outside in their gardens they notice the changes that nature is going through. I also believe that the way we garden en masse has an effect on the natural systems around us. I have designed this garden to show that gardens can be peaceful, restorative, beautiful and mindful of the planet.

The design is based on circles and radii to illustrate the circle of life and that “what goes around comes around” as the causes of climate change are predominantly caused by humans and population growth. The garden shows how gardeners can play an important part in ecosystem protection by conserving more water, in the garden the water run off from the shed roof is collected through a rain chain into a water butt. I have used hard landscaping materials that give better drainage, the paths are self binding gravel which is the fines and small stones from quarries and the stone circle in the middle is laid on a sand bed with no cement used. I have tried to use materials that are second hand so the giant rings at the front of the garden are old cart wheel rims. I have used second hand bricks to make bug hotels, I have collected logs and sticks from my own garden to use as wildlife friendly areas. The water butt is an old whisky barrel.

The vast majority of the plants in the garden have been grown on by myself, not a heated greenhouse in sight. This has also been an interesting journey buying plants as plugs, seeds, or barefoot and seeing them grow over the last 7 months. Not everything made it to the garden despite my best efforts. The Angelica was almost flowering but not quite there, the cirsiums flowered too early and had gone over. The verbascums also were passed it which was a shame. Most of the plants are drought tolerant and some will seed quite easily. There will be a few plants that have gone over to illustrate that not cutting back too early will also help insects. I have used an unusual tree, a koelreuteria that is drought tolerant and hardy.

The pergola in the garden is made from oak from sustainable sources and has been lent to me by the gentleman, Dave Wiggins, who makes beautiful outdoor pergolas, gazebos and furniture.