When I was approached by the RHS to potentially design a garden for the Hampton court garden festival, I was delighted!
A Four Season Sanctuary design for the RHS Hampton court garden festival was a chance to show how contemporary design doesn’t need to be all concrete, paving slabs and mono culture planting.
A garden should be a place for we humans and wildlife alike.
There is so much we can learn from remembering we are part of nature, to reconnect with the beauty of our wild planet, to see our wild species visit the space we create for both them and us. To be both sympathetic and empathetic in the materials we use.
Imagine achieving that in all of our gardens. Well, we can.
And in designing a four season sanctuary, I set out to show that you can still have strong geometric contemporary design.
But by using permeable paving surfaces such as gravel, recycled timbers for fencing, local wind-blown and local authority designated felled trees, for pergolas, naturalistic planting using a mix of native and cultivated species and an unexpected wildlife pond, this can be achieved in any garden, not matter how small.
Creating a sense of space with changing levels and bold planting of trees.
A central seating area to relax and to be gently immersed within the planting itself.
Fence posts were secured with rammed earth rather than concrete.
Hessian was used as an underlay for the hard landscaped gravel areas not plastic membrane.
Insect and bug hotels were easily created from some old picket fencing, filled with cut logs and leftover willow cuttings from the garden boundary.
All hard landscaped areas use permeable gravel as a surface, creating micro climates for many invertebrates.
The wildlife pond creates drinking water for birds and attracts the insects they like to eat.
I also simply removed a few handfuls of pebbles here and there in the margins of the pond to create drinking holes for bees and butterflies and other pollinators.
Entry and exit points for wildlife are an Import feature for any wildlife pond. I achieved this with branches and slate to create slopes.
It’s important to include different depts in your pond to allow for marginal planting and deeper rooting species which act as oxygenators.
I made sure that the main depth of the wildlife pond was enough to ensure it remains cool in hot weather.
Plus, you don’t need a huge outside space to include water in your garden. With even a small pond made from an old tub, you’d be amazed by what it attracts.
Some of the plants I used in this design were sweet galingale and flowering rush. These are emergent plants that allow dragonfly nymphs to climb out of the water and form their casings to turn into dragonflies. Common ragged robin is a great marginal which attracts pollinators, and Dutch rush can provide height for year-round interest.
A sanctuary for humans and wildlife alike.
For more information please contact Tim on 07931 278692
or email: tim@timjenningsdesign.co.uk
