Landscape & Urban Design Issue 42 2020 | Page 6

SGD AWARDS 2020 DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTING If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your garden and are looking for ways to make it more sustainable, Sue Townsend’s ‘Samphire’ garden, winner of the Beth Chatto Award for best Eco Garden, demonstrates how you can create a garden that can benefit the planet and which is bursting with texture and visual interest. The coastal garden in Suffolk uses a rich palette of drought-tolerant planting including native seaside plants, grasses and Mediterranean shrubs surrounded by a stone mulch in different sizes and set amongst paving of locally reclaimed York Stone. Plants include verbena bonariensis, eryngiums, euphorbias, lavender, achillea, ballota, miscanthus nepalensis, pennisetum, verbena and thymus. Make sure you use permeable surfaces to allow water to be released naturally into the ground. 6 www.landud.co.uk TRIANGULAR PLANTERS The angular styling of mid-century modernism has timeless appeal, so if you’re looking for ways to update your roof terrace or garden patio and encourage wildlife into your garden along the way, why not replicate the triangular planters in John Davies’s winning roof top garden in East London? The bespoke system of planters, built with sloping walls to encourage bees, butterflies and birds, compliments the modern architecture of the building and the choice of core-ten steel echoes its industrial heritage. Filled with flowering shrubs, insect-friendly perennials, prairie-style grasses and multi-stem trees, the planters are surrounded by an Iroko bench and lit from beneath to create the illusion of floating. Designed to provide a biodiverse green spot within the City of London, the outer facing walls of the planters are also filled with plants inserted into letter box style apertures allowing the greenery to be viewed and enjoyed from the road as well. ANTIQUE STONE TROUGHS If you like the idea of hearing the trickle of running water in your garden but don’t want a fountain, try a simple stone trough and water spout like the one incorporated into Butter Wakefield’s winning Ribbon Wheel garden. The beautiful antique trough is designed with wall panels hanging above it, incorporating antiqued mirror to reflect the garden beyond and painted a dark grey to set off the green of the surrounding plants. TIMBER POSTS Timber posts don’t have to be confined to fencing a garden off from the neighbours. Carefully positioned within a garden they can be used to frame plants or seating areas and add extra interest to borders or paths. Follow us @ludmagazine