GARDEN DESIGN
AWARD-WINNING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN UNDERPINNED WITH SIMPLICITY
With sustainability being the key theme for 2022 ’ s BBC Gardeners ’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham , Frances Tophill , well known horticulturist , author and television presenter for BBC Gardeners ’ World , had set her sights on making her debut show garden at the event “ as sustainable as it possibly can be ”.
Rupert Keys , Managing Director at Keyscape Landscape Design & Construction and founder of landscape training company TASK Academy , along with Ruth Gwynn Associates , landscape architect , garden designer and horticulturist , were handed the mission of delivering Frances ’ vision , and constructing her eventual awardwinning garden . With a strict remit of using only locally sourced , recycled and reclaimed materials where possible , Rupert turned to ACO House & Garden for advice on how this could be achieved when stabilising the recycled aggregate around the space .
100 % Recycled To demonstrate how gardens do not need to sacrifice looks for sustainability , Frances ’ garden design centred around a Bauhaus , post-industrial look , with many of its features like the greenhouse and tin shed built with recycled materials . Alongside the constructed elements , many of the plants in the garden were chosen for their usefulness to humans . These included shadeloving plants , climbing fruits , vegetables and herbs , and a turf suited to wildlife that helps protect biodiversity .
Tying the entire aesthetic together was a recycled aggregate pathway , which meandered from the entrance through to the centre of the garden .
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