The Wasteland
Site RHW4
Designer Kate Gould
www.kategouldgardens.com
The garden is created from an unloved and unused piece of ground with waste from its
industrial past still on site. It is designed to show that, with thought, it is possible to create
something beautiful without quarrying new stone or using new wood, so some of the waste
products will be re-used within the scheme (storm drain, corrugated steel panels, old timber and crazy paving for flooring). Although old, these materials are given a second lease of life when re - worked into a modern scheme that is intended for communal use. The garden is part of a wider development, but this section is more private where there are spaces to sit and relax under the canopy of tree, enveloped by small shrubs and pretty perennials and with the sound of water gently burbling in the background. The wasteland has developed its own ecosystem, and the garden’s aim is not to destroy this, but to create something that wildlife as well as humans can use.
The garden is designed to look at its best in
the spring, so the planting is rich in white, blue
and maroon flowers, which are woven through a patchwork of more leafy forms. Digitalis,
Allium and Iris provide colour whilst Pachysandra terminalis creates a strong backdrop of green wall panels. Euonymus alatus, Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ and
Rhododendron varieties provide a backbone of shrubs under Zelkova and Sorbus tree canopies.