Sustainability and edible gardens were the key themes of award winning gardens from members of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Flower Show.
In the sustainable gardens category St John the Divine Church of England Primary School from Lambeth received a Silver Gilt Flora medal for their garden. I Promise, which was built by APL member Landform Consultants, highlights the commitment by each child in year 6 to live a little more sustainably in every aspect of their lives. The garden is a quiet refuge away from the busy London streets, making use of tyres for planters, scaffold-board decking and discarded brick rubble.
In the small gardens category A Chef’s Kitchen, designed by Karen Rogers and built by APL members Garden Friendly Brothers were awarded a Silver Flora. This garden was designed to inspire people to grow their own vegetables and herbs in their back garden and use them to prepare healthy and economical meals outdoors. Featuring a wood-burning stove as its focal point surrounding by raised beds, trellising and a pergola the garden demonstrates that the choice of plants is far more varied and fresher than what is available from the supermarket and because it is grown at home, it has a much reduced carbon footprint.
APL members were also involved in the promotion of London’s Capital Growth incentive which aims to create 2,012 new food growing spaces in London by 2012. A series of front gardens were created at Hampton Court to show how it is possible to give even the most unexpected outdoor space an edible edge. ‘City Harvest’, designed by APL chairman, Adam Frost and built by New Ground Landscapes, showed how the planting of edibles could be easily integrated alongside ornamentals into front garden design. ‘An Edible Oasis’, designed by garden broadcaster Matthew Biggs and built by Landform Consultants, showed how edibles could be planted in a more formal way in the front garden to striking