Multi award winning show garden!
With a new year and new decade here, I thought I would take some time out over the gloomy winter months to reflect on last year’s journey, specifically my 2019 show garden at the Royal Norfolk Show.
2019 was a total roller-coaster for me- physically, mentally and emotionally! I spent much of last year recovering from my accident and although there were many challenges, it was also full of fun and excitement!
The 2019 Royal Norfolk Show was by far the highlight of last year. With my trusted landscaper and right-hand man Darren Barnes, from Kingdom Landscapes on hand, we needed to create a design which would be bigger and better than last year (not that I am competitive or anything!). So where did it all start?
The Brief & Design
Back in February 2019, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RRNA) issued the theme for the show. 2019 was to be the year of Tourism and Wellbeing, with a rustic twist. The added pressure of last year’s success, plus the issues I still had after my shoulder surgery, meant I found formulating a plan really tricky. So, like every garden design project I embark on, I started by producing a client brief and concept design.
I wanted to design a versatile space, which not only met the specific brief, but was also a garden people could imagine in their own home.
As a born and bred Norfolk girl, I decided to take inspiration from the touristic city I live in and love- Norwich! I think it’s a little too easy to sometimes overlook beauty when it’s under your nose and you can become accustomed to what surrounds you. However, I really tried to make sure I took myself out of my bubble, stepped back and really observed my beautiful and historic City. After doing this, it really is no surprise people refer to Norwich as a ‘fine city’.
During my research stages, I was amazed to discover that Norwich is the home to the UK’s most complete medieval city and still has many intact, beautiful cobbled streets.
I also totally fell in love with the materials used on our stunning city landmarks, such as Norwich Castle and our Cathedrals. I decided depicting these characteristics into my final design was a must!
Furthermore, with wellbeing playing a large part in the show theme, it was even more important for me to create an outside space filled with character and drama, as well as offering a relaxing space to unwind and restore balance. After several months of planning, my design, entitled ‘City Escapes’ was born…
City Escapes’ is contemporary garden design taking inspiration from Norwich’s beautiful touristic landmarks.
The garden will be a tranquil chic sanctuary, made from elegant marble paving, natural stone walling and granite cobble sets.
The planting is uplifting with a colour palette which portrays confidence, happiness and mental clarity.
Materials
When selecting materials for this design, it was vital to use products and materials of the highest quality and durability. I often tell my clients that the cost of build is the same, whether you were to pay a landscaper to lay concrete paving or marble. So, where the budget allows, always try and select the best possible materials.
Following this principle, I wanted my show garden to showcase the very best products on the market, mimicking those of Norwich Castle and the Cathedrals and I was very fortunate to work with some fantastic suppliers, who enabled me to make this happen:
First and foremost, let’s talk about the amazing Lorento Marble paving, from Stonemarket and this product was the centrepiece of my design. The sleek profile is flawless and full of distinctive white mottling, delicate veining and looks stunning, both dry and wet.
Sitting on top of the beautiful marble base, were two bespoke built water feature seats. These seats were made from beautifully crafted Stonemarket Exilis Splitface natural stone walling. Both seats were then topped off and finished with wonderful Lorento marble bullnose coping.
The roughness from the walling worked in perfect contrast, standing out against the smooth marble paving and coping – they say opposites attract!
Access to this calming and peaceful seating area was along a pathway of beautiful, elegant Granite cobbles, mimicking the medieval cobbled streets of Elm hill.
Finally, we used a combination of stunning granite pebbles and cobbles from stone warehouse. These cobbles and pebbles were used to line our stylish bespoke stainless-steel water rivulets and also edged and top dressed the planting.
Planting
So, let’s talk about my favourite thing – plants! I wanted to show people that you can be brave and bold with planting and there really are no rules. I selected some traditional cottage style planting and tried to plant them in a way to offer a modern and chic look.
With the hardscaping materials being very natural and understated in colour, it was important that I used plants which complemented their sophistication and colour pallet. All my plants were selected for either their deep rich tones of greens, or their floral impact.
I used Buxus Supervises and Carex Everest, utilising their structure and evergreen interest. However, for explosive blooms, I used Agapanthus, Lupins and foxgloves and these perennials were total showstoppers. For a second year in a row, all my plants were supplied by Notcutts and the quality was as faultless as ever.
To add height and some dabble shade to the garden, I incorporated 4 beautiful pleached trees. These are a fantastic statement within any garden. I opted for beautiful Hornbeam, which offered deep rich green leaves. These trees where kindly supplied by Romantic Garden Nursery.
Features and Focal points
With part of the show theme being ‘wellbeing, with a rustic twist’, I wanted elements of my design to clearly represent this. Any outside space can be used to relax in, however the soothing sound and reflection of water always provides a sense of calm and wellbeing to any area.
With this in mind, I decided to design a bespoke seating area where people could sit and relax, with the calming sound of water surrounding them. These seats were ‘L’ shaped in form and had integrated stainless steel water blades built in, creating a cascading water effect down the back of them, leading into a bespoke pebble filled water rivulet.
Finally, I had to incorporate a ‘rustic twist’ within my design. Although I had used a combination of evergreen and perennial plants, I thought it would be nice to include some focal points set within the planting, to offer a contrast against the plants.
I decided to commission some beautifully hand-crafted sculptures, by Toby Wintherboun. Toby is an extremely talented local blacksmith artist and he was able to bring my rustic plant sculptures to life. These sculptures were the perfect finishing touch, offering a stunning focal point to any garden.
The overall purpose of my design, was to create a tranquil chic sanctuary, full of rustic charm. After many very long days, several night shifts and lots of help and support from our friends, ‘City Escapes’ was proudly developed.
This was by far our most complex build in such a short space of time and a serious amount of blood sweat, tears and sleepless nights went into the planning and construction! However, looking back and reflecting on the overall experience now, it was totally worth it!
We finished up being awarded Gold, Visitors Vote and most importantly Best in Show. This was an absolutely honour and privilege and one which would never be possible without the support and generosity of our sponsors and suppliers, for which we are eternally grateful.
Let’s see what 2020 has to offer…!!
Crediting:
