The garden we thought was
best in show at Chelsea was
the RBC New Wild Garden, sponsored by the
Royal Bank of Canada and designed by
Nigel Dunnett
, Director of
the Green Roof Centre at the University of Sheffield.
The judges only found it worthy of a Silver Gilt medal, but we thought it had more good ideas than any other garden, although at 10x12m (33x39 feet) it was one of the smallest of the 'large show gardens'.
We have a
green roof on our shed. So, we're always interested in seeing what can survive up on a roof.
It used a refurbished 10-year-old shipping container as a garden studio, with a wonderful green roof full of nectar-rich flowers for wildlife, and insect habitats on the front wall.
Reflecting pools captured rainwater and Dunnett used attractive dry stone walls to provide structure to the drifts of flowers, such as alliums and the bright orange Geum
Princess Juliana.
The planting was dense but everything worked together beautifully.
The tops of the walls were filled with different varieties of sempervivum and sedums, which can tolerate very dry conditions.
The walls also contained a wide variety of different insect habitats, including old books (as paper pulp is useful for some insects, such as wasps, to build nests). I would never have thought of recycling old books this way, but will definitely try it for the bug hotel I'm building on the allotment.
A wooded area at one end was filled with Himalayan silver birch trees and shade-loving plants, most with white flowers to brighten up the darker areas.
According to Dunnett, part of his inspiration for the garden came from the natural planting ideas of Irish-born Victorian horticulturist and journalist,
William Robinson. Robinson popularised the use of perennials and nature conservation in gardens through such books as
The Wild Garden
(1870).
The design was also influenced by the craftsmanship of the
Arts and Crafts movement.
Iris sibirica - Tropic Night
How wonderful would it be to have this as your home office?
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