The client wanted a wild garden, a place to relax and be inspired by nature. Her studio, albeit industrial in nature, had great potential to connect to the wider landscape while creating a nestled corner for bees and butterflies. Working with the client, this was more a case of sculpting the land with an idea in mind, rather than developing a detailed design on paper.
Some of the ideas we brought to this project included creating a turf bench from which, looking across the natural pool, we opened up a view through to the landscape beyond. A place to sit and be quiet, to ponder the here and now, but also to look to the distance and contemplate the journey beyond – perhaps!?
Having sculpted the banks, wildflower turf was laid onto the slopes. It is important to understand what wild garden flowers need in terms of soil. They need a low nutrient situation, typical of years and years of grazing by deer, sheep and cattle. Meadow Mat provides a great opportunity to be able to pin the sods to the embankment, as the wildflowers are sown into a fibrous mat.
You can see the difference here given a few weeks and a bit of rain, such a vibrant mix of flowers full of bees, hoverflies and butterflies. We certainly achieved what we set out to do, bringing life to a once barren industrial backyard.
