RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008
Urban Rain by Bamboo
Garden construction: Bamboo Garden Design
Stylish, functional and a green alternative to so many urban landscapes that have been dominated by vehicle hard standings and a blot of black wheelie bins, Bamboo Garden Design’s 2008 Chelsea show garden presents a blueprint for reviving our urban streetscapes.
Tackling head on the three principle demands on today’s 21st century front gardens - rubbish, rain and row upon row of parked vehicles - ‘Urban Rain by Bamboo’ is intended to encourage householders to restore their front gardens – areas that have been systematically turned over to cars, waste and numerous recycling containers and, covered over with paving, concrete or tarmac, have exacerbated the risk of flooding in many towns and cities.
The brief was to present a design suitable for a small urban area, to find solutions to the restrictions in space and the conflict of uses and to incorporate new ideas, modern materials and planting for an urban environment.
At the heart of the Bamboo Chelsea 08 design team, Jennie Bracey has been closely involved in the design and development process. She, like all the team, is excited by developing a contemporary garden solution that could so easily be adopted and adapted with real benefits to millions of front gardens.
Says Jennie, “We were driven initially by the very pressing need in many urban areas to develop and enhance sustainable drainage systems and we’ve demonstrated how each of us, just in our own small front garden, can do our bit.”
‘Urban Rain by Bamboo’ has its own rainwater recycling system designed to divert and retain as much water as possible for plant irrigation. Then, by using a porous ground surface, it minimises the volume of water that ends up in the street.
The back of the garden houses a neat solution to the challenge of multiple recycling bins and boxes. “We are all avid recyclers,” adds Jennie, “but few of us, even those living in new properties, have a suitable storage solution. Bins and boxes have become a blot on the streetscape and we wanted to do something about them.”
As a result the team have designed a neat solution to front garden bin storage, one that’s sheltered, accessible from under cover, and most importantly, keeps all those brown, green and black wheelie bins fully concealed from view.
Even though the space is small, a square of just 5m x 5m for the whole garden, the design accommodates parking for a micro-car or scooter. Most importantly the area still looks like a garden, with two sides of informal planting that provide colour, warmth and an atmosphere of welcome. A feature tree, a Luma apiculata combines attractive bark and aromatic foliage. Phormiums act as anchors to an otherwise loose planting system of grasses and perennials. The overall theme is structured informality mixing tints of brown, orange, purple, cream and white with harmonising greens.
The design also incorporates a small seating area. Sheltered from the elements under a glass roof, it’s a space that can be used all year round. Adds Jennie, “This is a place to sit and relax not just a walkthrough. Not only does this garden restore life and greenery to our streets but encourages a sense of community right on our doorsteps.”
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Bamboo garden design can help you achieve total transformation of your outdoor living space.
Bamboo Garden Design
95 Lower Redland Road,
Bristol
BS1 6SW
Tel: 0117 905 5149
studio@bamboogardendesign.co.uk
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