Unusual Features

The garden will display various forms of Hibernacula, from tree stumps and logs, naturalised stone walls to a beetle bank and a Stag Beetle pyramid. The most impressive Hibernacula, we hope will be a Rootarium arch made using tree stumps and roots to create a walk through garden arch that will provide sanctuary for a variety of minibeasts.

Regional Links

Essex Wildlife Trust at Abbots Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, near Colchester, is the driving force behind the national entry at Chelsea this year.

The gardens designer is from Brentwood in Essex also the supplier of the green roof also hails from Brentwood in Essex.

Giles Landscapes are based in Welney, Cambridgeshire; building gardens and open spaces throughout East Anglia, recent most notable project includes Lea Valley Park Authorities Gun Powder Park. Steve Kerr the builder of the garden room is based in Welney also when not working on projects for Chelsea Flower Show he doubles as a bass player in a local rock group.

Themes For 2005

Education

Throughout the show Wild life Trust Education Officers will be on hand to explain and demonstrate key elements of the garden and the work that they perform, the garden building will be used after the show to support their work and will include many educational aids and resources, though the types of display and which elements to be supported have yet to be confirmed

Through this garden it is hoped that the gardening public can be helped to take on board ideas to help promote wildlife in their gardens. Firstly by making them aware that they are stakeholders in the environment that supports the rich tapestry of creatures all around them. And by understanding the complex yet finely balanced relationship between plants and the life cycles of all wildlife.

Such an example is demonstrated by the Yellow Brimstone Butterfly, which has evolved its life cycle over tens of thousands of years, dependent upon a single plant, the Alder buckhorn. It can easily be seen that by the removal of hedgerows and copses and by reducing the quantity of Alder buckhorn, then the numbers of the Yellow Brimstone will also reduce. In certain counties of the British Isles species of Butterflies and other species have been driven to extinction by similar actions.

Biodiversity

It is intended to highlight certain Biodiversity Action Plan species found in gardens, and provide an easily justified example, stating the recent massive decline in farmland bird populations.

Stating the events that have contributed to this environmental disaster, and importantly what gardeners can do at home to help turn the situation around not just for birds but all wildlife.

The premise of the Rio Summit on Biodiversity was to take action to support a chosen few threatened species (The Biodiversity Action Plan Species) which will in turn support other species as a direct result of the action taken.

At this stage indictor species to be supported by this garden have not yet been confirmed but should include the Song Thrush, The Yellow Brimstone Butterfly, The Stag Beetle, and the Mason Bee.

Healthy Living

By promoting BAP species and ensuring that wildlife continues for future generations to enjoy, we can ensure that the population’s quality of life remains at the level we enjoy today and so support healthy living. This garden will demonstrate that a keen interest in both wildlife and gardening lead towards a healthier lifestyle.

Environmentally responsible Elements

All compost used will be sourced from recycling centres for example Cleanaway London Remade, manufactured using processed and composted garden waste and therefore will not contain any sources of peat.

All plants will conform to Cites and are commercially container-grown plants.

The garden building uses a sedum roof to demonstrate the need to slow down run off into our drainage systems and rivers, helping to reduce the tendency for flooding. The sedum also provides additional insulation for the building and reduces the amount of heating required in winter; additionally the roof material can be harvested by birds and used as nest lining material.

The timber used in the construction of the garden building will be FSC timber.

Other wood used in the construction of the garden will all be recycled.

The roots and stumps that make up the rootarium arch have been harvested under licence.

The boulders and stone used in the garden will be made using a synthetic material to minimise the impact of quarrying naturally occurring materials.

The gravel like material used to form the path is to be manufactured using old tractor tyres that have been shredded and coloured.

Although the entire garden is designed to attract wildlife see above for features to support this ideal.

Plans after the show

At the request of the sponsor Lush UK, plans are in motion to rebuild this garden after the show, at a Wildlife Trusts visitor centre in Dorset. The flag ship Wildlife Trust reserve on Brown Sea Island has been proposed but this has yet to be confirmed.

The demountable garden building will be used as a mobile education facility by the Wild Life Trusts and will be transported around the country to county shows in support of the 47 regional Wildlife Trusts.

Designer Poll

Gardening trends

The trend towards gardening for Wildlife will continue to grow and will be enforced by the joint RHS Wildlife Trusts initiative Wild About Gardening. I believe that gardeners are already keenly interested in the Wildlife that visits their gardens and will devour any information about conservation, the environment and wild life that they can access.

Designers are increasingly taught to respect the environment and are now leaving colleges armed with the ability to influence designs to support wildlife and create new habitat. The work already carried out by organisations such as the Wild life Trusts have already stabilised the environmental baseline and it is now time for gardeners to add to this success.

About Chelsea

Chelsea Flower Show has magic all of its own; people have come to expect the highest standards in plant displays and garden designs. The mystery of Chelsea is enhanced by the size and scale of the event compounded by the frantic efforts of the exhibitors to complete mammoth individual tasks; none of this would ever be contemplated in normal situations. The sense of achievement gained by exhibiting at Chelsea is second to none.