Nature & Nurture

Representing an urban nature reserve, the garden creates a calm space for people to relax in the city and combines nature conservation with human health and wellbeing.

Inspired by the hedgerows and wildflower meadows across the UK, the garden aims to highlight their importance as key habitats for wildlife, even in a city environment.

The design is split into two distinct sections – the outer edges of the garden include large beds of wildflowers and naturalistic-style planting, representing the busy and dense lifestyle many of us experience living in cities. The second area is purposefully spacious and calming leading across a large shallow pond to a relaxing island seating area that looks out across the garden.

Multi-stem trees add structure to the wild planting, and a back wall of native hedging adds another wildlife habitat. The planting is a calming blend of pinks and purples, with a mixture of native wild plants and naturalistic-style ornamentals woven through grasses. The wildflowers are important for pollinators, as wildlife habitats, and for food security.