Bee Happy in the City

In more detail

• Bee-friendly plants throughout the beds create a cottage garden feel surrounding an eye-catching copper bath which invites the user into the space
• The striking red rose of Lancashire is scattered around the garden and stands out against the softer tones pollinators-friendly plants

About the garden

An old roll-top bath found on my allotment became the starting point for this city garden. It’s a relaxing, fun garden for a young couple or family.

The bath overflows with white frothy flowers representing foam and bubbles. The old cobbled streets of Lancashire are represented by Accrington, or Nori, bricks turned on end. Red roses, the symbol of Lancashire, climb the wall, and cauldron-shaped planters are a nod to the Pendle witches.

No city garden is complete without an area for partying and there is even a lemon tree for slices of fruit to decorate cocktails. Wild flowers provide forage for bees and wildlife, and a water feature entices birds.

The boundary walls are soft tumbled red brick with bee houses for solitary bees. Sand-coloured gravel reminds us that in Lancashire we are never far from the sea.

This garden won the BBC Radio Lancashire design competition in association with the RHS.