Waterperry Gardens 

May 1st 2010

Waterperry house and gardens, in oxfordshire which was originally home to the Horticultural College between 1932 and 1971 the gardens are really beautiful and a lot of the border planting particuarly is reminiscent of the arts and crafts movement / painterly style borders of Gertrude Jekyll. Mary spiller is the design consultant responsible for the majority of the design of the gardens, having herself graduated from the school to become a teacher, horticultural manager and then head gardener before her current design role.

 I really appreciated the gentle painterly approach to the design of the garden, particularly the Mary Rose gardens, (which were planted in 1991 and are now well established and flourishing) and  the canal and surrounding area. the canal is a strip of water (probably better described as a sort of rectangular pond) which joins the herbacious nursery to 'Mirandas border'. It is cleverly designed to allow the clear vista from the top lawn over the countryside to remain, whilt still being a beautiuful and interesting feature in itself. In the centre of the canal stands a statue of Miranda from Shakespeare's 'Tempest' sculpted by Tanya Russel, it is elegant and eautiful and seems to fit the aesthetic of the garden well. The formal gradens were also very interesting, based (loosely) on a Tudor garden, it comprises of plants which might have been found in gardens from multiple eras including Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian, and also has a sculpture of a girl holding the 'lamp of wisdom'.

I thoroughly enjoyed the gardens and found them very therapeutic and relaxing.

marks hall  -  06 / 03 / 10. Walk around Marks Hall in Essex. The planting was very beautiful in places, next to the lake birches and red barked dogwood are planted, which contrast beautifully with each other and are reflected in the water. In the woodland snow drops were out as where wood anamones and celendines.

"The Walled Garden covers two acres and was built in the C18th. It is unusual in that it is open to the lake on one side. Once completely overgrown and neglected the Trust decided to mark the 100th anniversary of Mr. Phillps Price’s acquisition of Marks Hall by creating a contemporary series of gardens to make this the summer focal point of the Arboretum. The magnificent double border is nearly 450 feet long and the five terraced gardens are designed to appeal to all ages with vibrant planting, which provides a procession of colour throughout the summer. The Duchess of Devonshire officially opened the Walled Garden on 1st July 2003."

The walled garden in winter.

Betula utilis and cornus alba, next to the lake. the contrasting colours really work together.

The walled garden was closed when we went for maintenance work. It is closed every winter as the planting is supposed to be purely intended for the summer. However we took a quick peek and I thought it was a real shame to write it off for half of the year. The beech hedges keep movement texture and some colour the garden and the sinuous curving walls reflect the silver winter light beautifully. I really enjoyed the visit especially after having been in the city for so long - you can really appreciate the changes in seasons in the country.

http://www.markshall.org.uk/map_of_marks_hall

14/01/10

"The Co-op, UK

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BrightFarm Systems is part of the winning team chosen to develop a master plan for the redevelopment of an eight-hectare site in central Manchester, United Kingdom. Our design team was chosen by global engineering firm Arup to develop carbon neutral, local food production systems."

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/the-co-op-uk

Brightfarm systems are involved in several interesting projects based around urban agriculture and other design solutions to environmental and sustainability issues. One project that they have built, which interests me particularly is The  Science Barge, located on the Hudson river New York. It is a barge which demonstrates systems which can be used to create an entirely sustainable food production using renewable energy, to the public. The designer of the barge itself was Ted Caplow, who is the executive director of New York Sun Works Centre for Sustainable Engineering.

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/nysw-usa

Barcelona 

20th November 2009

Today we headed back towards the montjuic area of the city. We walked from Placa d' Espanya up the hill towards Museu nacional Art de Catalunya where we turned right and carried on walking through the Parc du Montjuic and past the Olympic stadium to the Botanical gardens. The Parc du Montjuic was impressive. Again I found myself in a huge scale landscape, providing space for large events, beautiful design; but no people. I didn't find the space depressing at all (although I did in other areas which share the characteristics i have just described eg.Parc del Auditoris, part of the forum used for the Second World Urban Forum 2004), the sculptures seemed to keep the space animated enough to compensate for the lack of people moving around. The main attraction, Landscape wise, in the Olympic city is the space which surrounds Santiago Calatrava's beautiful telecommunications mast, which was built for 'Telephonica' to carry coverage of the 1992 Olympic Games. 

"The overall form of the tower is based on a Calatrava sketch of a kneeling figure making an offering. The base on which the figure 'kneels' is covered in broken glazed tiles in recognition of Gaudi (though with more restrained colors). The orientation of the tower means that the shadow of the central needle on the circular platform acts as a (rather impractical) sundial."

There are four large rectangular lawns and the area is paved in large pale slabs all over. The pillars down the side of the lawns combined with the bright shining white colours of the site and combined again with the enormous scale of everything on the site, give it a slightly Grecian feel; which is actually very fitting to it's purpose as the Olympic village.  From the direction we viewed the famous mast, there were pretty wire sculptures in the foreground, which I really liked; I felt they gave an elegant and simplistic detail to the otherwise vast space. 

Above and Below: Santiago Calatrava's beautiful telecommunications mast, with the wire sculptures in the foreground

After The park we visited the Botanical Gardens which are positioned high up on the hillside and have beautiful views over the city to the mountains behind. The Gardens were designed by an interdisciplinary team comprising the architects Carlos Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa, the landscape architect Bet Figueras, the horticulturalist Artur Bossy and the biologist Joan Pedrola. The two main considerations during the design of the Gardens were:

"Firstly, how the vegetation was to be structured. It was important to plan the layout according to geographic criteria, grouping the plants according to the world’s five Mediterranean regions. Within these regional groupings, moreover, the plants should be combined according to ecological affinity, that is to say, recreating landscapes as they are found in nature.

The second consideration involved creating a project in which the mountain itself provided the topographic conditions for establishing the different plant areas in the Garden. This entailed designing the network of paths around the natural relief and avoiding large earth moving operations as far as possible."

http://www.jardibotanic.bcn.es/11_eng.htm

The result of these two considerations meant a network of paths was created around a series of triangular plots to accommodate the principle plant communities found in Mediterranean climates around the world. Attention was also paid to the available space, mountain slope and soil condition. The design of the space is very clean and beautiful the pathways are cut into the mountainside and seating areas and areas of change in level have different angled triangular shaped retaining walls clad in corten steel. The use of the rusty looking corten steel, brings a different texture to the gardens and creates swathes of orange- brown colour, which complements  and enhances the plants around it. There are trellises above some of the seating areas, created by many cords of wire pulled straight and at such angles to each other that the overall finish is a large curve of wire, with climbers making their way along it. I loved the wonder around looking at all the different plant species, you feel above the city and away from the bustle and noise of the city; it' is a very calming and serene place to be. I really appreciated the design of the Gardens, I think it's my favorite piece of Landscape architecture I have seen on this field trip. Especially the pond, the way the triangular shapes are used ti hide and reveal ares of the pond is very beautiful, and the planting surrounding it is perfect.

Above: the pond in the Botanic Gardens

Above and Below: The trellises over seating areas, and a small amphitheater area, which shows well the style in which the entire site was built.

Below: Some level changes and example of how areas are cut out of the mountainside and lined with corten steel.

Hampton Court Palace 

25th September

I visited Hampton Court Gardens, as i have never seen them before. We started in the Rose gardens and then visited the famous maze, which was originally  for entertaining in 1690 the maze consists of half a mile of paths with yew hedges either side, it takes twenty minutes to reach the middle. We then headed through to the front of the house which has an avenue of huge topiary yews framing the house from the parkland. The yews were a fantastic shape, and clearly extremely old. The maintenance issue of avenues of trees is that they look best the same size/shape, so replacing diseased/declining trees is difficult without ruining the effect, I noticed there were a few younger trees, which clearly replaced the original trees. The only way to save the effect is to be brave enough to take down all the trees at once and replant, however half the charm of the avenue is the majestic size and age of the trees. Next we saw the Privy Garden, which has been restored to it's 1702 glory, which was fascinating. The symmetrical design and perfect topiary, and marble statues, really made me consider the landscape architecture of the time it was built, it was so perfect and symmetrical and well groomed; intricately designed. Followed by the knot garden, which was laid out in 1924, an imitation of a type of garden that might have been at Hampton Court in the 16th century. And then the pond gardens followed by  The Great Vine, which was incredible. The vine was a cutting from a vine in Valentine's park in Essex, planted by Capability Brown in 1768. Its roots are planted outside the glasshouse, which is kept completely clear of all other plants and heavily composted to provide sufficient nutrients to the vine. The glasshouse measures 60 x 12 feet and had to be lengthened by 12 feet to accommodate the Vine. It's very impressive and still produces grapes; although we visited too late to try them as the harvest is in late August. It was a very interesting visit and I loved the gardens, they were very beautiful and impressive.

(From the top: One of the Pond gardens, the perfectly sheered tips of the yew trees in the avenue framing the house, The Great Vine, and The Privy Garden.) 

OPEN HOUSE LONDON 2009

LDA Design led walking tour - Potters Field

19th September 2009

Potters Field is a public space designed by Gros Max, it's positioned alongside More London but goes further back to Tooley street. I joined a tour led by an LDA Design Landscape Architect, around Potters Field and More London. There are two pavilions at either side of Potters Field; one constructed of steel and glass and a contrasting one constructed of charred wood, the smooth sleek modern lines contrast with the rough edges. There is a badly maintained green roof on the glass and steel construction and both buildings have a temporary feel about them but are permanent. I found the design of the glass building, somehow wrong, i think because I thought it was temporary and was not built in keeping with the landscape. The seating (shown above) has pale blue designs on the top to reflect the sites history as a pottery. as you walk away from Tooley street towards the Thames the trees on the site and the pavilion frame a walkway towards the Entrance of The Tower of London. Towards the Tooley end side of the site the planting is very gentle and soft in comparison to the extreme hardscaping in More London , this is for the residents living near the end; a 'local garden'.

KYOTO

Nijo-Jo Gardens

6th July 2009

"The Ninomaru Garden, designed by Kobori Enshu, has undergone several changes over the years. Originally designed so as to not show the passing of seasons (no trees were planted) plants and trees have since been added and allow the garden to have color at all times of the year: Camellias in January and February; apricot blossoms in February and March; dogwood and cherry blossoms in April; azaleas in May; azaleas and cape jasmine in June; Indian lilacs in July and August; bush clover in September adn October; maples leaves in November; and firethorn in December. No matter what season you go, there will be something beautiful and colorful blooming.In the center of the garden is a large pond containing three islands connected by four bridges. Horai, the central island, represents the Island of Eternal Happiness and is flanked by Turtle Island (Kame-jima) and Crane Island (Tsuru-jima), both symbols of longevity. Waterlilies, plants, and rocks augment the beauty of the garden. It is really a very beautiful and peaceful garden.

In 1965 the Seiryu Garden was built for the purpose of receptions and cultural events. This garden is landscaped in both modern and traditonal styles and contains two teahouses, the Koun-tei and the Waraku-an. In June and November tea masters perform tea ceremonies for the public."

http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/Kyoto/nijo.html

The gardens were designed by Kobori Enshu, who was a master of tea, architecture, garden design, calligraphy and poetry he was a multi-talented leader of early Edo culture in Japan. Often i noticed that the designers of a lot of gardens i visited whilst in Japan where primarily tea masters.

Marunouchi

Tokyo International Forum

30.06.2009

Visited the Tokyo international forum, the building itself is very impressive, by Rafael Vinoly Architects, who won the 1989 International Design Competition, which was the first international architectural competition in Japan. I really liked the Design, the main hall was huge and spacious, the steel beams supporting the roof give the building a skeletal feel. The exterior to the building was also interestingly designed. The plaza leads into the main building which houses two theatres, one of which is one of the largest in the world, over 6000 square metres of exhibition space, several conference rooms, restaurants and shops. The plaza is paved in granite with a large swathe as you walk towards the International Forum building which is paved in glass blocks and lit from underneath which change colour at intervals. The effect of the glass paving give the plaza an identity the minute you step into it, its a very cool effect. There are also trees dotted around the plaza in a way which you do not often see in the UK, seemingly random, but beautiful. And seating in unusual forms of blob- like sculptures imitating stones or actual stones/ rocks, placed sometimes in pattern with each other (eg. a circle surrounding a tree (bottom))  and sometimes alone. The effect of the placement of trees and objects in the plaza, is that the space seems to demand your attention, you can't simply walk straight through- you notice.

Tokyo International forum. By Architect Rafael Vinoly.

Tokyo International forum plaza.

The Micheal Jackson lit paving.

examples of the stones/ rocks and seating around the plaza.

Lavenham Church

15th June 2009

The church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Lavenham, suffolk attracted my attention for the unusual use of topiary in it's grounds. I found the grounds striking and beautiful but almost contrasting to the very traditional and ancient building they surround. The endless rounded spherical hedges create the impression of another level, a highly textured raised surface which you must navigate through almost like a maze to reach the church. Topiary is something that I have always thought of as dated and a bit 'twee', but having come across it recently at Lavenham, my opinions have changed. I like it!

"Topiary is the art of creating sculptures in the meduim of clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. Common plants used in topairy include; Box (Buxus Sempervirens), Bay Laurel (laurus Nobilis), holly (Ilex spp.), Myrtle (Eugenia or Myrtus species), Yew (Taxus species), and Privet (Lingustrum species)."

Topairy and Ornamental Hedges (London) 1971

Marks Hall, Essex.

9th May 2009

"The Gardens and Arboretum located in Essex, feature landscaped woodland walks and footpaths, with vistas across the lakes to the Millennium Walk and the 18th Century Walled Garden, recently remodelled to provide a stunning combination of contemporary and traditional landscaping and planting."

Marks Hall website

I visited Marks Hall this saturday and walked around the grounds and gardens. The combination of contemporery new design and the existing classic landscaping of the place was interesting. I especially appreciated the undulance of the slate wall (photos 2 and 4) and the movement it brings to the garden. The juxtaposition of the wavelike, curvy wall and the block like angular pattern of the paving linking with the grass is interesting and works well. It is also functional as it presents the opportunity of seating within the garden as well as the opportunity for engaing with the garden, running up and down the waves of the wall i could imagine being attractive to children (it was to me!). I really liked Marks Hall and would be interested to visit again.

Ivan Hicks

"A UK garden designer and landscape artist, Ivan is best known for his highly acclaimed imaginative, innovative designs, the most well known being the ''Enchanted Forest'' at Groombridge in Kent, and ''Garden in Mind'' in Hampshire."

During one of my projects I looked into surrealist garden design in order to create an 'enchanted forest' for a design. One of the people i came across was Ivan Hicks. He is a Landscape Architect/ Garden Artist who uses surrealism and mythical influences to inform his work. The reason he caught my attention is for his enchanted forest at Goombridge Place, in Kent. He has described his garden designs for the enchanted forest to have been influenced by the Harry Potter books  and JRR Tolkiens ring trilogy. He places objects in the garden and lets nature grow over and around them implying change and magic.

Link to Ivan Hicks website.

Hidcote Manor Gardens

19/04/09

"Hidcote Manor Garden is one of England's great Arts and Crafts gardens. A profusion of colour contrasts with impeccably manicured lawns, Hidcote is a continuing influence on garden design. Whatever the season, there's something to delight and inspire."

The national trust leaflet for Hidcote Manor Gardens

I visited Hidcote Manor Gardens whilst visiting my Aunty who lives in Gloustershire. The gardens cover 10.5 acres and is composed of a series of outdoor rooms, made out of hedges of holly, yew and beech. Topairy seemed to be a main feature of the garden, as well as  a central gazebo and a large pool with roses around it. 

The gardens were created by Major Lawrence Johnston in an arts and crafts style (which concentrates on individual craftmanship) in 1907. The garden was developed for the next forty years, then handed over to the national trust. Major Johnston filled his outdoor rooms with plants from all over the world; he gathered plants from Africa and China but many more were sent to him by fellow gardening enthusiasts from all around the world.

I found the gardens very elegant and well ordered. The planting was diverse and very interesting the magnolia trees inparticular were spectacular and i came across 'skunk cabbage' and 'foxglove tree' which were unusual and new to me. i really enjoyed the garden. 

Michael Littlewood- Natural swimming pools

I was sent recently information about a new publication by landscape designer Michael Littlewood. His new publication is called 'Natural Swimming Pools, Converting the Conventional Pool' and is a supplement to 'A Guide for Building'. The information i was sent really inspired me to look into 'natural' swimming pools. They are really quite interesting; much more eco-friendly, relying upon plants to keep the pool clean where chemicals would in a conventional pool. After having looked into the pools it seems they are pools consisting of two levels; a deep level for swimming and a shallow shelf which has plants which are chosen specifically to purify the water. There is a small pump as there are in conventional pools to allow the removal of surface debri and to allow circulation of water through the pool.

'Natural swimming pools are a prime example of how we can harness nature’s intelligence efficiently. They completely eliminate the need for chemicals and constant cleaning as their biological self-cleansing processes are completely effective. Surplus nutrients and impurities, as well as harmful bacteria, are transformed by plants and natural water organisms.'

Images and quote above from Gartenart 'water design for the 21st century'.

It seems like the perfect answer to an eco-friendly swimming pool and it is beautiful and natural looking. Although often they are built to look very contemporary and sleek rather than pond like!

Link to Michael Littlewood's website.

Hilliers

18th March 2009

we went as a group to visit Hilliers nursery. 

"Established in 1864 Hillier Nurseries is a family owned Company with a great tradition in professional horticulture. Hillier Nurseries Limited is the largest grower of trees, both field and container grown, in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.

We are a wholesale nursery, supplying trade and amenity customers and are based near Romsey, Hampshire. The widest range of species is grown in sizes ranging from 8-10cm girth up to super semi-mature trees of 80cm girth+. A choice range of multi-stemmed plants, specimen shrubs and ‘instant’ hedging is also available.

We supply nation-wide and our customers include Local Authorities, Landscape Contractors, Landscape Architects, Garden Designers, House Builders, Developers, Private Estates and Golf Courses."

 We had a tour around the nursery where we saw alot of  different varueties of trees and were shown how to identify the trees just from a twig. in the afternoon we were shown how a a tree is transplanted using particular machinery.

We were taught throughout the day how to specify trees as a landscape architect, and what you would be looking for as a landscape architect choosing trees. We were shown ways of growing and training trees into certain shapes.

The day was really enjoyable and informative for everyone. I found the day very inspiring.

Snowdrops at Hedingham Castle

February 22nd 2009

I went home to Essex for the weekend, and visited Hedingham castle for one of it's three 'Snowdrop Sundays' ( where the castle grounds are open to the public to walk around). we walked around the grounds of the castle, and there was a thick carpet of snowdrops, so pretty!

Beth Chattos Garden

20th december 2008

Beth Chattos is a garden you can visit near colchester. I have visited before in may and returned with my mum to see how the seasons effect the garden.

" The Gardens began in 1960 when the site was an overgrown wasteland between two farms. faced with all kinds of difficult conditions Beth and the late Andrew Chatto set out to find homes for the many plants they wished to grow. With dry and damp soil in both sun and shade, they were able to put into practice the principles of what is now referred to as "ecological gardening""

(from the guide book for the gardens)

The most incredible thing about the Gardens is the diversity of the palnting, even at this late stage in the year the beds were rich with plants to see.