Now the dust has cleared following the Chelsea Flower Show, we want to give you some idea of how things went, and what the idea was behind our appearance at Chelsea this year.
Having met Patricia Fox at Aralia Garden Design and Build we were very fortunate to work in close collaboration with her over the past several months. With her unique vision, she helped to further develop several key elements of what was already a stylish and contemporary Cube into a building that formed the centerpiece of her show garden. As you can see from the photograph, the Cube attracted much media attention from the BBC and others, and we were all delighted for Patricia when she was awarded a Silver Medal by the Chelsea judging panel. More details are on the BALI website (British Association of Landscape Industries).
As the above-mentioned BALI article indicates, Patricia’s approach to Chelsea was rather unusual: together with several cutting edge companies she created and further developed a range of fascinating products to fit in with her vision of a sophisticated working roof garden. Named ‘Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow,’ the garden was created in association with Walworth Garden Farm, and sponsored by RBS.
The final result? A unique show garden that incorporated an adapted version of our Modular building. The Modular featured two walls made entirely of concertina sliding glass doors, a living roof, high-tech awning, bamboo decking to create a remarkable indoor-outdoor space, and a vertical herb wall that self-irrgiates and can provide herbs for meals and for soothing cups of tea all year round. For more on Patricia’s vision and philosophy related to Chelsea, see this article.
The wild meadow roof garden drew much admiration, with plantings carefully selected for minimal maintenance and maximum impact. With automatic irrigation for ease of use, all that would be required is for the meadow to be cut with shears once or twice a year. As well as providing increased biodiversity to urban spaces or unused areas, the living roof and herb wall also made stunning and attractive features. Not only do they add beauty to our buildings, but a green roof is often viewed favourably by planning departments.
All in all, Chelsea proved a watershed for our Modular design, and one that we are looking to further develop alongside Patricia and her medal-winning team.
