Chelsea's taste of the wildlife...
Words: Jim Ward,
RHS Online
Working from home is becoming so much more popular for lots of reasons - the huge hike in fuel prices, the improvement in digital communications, a more family-orientated lifestyle - and the SkyShades Garden is the ultimate home-based wildlife haven at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011.
“It’s my dream garden,” confesses designer and conservationist Marney Hall. “I’d love to work in this office, looking out at this garden.”
Marney is best known for her natural gardens with a strong environmental message. “The 10mx10m space in Main Avenue (MA9) is probably no bigger than the average garden in a semi-detached house,” says the multi-Chelsea gold medal winner.
Traditional techniques shape a modern office
The SkyShades office is a log cabin for the modern era, made of logs taken straight from a sustainable forest in Bedfordshire. “We got the larch logs straight from the forest. We even left the bark on them – it looks so beautiful,” says Marney.
Designed by Philip Game, who has produced many extraordinary buildings for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with Marney, the building has been put together without the use of any ‘hard’ building materials. “We’ve even used broom handles as dowels,” she adds. Using traditional techniques, the office is constructed on a wooden base plate, the verticals being locked together by another horizontal plate. Spaces between the verticals are fitted with double glazed panels to allow for maximum natural light within the building.
Natural paints enhance the feeling of light and space within this very original design. “We’ve taken the colours from the lichen in forests, with reddish hues and golds from the trunks.”
Planting for wildlife
As you’d expect from such a dedicated conservationist, Marney’s planting has been designed to provide a wide range of habitats. Woodland, water, and a wildlife border of predominantly perennials; herbs and annuals mixed with meadow and hedgerow allow for the use of more than 160 species in this wonderfully biodiverse area.
“All the plants have been grown without using any chemicals,” she says. Growers include multi-gold-medal-winning Jekka McVicar for herbs, Deepdale Trees and Anglo Aquarium - the largest grower of cold water plants in the UK.
Not only food is provided within this garden but a wide variety of homes for birds, butterflies, bees and small mammals – even the planters feature native plants. “It’s very important that the plants can be of use to a wide range of wildlife both for food and shelter.
"When you get diverse planting you get far fewer problems in a garden," says Marney. "A wildlife-friendly garden is easier to manage, and you get no serious pest problems."
All of her gardens contain lush, wild plantings and water. She says: “The air we breathe is purified and regenerated for us by green plants, and I believe the sight and sound of water is a soothing influence on the stressful lives we live today.”
Marney’s ‘must-have’ plants
Heartsease (Viola tricolour): “They flower their hearts out for you. I’ve had a posy on my table on Christmas Day.” Use them in window boxes, baskets, or borders.
Erysimum 'Bowles' Mauve': This long-flowering, bushy, vigorous wallflower provides year-round nectar – it never stops flowering and is fantastic for attracting butterflies & bees.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Incredibly versatile, forms range from upright to trailing. Useful for culinary purposes, structure and flowers.
Native honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum): ‘Belgica’ is a pretty, early Dutch honeysuckle perfect for covering a boundary wall or fence in full sun or partial shade, or try the later-flowering 'Graham Thomas'.
Rowan trees (Sorbus aucuparia): “I love the autumn colour of the native rowans, birds love the berries and it’s another good source of nectar. You can keep it small by planting in a container or simply cutting back hard.”