Buzzing with recycling ideas

Chris Young, Editor of The Garden, gets ideas of recycling opportunities with the garden Regeneration at this year's RHS Show Cardiff.

Recycling is at the heart of many a gardener’s mind – from making compost to reusing plastic pots each year. Chris Young, Editor of The Garden magazine, looks at four elements from one garden that has recycling as its core - Regeneration, by Dewin Designs, Jane Grehan and David Lewis (sponsor Broxton and Moruzzi Landscaping)

• Making a boundary: used palettes have been turned on their side and painted blue to create a strong, defensible fence. The horizontal middle strut has been planted, to soften the wooden edge. A nice addition is the inclusion of old bits of wood in this planting, with drilled holes for solitary bees to inhabit.

• Water feature: at the heart of the garden is the different-level pond that is edged with offcuts from the Welsh slate roof tile industry.

• Log paths: at the front of the garden, slices of timber from felled trees create a level area that is surrounded by the raised beds and water feature.

• Making a bench: old scaffold planks have been cut into a curved shape, and are supported by old reclaimed drainage grates. The detail from the grates make a nice addition to the heritage value of this garden.