Residents' show garden to go back to its roots

Want to create a community garden to improve your area? Llandaff North Residents' Association's show design should inspire you.

Greening up our towns and cities is a recurring theme in horticulture this year and one of the show gardens at RHS Show Cardiff 2012 epitomises this trend. 

The Llandaff North Residents’ Association is working in partnership with Cardiff Council and other partners to create a garden to revitalise unused space in their neighbourhood, creating a place to bring the village community together.

The LNRA’s garden, A Growing Community, is also being built at the RHS Show Cardiff to inspire other communities to take action and get involved in similar horticulture projects. At the end of the show, elements of the garden will be reused when the design is built in its permanent home in Llandaff North. 

Community votes for its favourite design

Stephanie Wilkins, chair of the Llandaff North Residents’ Association and designer of the garden, explains: 'I undertake quite a bit of community work locally, and having studied garden design I drew up a design for a community garden in 2009, to be sited on unused land on Station Road in Llandaff North.

'Landowners JCDecaux agreed to lease the land to the community for a peppercorn rent and we consulted with local residents via our website on two designs, a formal design and an informal one. The informal garden was chosen by an overwhelming majority.

'Our partner, Cardiff Council, offered to bring the garden to the RHS Show Cardiff and we are really excited about building the design at the show and telling visitors about our project.'

Sustainable design

Sustainable, affordable and practical, the garden is inviting, with easy access, places to sit and socialise, and a community noticeboard. The aim is to enhance the local area and bring residents together and the planting scheme has been designed to be low maintenance and bring colour to the garden throughout the year.

You can see the garden in its new home in Llandaff North after the show.

More information about the Llandaff North Residents’ Association