Exhibitors
Chic gardens
Conchango (UK)/Gardenmakers
The Suber Garden
Designers: Louise Cummins and Caroline De Lane Lea
Sponsor: Conchango (UK) plc
Contractor: Wayne Bonner Landscapes
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The Suber Garden aims to highlight the threat to the natural habitats of the cork oak (Quercus suber).
Within The Suber Garden cork furniture, wall decorations and other elements in cork highlight the alternative uses for this material, which is versatile, sustainable and environmentally friendly. Harvested from the bark of the cork oak, without damaging the tree, the bark is left to re-grow naturally before the next harvest is made.
At the centre of the garden is a sloping, semi-circular wall of a burnt orange colour. The shape is inspired by the bark strips harvested from the cork oak, and the colour reflects that of the residual bark left after harvesting. A paved path of sandstone set in gravel winds past a cork oak tree, which stands at the entrance to the garden, and arrives at an intimate seating area. Grasses, thymes and drought-tolerant planting surround the tree and blend into the path.
The planting is a relaxed and informal combination of grasses and perennials, with some additional key plants for structure. Again inspired by the vivid colours of the stripped cork oak, the plants are chosen from a palette of cinnamon and burgundy, with accents of purple, and calming shades of green to offset the other hot, dry colours.
The Suber Garden includes plants that are attractive to wildlife, including Allium, Knautia, Lavandula and Nandina.
Cork bottle stoppers account for almost 70 percent of the total value of the cork market. The increasing use of alternative wine stoppers is threatening the continued economic viability of cork forests, a valuable habitat for the endangered Iberian lynx, the Iberian eagle and the Barbary deer. Unless the commercial value of cork is maintained there is a risk that Mediterranean cork oak landscapes, which cover approx. 2.7 million hectares in Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France, will face economic crisis and possible destruction.