Exhibitors
Courtyard gardens
Berkshire College of Agriculture
Tufa Tea
Designer: Kati Crome
Sponsor: Berkshire College of Agriculture
Contractor: Berkshire College of Agriculture
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Taking tea after tennis in a garden of the 1930s in the home counties. The garden contains period plants and features such as the tufa rock garden, sunken garden, bird bath, rustic pergola and, of course, the essential crazy paving. Formally laid out low walls often made of reclaimed materials with informal planting within. This garden uses reclaimed limestone and tufa and the pergola is constructed from sustainable larch wood.
A key laburnum tree typifies 1930s gardens, as do antirrhinums, roses, Centaurea, Delphinium, Dianthus, hollyhocks and lupins.
Almost all the plants have been grown in the greenhouses by horticultural students at the college and students from the construction department will practise the hard landscaping as part of their course, before creating the real thing at Chelsea.
Kati Crome studied garden design and horticulture at BCA for two years and was awarded a double distinction in NCH Garden Design. She received a Silver-Gilt Medal at Chelsea in 2006 for a Courtyard Garden called Daisy, Daisy and was part of the team on a show garden at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2005, both sponsored by BCA. There are a wide variety of full and part-time courses in horticulture and garden design including RHS courses at BCA.