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RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park 2006


Exhibitors

Show Gardens

Peter Ashley Ltd
The Four Elements: A Garden for the Senses

The Four Elements - photo

Peter Ashley Ltd show gardenDesigner: D C Duiker-Parker (J Parker Landscape Design)
Sponsor: Peter Ashley Ltd
Contractor: Peter Ashley Ltd

Click on the image to view a hi-res version

Click here to view a panorama of this garden.

The Four Elements is designed for entertaining. It is a calming garden, in which contemporary geometric design sits alongside natural materials. Contrasting textures and a simple colour palette, both in terms of hard and soft materials, hold the design together. The natural riven finish of the walling contrasts with the polished copper and sawn stone, and a broad strip of cobbles runs through the sawn stone, offering further contrast. Swathes of grasses and perennials provide movement, reflecting the colours of the hard landscaping.

The main focus of the garden is a sunken patio area, surrounded by stone retaining walls and planting. Water is a major element in the design, with a large pool spanning one side of the space. Stretching out from the pool, a series of shimmering copper poles forms a strong structural element. Water flows over a large, curved copper water wall into a second lower pool by the seating area. An olive tree grows from a circular bed in the centre of the lower pool.