If we take a closer look around us, clay soils bring us so many benefits from the bricks that our homes are built with or laid in our gardens, the tiles on our roofs, to the pots that we plant into or even the mug we drink that much needed tea or coffee from.
Malvern is in Worcestershire, a County renowned for its growing of fruit and vegetables, alongside the neighbouring counties of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and all this is down to the wonderfully fertile clay soils. The feature garden showcases the use of clay materials in a contemporary styled garden with nods to traditional artisan crafts.
A timber framed structure created with locally sourced timber from Herefordshire, is clad in clay tiles manufactured in the West Midlands by a 200-year-old family run business, from soils sourced in Staffordshire. Feature walls also clad with tiles are set amongst the planting and shelter the space alongside hedging suitable for clay soils including native species.
The accessible pathways are created using self-binding gravel and lead to brick paver terraces sourced from the West Midlands. The pathway winds past a series of raised timber beds with a window into the soil ‘horizons’, demonstrating differing methods of working with clay soils from traditional mulching to a ‘No Dig’ approach, or ‘Chop and Drop’ method.
Whilst clay pots created by artisans in England and sourced from a Herefordshire business will include planting displays and additional opportunities for planting if you really can’t get into the clay soil.
A striking sculpture created by the renowned sculptor Simon Gudgeon brings art and a focal point into the garden and is inspired by the fruit growing history of the the Three Counties.
