Silo: All that comes in remains

The garden

All that comes in remains is a garden built on Silo’s zero-waste philosophy - a closed-loop system where outputs become inputs. The “there is no bin” approach to cooking is translated into soil, planting and materials.

Every element has a role. Plants are not only edible, but active participants in the system, improving soil health, supporting biodiversity and strengthening environmental resilience. Supported by Cure Leukaemia, the garden reflects the wider value of food: nourishment, ecology and time spent in nature.

From planting to construction, the garden operates as a continuous cycle. Materials are not discarded but reworked, including a pioneering, organic alternative to concrete made from recycled oyster shells, a byproduct of the restaurant industry. The design follows an edimental approach, where plants are both edible and ornamental. Productive crops sit alongside flowering herbs and vegetables, creating a space where food and beauty are inseparable.

The result is a garden that functions as much as it invites - a place to gather, cook and connect with food at its source.

The planting

Planting follows an edible landscape approach, combining traditional allotment planting with more ornamental “edimental” planting.

Key plants:

• Cicer arietinum: chickpea is highly resilient, drought-tolerant plant. Known for fixing its own nitrogen and requiring minimal inputs, it acts as a sustainable, low-maintenance crop that improves soil health

• Chamaemelum nobile: chamomile is a companion plant that boosts the health, flavour and pest resistance of brassicas, onions and herbs like basil. It acts as a natural fungicide and insecticide, while attracting beneficial insects like ladybugs and pollinators

• Angelica archangelica: is chosen as it is a popular plant. It has great presence but not everyone knows that it is an entirely edible, aromatic and medicinal, with young stems often candied for cakes and desserts, young shoots used in salads, roots used as a cooked vegetable, and seeds used in pastries or for flavouring gin

• Halesia carolina: to show that there are many plants not known for being edible. This shrub produces four-winged fruits, edible when green in summer with a nice pea flavour

The designer – Abigail Stoyle

Abigail is a career changer. The more time she spent working in an office in central London, the more she felt drawn to being outdoors, particularly in her garden, surrounded by green space. She pursued a career in Garden Design, where she can combine her technical foundation with an ever growing passion for creativity. Her strength lies in understanding space, scale and proportion, using a considered balance of hard and soft landscaping to create practical, well-structured gardens.

About the supporting charity – Cure Leukaemia

Cure Leukaemia believes in investing in ideas that create lasting impact. Just as they work to accelerate access to life-saving treatments by supporting pioneering research and clinical trials, the garden demonstrates how thoughtful systems can transform overlooked resources into something valuable and enduring. The project also highlights the importance of collaboration. Designers, chefs, artists and material innovators have come together to create a garden that celebrates creativity, sustainability and shared purpose. In this way the garden becomes both a physical space and a symbol of how collective effort can drive meaningful change. 

Sustainability notes

Oyster[crete] is a bio-based building material developed by the London design studio Matter Forms as a sustainable alternative to conventional concrete. It transforms discarded oyster shells from the food industry into a structural composite material that can be used for objects, interiors and architectural elements.

Cork is also incorporated into the garden, highlighting a declining industry as many wine producers move from traditional corks to screw caps. By using cork in a new context, the design helps draw attention to the value of this natural and renewable material.

The garden legacy

The garden will be relocated to private clients and local community spaces.