"A Little Piece of Theatre"
Malvern Flower Show 2009 silver medal winner
Act 1
'A Little Piece of Theatre' is a show garden which has been designed for a newly retired couple who have had a successful stage career in dance. The purpose of the design was to provide a secluded corner within a larger garden which could be used for relaxing alone or entertaining friends. The main feature of the garden is a Victorian style theatre entrance with steps which provide informal seating.
Ornate columns add vertical structure to the design and help frame the theatre entrance. The couple requested moving water within the garden, to mask the sound of a distant road.
A top hat water feature helps enliven the space and masks the sound of a nearby road and reinforces the theme of the garden. The garden faces south and has fertile, moisture retentive soil. The planting has been selected to respond to these conditions.
Act 2 - The plants
| TREE | PERENNIALS |
| Betula utilis 'Jacquemontii' | Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata 'Black Barlow' |
| Euphorbia 'Martinii' | |
| HEDGING | Dicentra 'Aurora' |
| Taxus baccata | Geranium 'Stephanie' |
| Geranium pheum 'Samoboor' | |
| SHRUBS | Hosta aureomarginata |
| Buxus sempervirens | Iris chrysographes |
| Macleaya cordata | |
| GROUND COVER | Epimedium 'Lilafee' |
| Ajuga reptans | Mathiasella bupleuroides |
| Trifolium repans 'Purpurascens' | Primula veris |
| Viola labrodorica | Polemononium 'Bressigham Purple' |
| Rodgersia 'Irish Bronze' | |
| BULBS | Tellima grandiflora |
| Camassia leichtinii 'Semiplena' | Trollius x cultorum 'Alabaster' |
| Camassia leichtinii 'Alba' |
Act 3 - The Team
No show garden, or indeed garden design project, comes together without the dedicated efforts and support of a number if people and organisations. You can find a comprehensive list of all the suppliers and contractors on my links page.
In addition, my thanks go to:
Liz Norton and Gavin McKinnell for providing an injection of funds when it was desperately needed.
Barbara and Robert Platt for 'rolling up their sleeves' during the build and keeping us well fed and watered.
Mike Vout and Chris Jones at Telford and Wrekin Council for generously letting me go to the Chelsea Flower Show with them in 2007; providing lots of useful advice for this project and insisting that I plan everything in minute detail!
Alison and Terry Price for the loan of their caravan so we had a roof over our heads during the build.
Paul Taylor for always being there when we needed him and lending a hand with the heavy stuff.