Case Study: RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - Small garden category

Alistair Kirt Bayford
23 Paved Green Terrace

Designer: Alistair Kirt Bayford (email - alistair.bayford@lizlake.com)
Sponsor: Breeze and Wyles Solicitors, Charcon, GoinGreen, Practicality Brown, Lighting for Gardens, British Hardwoods, HRL Architectural Hardscape, Lindum Turf, CARO Systems, Green-tech Ltd, Farrow and Ball, Craven House
Contractor: Alistair Kirt Bayford

A unique adaptation of the traditional terraced house, has helped '23 Paved Green Terrace' to win a Bronze Flora award in the small garden category at this year's RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

Designed by landscape architect, Alistair Bayford, the garden is an illustrative example of how; by considering alternative solutions to paving, we can reduce our impact on the environment.

The garden was Alistair's third show garden having exhibited at both the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2004 and Chelsea Flower Show in 2006, winning a Silver and Bronze medal respectively. Speaking about his exhibit Alistair said that 'The garden is aimed at highlighting the importance front gardens have in contributing to storm water management and biodiversity'.

Alistair says: "The terraced house is a familiar element of our towns and cities, however, their gardens are declining as the trend for swapping grass for paving becomes more prevalent. The effects of this are cumulative, and amount to many environmental problems including increased risk of flooding, increased urban temperatures, and loss of vital habitat."

"I wanted to design a garden that illustrated that even though paving is becoming more and more popular, by using responsibly manufactured products the car can be accommodated into the street scene."

A Sustainable Urban Drainage system (SUDS) was installed beneath the garden to allow for ground water recharge and blue water recycling, in turn this reinforced matrix system supported the grass area and made it suitable for parking the G-Wiz electric car.

The garden also contributed to biodiversity, cantilevered green roofs provided elevated refuges for wildlife; a native hedge provided feeding and nesting ground for garden birds and a vegetated green wall planted with a mix of evergreen herbaceous perennials and ferns provided a changing tapestry of colour.

Alistair works for award winning Landscape Architects and Urban designers LiZLaKe, based in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. For more information visit, www.lizlake.com or email alistair.bayford@lizlake.com.

Green-tech involvement:
Green-tech supplied topgrow, a tree planting compost. Topgrow is a 100% peat-free planting compost, carefully formulated from recyclable sources, with the inclusion of a slow release fertiliser.

Green-tech are also able to supply a range of ground protection and reinforcement products able to be used for parking solutions to reduce the impact of rain and stormwater damage.