Harrogate Autumn Flower Show 1999: Silver Gilt Award

The exhibition garden was designed to represent one corner of a contemporary courtyard and consisted of a planted edge contained in a stainless steel planter and a natural stone paved area to accommodate a small table and chairs. The garden also incorporated various mosaic pieces, individually designed for the space by artist Joanna Kessel.

The Design

The design explored the striking and beautiful colour combination of cool blue- greens and warm reds and purples and was expressed not only in the plants, but also in the paving and mosaic details. Collaboration with mosaic artist Joanna Kessel, demonstrated how the introduction of small artworks can lift a design and create a truly individual garden.

The layout and design was deliberately simple, given the small space available, in order that the subtle beauty of the natural stone paving and carefully selected planting and mosaic colours, patterns and textures could be fully appreciated.

Planting

Plants were selected not only for their colour but for their form, line and texture and were combined to create striking contrasts in all of these qualities.

Among the plants used were Picea pungens 'Glauca' and Festuca glauca for their steely blue colour and Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana' and Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' for their rich reds and purples. Eucalyptus gunnii combined both these colours in its blue-green leaves and red stems.

Paving

Indian Blue Limestone was selected for its unusual blue-green colour. Large flags were used to provide a smooth surface for the table and chairs and small setts at the edge to give a change in texture. The mosaic trim, which was an integral part of the paving design, used colours from the plants and paving with accents of silver to reflect light.

Planter

The planter was clad in brushed stainless steel to give a crisp, modern look to the garden, to introduce reflections of the paving and mosaic and to maximise the feeling of space.