The Urban Rain Garden has won a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Squire’s Garden Centres and Landform Consultants joined forces to present the contemporary garden in the new RHS category ‘Gardens for a Changing World’, which reflects the more sustainable direction that gardening is taking worldwide.
The garden is designed by Rhiannon Williams, one of the youngest designers at the show aged just 23. It showcases clever rainwater management techniques, so that all rainwater and run-off from the house is redirected, stored and used within the garden. A really unusual feature of the design is that there is both a front and back garden with a walkway in-between. This allows show visitors a 360-degree view of the garden, giving it a very interactive feel. Natural stone supplied by London Stone and a stunning planting scheme goes to show that gardening can be sustainable without compromising on beauty.
Squire’s deputy chairman Sarah Squire (pictured left) commented: “It’s a beautiful garden, which is contemporary and sophisticated, and it is also thought-provoking, as it addresses the issues of climate change and sustainability. Planting is zoned to deal with varying water levels within the garden, using a subtle colour palette of purples, greens, yellows and whites. The garden is a very relaxing space to be in, and the craftsmanship and execution is second to none.”
Designer Rhiannon Williams (pictured right) added: “I couldn’t be more thrilled. This has been a fantastic experience from start to finish and the team has been amazing. I always wanted to create spaces that are beautiful, functional and inspirational and The Urban Rain Garden will hopefully do just that. My aim was to demonstrate how designed interventions, both small and large, can be incorporated into our gardens, to allow us to adopt a more sustainable approach to water management.”
