Weybridge and Osterley Garden Centres
‘Dinosaur Den’ Garden

For the 2010 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show the teams at Weybridge and Osterley Garden Centres have created an intriguing pre-historic garden in support of the charity Greenfingers.

This exceptional charity creates magical gardens for children’s hospices throughout the UK. The gardens make a huge difference to the quality of life of sick children and their families, allowing them to spend time together at play or in calm privacy away from the ‘real world’ and the confines of the ward.

An escapist fantasy, the ‘Dinosaur Den’ garden is part of the show’s ‘Inspiring Spaces’ exhibit. Alex Higgins, Weybridge Garden Centre’s Horticulture Manager, explained the thinking behind the design: ‘Our mission was to create an exciting environment with a touch of adventure for children to enjoy. We wanted to create a den in which children could hide and play, using containers as the main structure. The pre-historic theme seemed an obvious choice given the fact that most children love dinosaurs.’

The focal point of the garden is a fabulous giant dinosaur tail slithering out of sight to create the illusion of a monster hiding in the foliage. Crafted from reclaimed metal, its scaly texture is reflected in soft rubbery clusters of car and bicycle tyres which also reinforce the recycling theme.

In keeping with the pre-historic look, planting is largely based on carnivorous plants and ferns whilst a canopy stretched between containers over the den is constructed from branches planted with orchids as well as the core plants.

In essence, the garden is a pre-historic playground; a quirky inspiration for both the children who could lose themselves in it and the onlookers who will marvel at it.

For more information about the garden, please contact:

Weybridge Garden Centre
Tel 01932 845084
or visit www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/weybridge
Osterley Garden Centre
Tel 0208 8472468
or visit www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/osterley

Church Lawford Nursery & Garden Centre
‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ Garden

For the 2010 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show the team at Church Lawford Nursery & Garden Centre has created a fabulous ‘Owl and the Pussycat’ garden in support of the charity Greenfingers.

This exceptional charity creates magical gardens for children’s hospices throughout the UK. The gardens make a huge difference to the quality of life of sick children and their families, allowing them to spend time together at play or in calm privacy away from the ‘real world’ and the confines of the ward.

A clever visual take on the ever popular ‘Owl and the Pussycat’ poem, the garden is part of the show’s ‘Inspiring Spaces’ exhibit. Brian Chapman, the Centre Manager, explained the thinking behind the design: ‘We were looking at different ways in which we could create an exciting environment with a touch of adventure for children to enjoy. Our major objective was to create a garden that children can appreciate for its colour and ‘fun factor’. In the centre is a huge wooden boat, which is planted with lots of colourful summer bedding plants and doubles as a sandpit.’

With sculptures of the owl and the pussycat hand-carved from logs, their ‘beautiful pea-green boat’ sits on a sea of blue lobelia and bedding plants sourced entirely from the nursery at Woodlands, a sister garden centre in The Garden Centre Group. A perfect example of team work, the creation of this appealing garden involved every member of staff at the centre and it was their talented Till Operator, Linda Cope, who helped draw up the final design.

For more information about the garden, please contact:

Church Lawford Nursery & Garden Centre
Tel 02476 542319
or visit www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/churchlawford

Wyevale Swansea Garden Centre
‘Peter Pan’ Garden

For the 2010 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show the team at Wyevale Swansea Garden Centre in Llamsamlet has created a whimsical ‘Peter Pan’ garden in support of the charity Greenfingers.

This exceptional charity creates magical gardens for children’s hospices throughout the UK. The gardens make a huge difference to the quality of life of sick children and their families, allowing them to spend time together at play or in calm privacy away from the ‘real world’ and the confines of the ward.

Based on the enduringly popular Peter Pan story, the garden encapsulates the principle of escapism and is part of the show’s ‘Inspiring Spaces’ exhibit. Ryan Simpson, the centre’s Trainee Manager, who designed and created the garden explained the thinking behind the design: ‘We wanted to create an exciting environment with an element of adventure for the children. Our aim was to create a garden that children would love for its sense of fun and its colourful appearance.’

The ‘Peter Pan’ garden is fully decked and has been designed around a central pond stocked with floating and carnivorous plants. A woven willow ‘cave’ laced with climbing plants leans over the pond, imbuing the garden with a sense of hidden delight and secrecy whilst tall wavy plants add to the mystical, flowing atmosphere. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are represented as topiary and their adventures remain tantalisingly unknown – in this garden everything and anything is possible.

The garden is a tribute to the power of the imagination; a quirky inspiration for both the children who can enjoy it and the onlookers who will be amazed at what can be achieved in a space just four metres squared.

For more information about the garden, please contact:

Wyevale Swansea Garden Centre
Tel 01792 310052
or visit www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/swansea

Media enquiries

Tel 01753 568778 or email
sharon.bryant@thegardencentregroup.co.uk