Gold Medal and Best Show Garden for Scotland's Top Landscaper and Water Features Team (11 June 2010)

The Reinforcing Nature Show Garden struck gold at this year's Gardening Scotland.  It scooped a gold medal but was also named Best Show Garden with a display which, according to RHS judge Lesley Watson, would have looked perfectly at home at Chelsea.

BALI Grand Award winners, Water Gems, designed and built the show-stopping garden. They teamed up with garden designer, Carolyn Grohmann of Secret Gardens, for her creative planting skills.  Together they produced a garden which left visitors and exhibitors to Gardening Scotland breathless.

The sculptural centre-piece of woven reinforcing bars (Rebar) swooped and flowed through clouds of wildflowers and tranquil water creating a garden which was both relaxing and dreamy.  Luxurious curves, beautiful reflections and stunning planting combinations made this a garden which was instantly appealing.  The central larch deck and wildflower roof offered to cocoon, protect and entrance.  A generous fire pit and comforting pillows beckoned at the centre of this peaceful haven leaving the visitor with visions of late summer evenings spent in a spell-binding setting. 

Gardening Scotland PR agent, Agnes Stevenson said of the garden, ‘Everyone at the Show was wowed by it. I think the Reinforcing Nature Show Garden has raised the standard at Gardening Scotland to new levels.’ 

Design and Build
Sam Lowndes of Water Gems formulated the intricate and sensitive design of the garden last autumn.  It then took five months to prepare the four and a half tonne Rebar structure which had to be craned onto an articulated lorry and escorted to the showground by police outriders.  ‘Following on from our success at BALI, we wanted to showcase our work for our home audience here in Scotland,’ said Nick Benge of Water Gems.  ‘We are thrilled by the response to the show garden.’

Planting companions
The use of a biodiverse wildflower matting in the garden was complimented by drifts of Stipa tenuifolia, Astrantia major Ruby, Ranunculus aconitum ‘Pleniflorus’ and Geranium sylvaticum ‘Mayflower’.  Rodgersia pinnata ‘Superba’ combined with Carex buchananii, testacea and comans ‘Bronze’ to mimic the colours of the Rebar while one of the most popular borders of the garden contained a dreamy mix of Paeonia Claire de Lune, Sanguisorba and Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’.   The excellent quality of the plants themselves was down to the skill and experience of fellow exhibitor, Billy Caruthers of Binny Plants, who supplied the plants.  

Carolyn explains, ‘I used the wildflower matting to problem-solve some of the trickier surfaces in the garden and then selected the cultivated plants to mimic the wildflower effect.  Overall, though, it was the meticulous attention to detail and a true sense of team spirit which made this show garden so particularly special.’

Contacts:
Nick Benge of Water Gems (Alba) Ltd: 0131 317 8585, www.watergems.co.uk, enquiries@watergems.co.uk
Carolyn Grohmann of Secret Gardens: 0131 443 5818, www.secretgardensdesign.co.uk, cgrohmann@yahoo.co.uk
www.reinforcingnature.org

Gardening Scotland Photos