Winner – Pro Landscaper Planting Design Under £20,000 Award

I am thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as the winner of the Pro Landscaper Awards in the Planting Design Under £20,000 category.

“For the third year in a row, these awards celebrated projects with a value under £30k, a budget range which can often go underappreciated. The seven categories recognised different aspects of a project, from design and build to sustainability and planting.”

Adam's winning design, the Ravine Garden

Inspired by The Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Ravine Garden was created to deliver a truly vibrant planting scheme which would provide interest throughout the year and would increase the biodiversity of the site significantly.

The site conditions are unique with a cool, damp, and shady valley floor, which graduates through east and west facing banks to the hot and dry planting of the southerly facing banks. As such, the conditions were both a challenge and an exciting opportunity to blend diverse, yet fascinating planting schemes which could thrive in a Ravine-type environment.

In addition to thriving in the diverse conditions, the overall requirement for the planting was to add year-round interest, varied form, interesting textures and a sense of intimacy within the space. The intimacy was intended to allow the client a cool, relaxing space to chill out and unwind from the pressures of modern-day life.

The key to the plant selection within The Ravine was to fully understand the environment created and therefore selecting the right plants for the right location:

Area 1 - South facing bank, well drained, and full sun:

Chamaerops humilis, Astelia nervosa ‘Westland’, Agapanthus africanus, Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Eucomis ‘Zeal Bronze’ and Aloe striatulata. Grasses used – Stipa tenuissima, Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ and Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’.

Area 2 - North facing bank, well drained, and deep shade:

Euphorbia ‘Robbiae’, several Hellebores, Liriope muscari, Anemanthele lessoniana, several Dryopteris and Epimediums.

Area 3 - North facing bank, wet/damp, deep/partial shade:

Digitalis purpurea, Gunnera manicata, Astilbe ‘Ellie’, Rheum palmatum, Matteucia struthiopteris, Dicksonia antarctica, Asplenium scolopendrium, several hostas, Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ and Acanthus mollis.

Area 4 - East and west facing banks, well drained, and partial shade.

Primula bulleyana, Primula beesiana, Primula denticulata, Primula japonica, Hydrangea quercifolia, Cornus ‘Mid-winter Fire’, Matteucia struthiopteris, several Hellebores, Several Camassias, Echium pininana and Osmunda regalis.

As parts of the garden were open, trees and larger shrubs were added to create a dappled shade (partial shade) on the east and west facing banks. Here, Betula utilis Jacquemontii, Amelanchier lamarkii, Japanese maples, Rhododendrons, Camelias and Cornus Kousa were used to good effect.

Nina Mason, 16 November 2021, 'Winners announced for Pro Landscaper’s small project BIG IMPACT Awards', www.prolandscapermagazine.com