Graduate Landscapes at Hampton Court Flower Show 2011

Mar 1st, 2011

Graduate Landscapes are getting excited after the recent acceptance of our garden design into the Hampton Court Flower Show 2011.

If you were lucky enough to visit Hampton Court Flower Show 2010 then the emphasis on growing your own fruit and veg would not have passed you by and with growing environmental concern added to the current economic climate the trend will surely make its return in this year’s show. Well we at Graduate Landscapes have taken the idea of ‘growing your own’ one step further and have looked, quite literally, deeper into the subject.

The design created by our colleague Dan Lobb, a self-confessed environmentalist, has been selected for the Conceptual Gardens category and aims to highlight the issue of the effect of human consumption on the wider environment, in an innovative and exciting way.

The imaginative design, aptly named ‘Landscape Obscured,’ will be an intriguing treat for visitors as it requires investigation in order to reveal its concealed treasures!

On approach the minimalistic design of the tilted turf panel surrounded by rusted steel periscopes wouldn’t look out of place as an installation on a contemporary London roof top. However, with solar panelled periscopes powering LED lights situated below ground, a hidden underground world is illuminated. Here a rolling landscape of edible fungi, mosses, lichen and liverwort surrounds a still motionless reflective pool.

Through the use of living fungus the underground landscape will continue to grow and evolve each day ensuring an interesting, developing installation throughout the week.

With the use of carefully selected materials the installation has been designed to keep wastage to a minimum and therefore adheres to the Hampton Court Flower Show’s aim of inspiring creativity and sustainability, a big tick for us then! This has been achieved in a number of ways e.g. the tilted panel will use existing onsite turf, cut out and reinstated for the exhibition and the steel structure can be recycled. The fungi will be harvested, made into delicious veggie burgers and handed out to passing visitors on the last day giving viewers a treat for the eyes and the taste buds!

So, with the design and the mushroom supplier in place all that’s left is to source bespoke steel periscopes, work out how to suitably tilt a large square of turf and finally construct the installation…easy!

You’ll be able to see if we manage it at Hampton Court Flower Show 2011 which takes place from the 5^th – 10^th July and with so much to do and see at the outdoor event it’s sure to be a great day out for all ages. Tickets are available now so book soon to avoid disappointment.

Written by JG