This July, The Wildlife Trusts’ show garden at this summer’s RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival aims to inspire people to make yards and gardens wilder – even if they don’t own them. The Renter’s Retreat is designed by Zoe Claymore to highlight how everybody can play an important role in helping nature to recover, especially in urban areas.
The garden captured everyone's imagination and won an RHS Gold Medal, best in category, and people's choice award for the 'Get Started' gardens RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2023.
The Garden Trellis Co is delighted that Zoe Claymore asked us to create a bespoke storage unit, specially designed for renters to be able to take with them when they move. Hand-made in our UK workshop, the store is designed to house a water butt for rainwater collection and a compost bin.
Above: Artistic impression in colour of the show garden from the visitors' perspective. A courtyard garden with a rendered wall and paved surface. It is filled with movable raised beds, a hügelkultur mound, log planters and plants in reclaimed pots. In the middle of the garden is a bench opposite a containerised pond and a small tree. To the side of the garden is a storage bin with a water butt and a compost bin inside. There are insects in logs, pollinators near flowers, a frog in the pond and birds in the tree and on the storage unit.
“The aim of this garden is to inspire and empower renters to get gardening for themselves and the planet.” Zoe explains, “This doesn't stop at plants though. Like indoor furniture, I want to show tenants that they can invest in movable items to enhance their outdoor spaces such as storage, furniture and raised beds. If you'd buy an indoor cabinet, why not an outdoor one and take it with you when you move?”
Above: Zoe Claymore on site at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, London
Around one in three households in England are rented and over seven million of these properties have access to outdoor space. Claymore’s garden aims to show visitors how they can help nature and climate by utilising small outdoor areas – particularly in towns and cities as 85% of England’s population lives in urban areas.
Nikki Williams, director of campaigning and communities for The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“There are around 24 million gardens across the UK, and they can play a central role in nature’s recovery, especially in urban areas. As part of the government-backed ambition to protect 30% of land for nature, we need to create connected networks of habitats that provide wildlife with places to live – including in towns and cities.
“The Renter’s Retreat can empower individuals and communities to help nature where they live, in courtyards, ‘yardens’ and in tiny urban gardens. If every garden had wildflowers, a pond and a small tree, it would have such a positive impact for nature. We need to help nature recover everywhere and gardens are an excellent place to start.”
Zoe Claymore, garden designer, says:
“This garden is all about showing how every bit of outside space can become an oasis for bugs, birds and mini-beasts – irrespective of where you live. I want to inspire people to make little changes that have a big impact both for nature and people. We know that spending time in green spaces is so important for our health and happiness, and creating greener yards and gardens can work wonders for our wellbeing.”
Above Left: The bespoke store being delivered to Frogheath Landscapes. Right: RHS Prestige Trellis, Fencing & Gates, with matching Prestige planters handmade in our Essex workshop and ready for vertical planting.
At The Garden Trellis Co, we believe that it is important to find ways to add more greenery and wildlife to private and public outdoor spaces. We have a range of wooden garden products which encourage vertical planting and allow people to make the most of the outdoor spaces they have available including trellis, slatted panels, planters, rose arches, pergolas and obelisks.
Ecological gardening starts with choosing sustainable suppliers and The Garden Trellis Co have an environmental policy in place which includes responsibly sourced timber, powering the production with biomass and solar power and planting one tree with every order. These factors, combined with the high quality of the products led the RHS to endorse trellis, fencing and gates from the Prestige range.
The high-quality products from The Garden Trellis Co are built to last for many years, and whilst trellis and fencing tend to stay with a property, there are a number of quality items that can be invested in and moved between properties if needed. This could include wooden planters and obelisks as well as bin stores, log stores and bike sheds.
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