Garden Design (2015)

Shared spaces

FROM COMMUNITY GARDENS to those in schools and hospitals, shared outdoor spaces bring people together to enjoy and benefit from the plants and wildlife.

COMMUNAL AND COMMUNITY GARDENS

With high-value inner city land always under pressure for development, individual gardens are not always possible or feasible. Communal gardens are often a solution, offering unified spaces available for all residents to enjoy. Landscaped areas around housing developments are likely to be privately owned and maintained by a contractor to an agreed standard, and the use of space can be passive, such as sitting and communing with neighbours, friends or family, or interactive, where designated areas are identified for residents to cultivate their own plants.

Communal gardens provide a wonderful opportunity for people to interact with nature and develop new skills, while promoting neighbourliness and a sense of community. They may also be a catalyst for social groups that share resources, skills and interests. If you want to develop a garden, whether on a patio outside a block of flats or area of ground around your home, check first that there are no restrictions from your landlord or housing trust on the use of the land and what you can grow. Ask your local authority and look at the deeds of your property to find out what is permissible.

Community gardens are slightly different from communal gardens. Most are run by not-for-profit groups or charities, with local communities frequently adopting spaces that have been physically degraded or neglected, or parks and amenity areas that can no longer be financially supported by local authorities. Movements such as Transition Towns and Sustain also run community gardens and orchards to make a cultural difference, encouraging people to grow and sell their own vegetables close to home.

Community gardens can also play an important role in fulfilling a social need, providing a club for those who are physically, mentally or socially disadvantaged, where individuals can gain confidence and develop new skills through horticulture and garden-making.

“Community gardens are not about the final design but about the process of gardening. However, it’s best to start with a basic framework of paths, hedges and trees to divide up the space for a range of activities.”

JOHN WYER

ALLOTMENTS

Most towns and cities, and even country areas, include land set aside by the local authority for allotments, enabling local people with small gardens or those living in flats to cultivate a wide range of crops and ornamental plants. Allotment sites and the groups that run them vary enormously, with some overseen directly by local authorities, others by local societies that act as agents for the council or are self governing. These societies often provide additional facilities, such as a social centre or bulk-buying of horticultural products and sundries for site users.

The popularity of growing produce has led to a shortage of allotments in some areas, so you may need to add your name to a waiting list. But before taking one on, consider the time you have available to cultivate it. While producing your own fresh food has its appeal, an allotment is also hard work to maintain, so ask if you can develop just part of a plot or share one with friends if your time is limited.

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENTS

With horticulture now part of the national curriculum, schools are establishing gardens as a stage for practical study. The catalyst has been the widespread realisation that many school children do not know where food comes from, combined with a decline in the knowledge and skills needed to grow and cultivate plants. Gardening can be used across a wide range of other studies, too, including mathematics, biology, geography, physics and chemistry, as well as tuning children into seasonal rhythms, and increasing exercise, teamwork and personal development.

If your school does not have a garden and you want to create one, you can make representation through school governors or the senior management team. Important issues to consider when setting up such a garden include site access, and the allocation of responsibilities for the ongoing maintenance during term times and holiday periods, particularly in summer. When selecting plants, opt for those that grow and yield quickly during term times, such as salads, or carry on through summer and are harvested in autumn, including pumpkins and squashes. Apples and pears that ripen in September and October are also useful. Tall sunflowers, willow or hazel for weaving and memorable aromatic plants, such as sage, rosemary and lavender, are also fun to grow. And try to follow organic growing techniques to avoid the use of chemical pesticides.

HOSPICE GARDENS

Designers are increasingly being asked to provide creative solutions for hospice gardens, either through charitable organisations or directly through hospice management teams. The value of gardens for those with terminal conditions cannot be underestimated. They provide opportunities to connect with nature and allow patients to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight, as well as providing beautiful spaces to meet with loved ones.

Designs need to accommodate wheel chair or disabled access, provide shelter from the elements and be accessible to a number of patients at any one time, with plenty of seating. Raised beds, perhaps with integral seating are often included, enabling plants to be viewed up close and cultivated with minimum effort. Designers also include sensory plants, allowing direct interaction with them, using touch, smell and sight to evoke memories and a sense of well-being. Hospice gardens must also provide visual interest all year round, and look good when viewed from above, encouraging residents and others to visit.

Many hospice gardens are self-funded or supported by charitable trusts, such as the Lottery, but budgets are very tight. So if you love gardening and have the time and skills, contact your local hospice and offer your services.

GARDEN DESIGNS FOR HOSPITALS

Well-designed landscapes and gardens staged in hospital grounds make a valuable contribution to the perceived and actual quality of the facilities, as well as augmenting the range of ancillary services they provide. Research also shows that being outside in a green natural environment has benefits for both physical and mental health, prompting more hospitals to install gardens. Some hospitals have commissioned stand-alone gardens for patients and their visitors to enjoy, while others have integrated planted spaces into the overall landscaping of the site, often in areas close to main thoroughfares, the entranceway and car parks.

The design of a hospital garden needs to be bold and provide visual interest all year round; it must also look good when viewed from surrounding windows, which is how many patients and staff will experience it. Simple yet imposing planting designs tend to work best, and schemes should be easily maintained, as funding is often limited; designers often use land sculpting or the creative use of turf, which offers maximum visual interest at minimal cost.

Some hospitals also use their gardens for creative and therapeutic activities for patients. For example, cancer patients and those suffering from spinal and other physical injuries, can be helped through a range of gardening practices. Although directed by professionals, many institutions depend on volunteers to support these activities, with training for such schemes provided by the hospital staff.

A garden for sufferers of spinal injuries by Cleve West

A well designed and maintained communal thoroughfare not only offers an attractive amenity, but also increases respect for the space.

DESIGN BY JOHN WYER

Previously a foreboding haunt used by drug dealers, this alley is now a beautiful space managed by the local community.

DESIGN BY SARAH EBERLE AND ANDREW BURNS

A striking design, with geometric paths, seats and green spaces, sets the tone for this office and apartment complex.

DESIGN BY WILSON MCWILLIAM

Many communal gardens are tended by friends’ groups and community associations, enabling ownership the space.

DESIGN BY IAN KITSON

While allotments offer opportunities to grow fresh food, they require commitment and time to maintain them.

Many allotment sites are in multicultural neighbourhoods, promoting the exchange of crops and skills from different cultures.

DESIGN BY CLEVE WEST

Gardens in schools should be stimulating and interactive environments, and also encourage children to explore and understand the natural world and our place within it.

DESIGN BY JOANNA HERALD

A wild flower meadow has been installed in the grounds of this hospice, allowing users to enjoy the wildlife and flowers. Meadows are also relatively easy to maintain once established.

DESIGN BY CHRIS PARSONS

Tactile, aromatic and visually stimulating plants decorate this tranquil space for residents and families of a Maggie’s Cancer Care centre in London.

DESIGN BY DAN PEARSON

Rich and visually stimulating planting are the hallmarks of the design at this orthopaedic centre, offering residents and staff a space to relax.

DESIGN BY JULIA FOGG