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The judges for the BBC competition were seeking
designs for a plot 5m x 4m (17ft x 13ft), with a planting budget
of £2000.
Designers could choose to use a variety of materials
including soft and hard landscaping and were also asked to write
a description of the proposed garden, explaining the inspiration,
themes and ideas behind the design.
Here, Charlotte gives us an insight into her passion
and what influenced her particular design after she heard about
the competition on Radio Norfolk.
My Place
"I'm a keen gardener, and recently joined
an RHS General Certificate course in horticulture. I have a small
garden of my own which has evolved through experimentation.
My Place is the first garden I've attempted to
design for others to see, and it has been quite a challenge. Working
on the project has been a real pleasure and I would like to design
more gardens in the future.
I love wildlife, so thought about my garden as
a haven within the wider context of a world where habitat is constantly
being destroyed.
We don't own wild creatures and it's an honour
when they make their homes with us. Nearly everything in our garden
is chosen with this in mind.
As an organic gardener, I am particularly keen
to encourage beneficial insects and predators which can help with
pollination, pest and disease control. I've therefore included lots
of attractant and scented plants, as well as ones I can make use
of too.
Local influence
I also thought about my garden within the wider
environmental context of my locality, the place I live in. For me
this is rural Norfolk.
I've paid tribute to the Norfolk Broads with my
wildlife pond, which captures the beautiful Norfolk sky, and draws
it down to the earth. I've set the garden off against a backdrop
of Norfolk reed fence panels.
There are water plants and grasses which remind
me of the marram grass on coastal sand dunes. The shingle path is
common in old Norfolk cottage gardens, and makes me think of the
sea - especially the sound when I walk on it.
I've added beautiful, sea-rounded pebbles everywhere,
a simple home-made driftwood bench, and rope swags along the back
fence to continue this theme.
Norfolk is famous for its lavender - so there are
several different varieties. I've got two old varieties of apple
tree, and poppies for Cromer's famous Poppyland in the flowering
lawn."
See
Charlotte's design »
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