50 YEARS OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING

RHS MALVERN SPRING SHOW

50 YEARS OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING

RHS MALVERN SPRING SHOW 2024

WINNERS: GOLD MEDAL • BEST SHOW GARDEN • BEST CONSTRUCTION AWARD

Designer: Mark Draper

The Cotswold Garden: Celebrating 50 Years of Designing & Building Gardens In The Cotswolds

This year Graduate Gardeners celebrate 50 years of Landscape Garden Design & Build: 1974 – 2024.

Our entry in the 2024 RHS Malvern Spring Show, designed by Mark Draper, is designed to showcase some of the skills that we have used regularly during this time, to build a beautiful Cotswold Show Garden.

Below is a brief of the design along with some rendered images to give an idea of how the finished garden should look, and we will update this page with images from the ongoing build.

The Garden design brief:

Who is the garden designed for?

The garden is designed for a family with teenagers who enjoy spending time together and entertaining friends. They seek an outdoor space that features both a dining and seating area, optimally positioned to take full advantage of the sweeping Cotswold views that extend from the garden.

What is the inspiration for the design?

The inspiration behind the design of the garden is to celebrate Graduate Gardeners’ 50th anniversary in 2024. We are using materials and design details that are synonymous with our work in the Cotswolds, creating a space with layers of interest through the use of sympathetic materials.

How does the design inspiration relate to the brief?

Cotswold stone walling serves as both the backdrop and main framework for the design, incorporating details inspired by Cotswold gardens and landscapes. These elements create two defined areas—a dining space and a lounge—providing a functional and relaxing environment for family and friends

What are the key features of the Garden?

A natural spring emerges from the base of the wall, topped by a Cotswold stone dome feature, inspired by those seen in the village of Chalford. It leads down through a rill, connecting with a stream that runs through the meadow. A timber pergola, set on staddle stones, sits over the terrace, creating the ambiance of an outdoor room, ideal for entertaining.

What is your choice of hard materials?

Walls are constructed with Cotswold stone, Cotswold quoin stones, and are capped with Yorkstone. The terrace features Yorkstone paving and Yorkstone treads for the steps. Yorkstone setts are used in the lounge area, materials that are classically seen in the Cotswolds.

What are the key structural plants, and what’s their relevance?

The four trees framing the lounge area are Carpinus betulus, which will give structural form to the garden and provide shade, being trimmed into shape as they mature. Young apple trees will be planted in the meadow area, marking the beginnings of a new orchard. Amelanchier, Sambucus, and Physocarpus add mid-level form to the planting scheme.

What atmosphere do you want to create?

Planting will be soft and textural, creating a relaxing ambiance and providing a smooth transition from the garden to the meadow and beyond. Yew balls threaded throughout will offer evergreen structure. The garden is designed to maintain year-round structure, with a primary focus on spring flowering interest.

Other relevant details

Some garden lighting will be incorporated as part of the design, some being functional, lighting of steps, atmospheric lighting, pendant lights above the dining table, and feature lighting, lighting of the Hornbeams. The lighting illustrates how the use of the garden can be maximised at night.