This was Mark’s 4th Malvern Show Garden, his last 3 gardens all having won Gold Medals and Best in Show. This garden marks a change of direction in show gardens for Graduates, and the results, of the simple build with strong angular lines cutting through swathes of meadow style planting, are simply stunning.
The ‘Urban Oasis’ garden has been designed for a young professional couple to unwind in, after a hard day’s work. This is a funky, modern looking space with movement and pings of colour throughout, surrounded by a dark cladded wall and a yew hedge of the same height.
A zig-zag boardwalk, in the same dominant colour as the fencing travels through the garden to a decked seating area, which is enclosed by a steel-framed pergola with painted timber roof. This is a space to sit and relax, where the decking appears to float over a reflective pool.
From this pool, a rill runs along and under the boardwalk to a second reflective pool. Here, a feature made up of steel sculptural panels, contrasts with the neutral backdrop and picks up the colours within the planting and the pergola.
The dark background provides a stark contrast to the brilliant and vibrant colours of the soft, modern meadow type planting. Four large Prunus maackii, with their stunning golden orange bark, provide shade and privacy.
