Problem overcome

The show manager emailed me today to tell me that our planned fence height of 1m (1.45m including the staging) was acceptable, but has to be finished to a high standard on the reverse side to the garden.

However I was lying in bed last night (when I get all my best ideas!) and thought that instead of having the fence in two sections of different heights along the whole length, I'd shorten the fence length, and have  a section at the front of the garden at ground level. (I had previously thought of having 3 sections at different heights, but when drawn up it looked like a wave break you see on the beach!)

This should allow approaching visitors a glimpse of the garden and the mural, and entice them into the space, wanting to see more of what is behind the fence. It also keeps the feel of the 'real' garden site back in Llandaff North. I'm going to play with dimensions.and draw it up properly.

This is what I love about garden design: finding solutions to problems (that we all have in our gardens)!

Here are the latest photos. 

Problems and a lesson learned

Today I've been filling in the RHS press form, filling in a grant application form for the community noticeboard and catching up on emails etc.

I've also hit a big problem. All along I've been focused on trying to recreate the Llandaff North garden as accurately as possible for the show: the ad hoarding, hoarding safety/access strip, 6 ft black fence, street light and odd shaped site, that we cannot alter as part of our site lease. However, as previously mentioned, I've had to make some essential changes to the design for the show: I've actually straightened up the site a bit for the show and made the ad hoarding a mural and moved it to the back of the garden for aesthetic reasons, replacing it with the black wooden fence on the left hand boundary.

However, I haven't given much thought to how the garden sits within the lineup of other gardens, and the black wooden fence stops the eye from travelling down the line of show gardens. We've considered lowering the fence height towards the front to 0.8m (+0.45m staging), but when you stand in the garden it doesn't look like a fence, but more like a trip hazard! We've considered flipping the design from left to right, which would be the ideal solution, so the public can see into the garden as they approach, but the build is well underway and I'm not sure how feasible that is.

Luckily I was able to discuss the problem with the show manager, Lucinda, who was really helpful.

I reluctantly texted Colin today on his day off to see if flipping the design was possible. To his credit he didn't swear in the text back(!), and later very kindly texted me a suggestion to get round the problem. So I'm planning a visit to the nursery tomorrow to discuss.


Certainly a lesson learned!

Welcome Baby Maya!

 Baby Maya has arrived! 6pm Spanish time.
I've been a bit distracted from my work this evening and will have to catch up tomorrow.

Keeping busy

I am writing this as I wait for news on my little sister who is, as I write, having a caesarian. As she's in Madrid, there's not much I can do!

I paid another visit to the nursery yesterday and the construction is coming on well. For practical reasons we will have to move the 'advertising hoarding' to the rear, so the supporting struts are not visible to the public, and lower the height of the new left hand fence. Final alterations, planting plan and changes to the client brief have to be submitted by 3rd April! As yet, I don't have any plants!

The weather in Cardiff is still glorious and set until the weekend. (I even had my first ice-lolly of the year yesterday- in March!) I am starting to worry that it will be followed by a very long and wet few weeks.

As the RHS doesn't allow any branding in their show gardens, I have asked the local school, Hawthorn Primary to paint a mural to represent the advertising hoarding that is on the 'real' garden site in Llandaff North. I had a meeting today with assistant headmistress Gill Kellam to talk through a potential design. Year 1 (5-6 year olds) have been studying spring plants over the past few weeks, so the mural and project ties in nicely with their curriculum. They will be assisted by some year 6 pupils, and will be drawing the design tomorrow and painting it next week before the Easter holidays! All fitted around end of term events and school trips! 'Big up' to the teaching staff!

I've also been reading the show manual, and visited the council parks dept for the necessary signatures from the council lead, Will Power. Yes that really is his name! The manual covers everything from producing leaflets to very detailed health and safety requirements.

I'll be spending this evening applying for a grant for the community noticeboard (a temporary wooden one will be made for the show because I haven't been able to raise the £3000 in time to buy one), and writing the information for our leaflet, kindly being produced for us by Brett/Love your Landscape.

RHS show manual arrives!

You may be thinking that I haven't been up to anything because I've not posted on the blog over the past two days. Wrong! I've been busy putting collection tins in the local shops, talking to shop owners, distributing leaflets and putting up posters.

On Friday I picked up the tools from Cardiff Council park rangers, for the LNRA volunteer event, and met a trainee journalist for an interview. Then I attended a meeting for my 'day job', as well as helping to deliver our recent LNRA newsletter!
On Saturday, after a morning's work at the hospital, I went to the volunteer event at our other community garden by the Cow and Snuffers pub, digging over the ground before planting up in the next few weeks. I was exhausted!

Excitingly, I received the RHS show manual yesterday! Just about to sit down with a cuppa and digest it, and plan my week ahead, which is going to be so busy. I am now starting to have sleepless nights!