The Garden in the Clouds, in Park Crescent, is a place for children to dream, to engage with plants and to experience nature.
A private green space located just south of the busy Marylebone Road, Park Crescent Garden is used daily by children from the nearby schools both during the day and after class, and it is much loved by local residents.
The new border has been designed to be enjoyed by all garden visitors, but especially children – to invite them to dream, to engage with plants and to experience nature.
An evergreen hedge will act as a backdrop to shelter the border from road traffic, pollution and noise. Clipped like a cloud cut-out, it will also have a playful touch and be a key feature of the border.
The reshaped bed has also been widened at one end to create a small immersive cove in the middle.
Rounded evergreen shrubs echo the cloud theme across the border, which has an overall undulating, pillowy flow.
Colourful spring flowers will bring a sense of excitement early in the year. These will be followed by summer and early autumn perennials. While in winter, colourful stems, twisted branches and unusual seed-heads will bring a zing to the colder days.
Shorter plants or cultivars have been chosen to provide a child-focused experience at the front of the border, while a variety of leaf shapes and textures will give children a tactile opportunity to engage further with nature.
Log piles, made from the trees felled behind the border, are arranged in inconspicuous areas to encourage insects and wildlife. In turn, this will create further opportunities for children to discover and learn.
GILG GARDEN DESIGN 