I am thrilled to say that the Wildlife Friendly Garden I created for an Eco House in Winchelsea Beach has won the 'Design for the Environment Award' at The Society of Garden Designer's 2022 Awards on Friday 23rd September at The Landmark Hotel in London. The award was sponsored by Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens, which is an honour as Beth Chatto has been a great source of inspiration to my garden and planting designs over the years, particularly her amazing dry gravel garden and wonderful selection of informative books.
What the Judges said: 'A simple design that stands out for its environmental credentials. The sympathetic use of low impact materials, which enhance the setting and design concept, has been combined with sumptuous wildlife friendly planting associations to create a series of garden spaces for both the environment and the lifestyle of the homeowners.'
Sustainability, biodiversity and wildlife habitat were at the heart of this project from its very inception. There were resident pipistrelle bats on the site and a planning condition (for the new Eco House) for the garden and planting to be designed in line with the ecological report which made recommendations for bat friendly habitat. My client wanted the whole house and garden build to be environmentally responsible and have as low a carbon footprint as possible, so the building materials were mainly from sustainable local sources and hard landscaping was kept to a minimum.
This is the second year running that I have been given the Design for the Environment Award - last year I won it for Sedlescombe Primary School Sensory Garden, along with the coveted Judges' Award.
The eco house and much of the hard landscaping in the garden were built by Mitchells Construction and S. R. Avard Ltd. prepared the planting beds, refurbished the existing pond and completed the final hardscape elements in the garden.
The Eco House Garden appears in Garden's Illustrated Magazine's run down of the Society of Garden Designer's 2022 Award Winners.
Kristina with award sponsor Julia Boulton, Chairman Beth Chatto Education Trust & Beth Chatto's Granddaughter
The 2022 Society of Garden Designer's Award Winners!
The 2022 Society of Garden Designer's Award Winners & Awards Sponsors.
Kristina's Winning Wildlife Friendly Eco House Garden.
Eco house front garden.
Eco house rear garden vegetable beds.
Eco house rear garden.
A pipistrelle bat emerging from one of the new bat box in the eaves of the new eco house the first summer.