The Water Gardens

The Water Gardens are a public park delivered by a local authority. The Gardens provide a horticultural display on a dramatic scale for the enjoyment of the general public.

HTA’s planting scheme formed a major part of the Heritage Lottery Funded restoration of a 1960s park. The Flower Garden exudes the pop culture and exuberance of the era. This is not a scheme about subtle harmonious drifts but an explosion of bright contrasting bold colours, textures, strong fragrances and sensory delight that creates an immersive experience, attracting and inspiring visitors throughout the year.

HTA led the project and advocated creating a garden in the style of the original 1960s scheme. We designed the planting, prepared the works and maintenance specification and administered the contract. We persuaded the local authority to make a considerable horticultural investment in bringing back the Flower Garden and safeguarding its future through a new fulltime skilled gardener based within the park - returning traditional horticultural skills to the public sector and a public presence in a public space. The gardener is supported by seasonal staff, an apprentice as well as volunteers and was provided with new facilities as part of this project (office, store, growing area and compound).

Maintenance is being carried out to a 10 year management plan to inform their ongoing custodianship and we regularly meet with the gardener to discuss the care and evolution of the garden.

The scheme shows that ambitious planting designs can be successfully delivered and maintained by the public sector for the public. It combines research, creativity and a fresh perspective that is faithful to the past whilst creating a new stunning destination for today.

The 1960s planting design was carried out by Susan Jellicoe. We had sample planting plans for the three main areas of the Gardens. We used these as well as other historic documentation as a basis, interpreting Susan’s design intent, plant combinations, accents and forms to shape our design.

Whilst we used as many of the original cultivars as possible, we devised a new plant palette increasing wildlife value and addressing issues of resilience, disease resistance, drought tolerance and maintainability to create a sustainable scheme.

Important signature plants from the era were reintroduced. The National Dahlia Collection assisted with identifying dahlias on black and white 1960s photographs of the gardens and now contract grows these ‘period’ dahlias each year.

A fundamental objective of the project was to increase biodiversity and good environmental practice.

We started with enhancing the ground conditions and soil structure. As part of the overall works, over 1,000 m3 of silt were removed from the watercourse. Rather than sending the dredgings to landfill, it was treated in situ and used as a soil ameliorant, improving the organic content and reducing the need for imported materials and lorry trips.

A decked car park with open sides to the Serpentine Walk detracted from the scheme. Its entire 100m length has been clad in an instant ivy screen which serves as a green backdrop, hiding cars, reducing light spill, noise and absorbing air pollution.

A new all native biodiverse planting scheme has been implemented along the lake edge and marginal planting introduced using only native plant species. The flower garden is now overflowing with wildlife-attracting plants, chosen to provide nectar, pollen and berries over a prolonged season.

Since the works were completed, the Gardens have become a wildlife haven in an urban setting. A heron and kingfishers are now resident in the Gardens; butterflies, dragonflies and fish have returned.

The scheme shows that ambitious large scale planting schemes can successfully be delivered and maintained by the public sector for the enjoyment of the general public. Since its opening in 2017, the Water Gardens has served as an inspiration and source of delight for visitors and has become a haven for wildlife.

Furthermore, the Water Gardens show case a historic 1950/60s planting scheme on an unprecedented scale. The scheme was lost for many years and has now been brought back to life, preserving the era’s distinctive planting design for the enjoyment of today and the future.