Florian Degroise

Published: 16 May 2013

Florian Degroise

We profile the third of the RHS National Young Designers of the Year finalists - Florian Degroise

Florian is a man of many talents; having studied for a four year baccalaureate at the London College of Garden Design he was also shortlisted as one of the three finalists in the RHS Young Designer of the Year 2013 competition. The reward for this success is the building of his garden at the RHS Tatton Park Show at the end of July, just after completing his studies and exams; no pressure here!

The Garden

His show garden concept is to build a simple, ecological garden with strong horizontal lines that will provide a contemporary space for the owners to enjoy the outdoor space while relaxing and entertaining. A central fire pit and angular seating units will be built using reclaimed materials.

The natural features have been designed to create plenty of habitats for wildlife with louvered pallet walls, and wooden benches with maximum hibernation points for overwintering creatures. There will also be strong planting schemes to provide food sources for flying insects at different stages of their life cycles. A bee hive will be positioned as a visual focal point plus the function of producing a honey crop.

Much of the planting will be suitable for growing in dryer conditions therefore reducing the need for using large quantities of irrigation water in dry summer weather. Gravel areas will not only be visually attractive but also play a part in the garden drainage and water recycling system. The recycling of green waste generated within the garden will be processed in the composting bins strategically placed in the design layout.

The Plants

A key planting feature will be the specimen Prunus serrula trees whose beautiful red stems will pick up the colour detail on the fences. The plants used in the show garden will be sourced from UK growers and nurseries.

The high level of design detail, especially within the hard landscape will certainly test the skills of Florian’s team of French contractors who have just fifteen days of build time on the site before the show opens.

To see Florian Degroise’s garden, come along to the RHS Tatton Park show during July. For further show details see: www.rhs.org.uk

The Gardening Times wishes all three finalists the best of luck during the build-up to the show itself and looks forward to reporting on the competition outcome.