Chelsea Flower Show 2021 celebrates small urban spaces

The long awaited 2021 Chelsea Flower Show, which usually takes place in May but had to be postponed to September due to Covid-19, caused designers to adapt to the change in season. This year’s show was very much about utilising the space you’ve got – with a focus on urban gardens, considering nature alongside the hard lines of urban situations.

This year there were two new garden categories added to the show, celebrating urban green spaces and how to make the most of the space you have. First of the categories was Balcony Gardens, which featured ideas and inspiration for the smallest of gardens. Five designers, new to the show, were each challenged to design and create a 2m x 5m garden, able to fit within a generously sized balcony. Alexandra Noble Design created a beautifully blooming balcony with two trees providing privacy and plenty of herbs for practical use in the kitchen. The Landform Balcony Garden designed by Nicola Hale also contained trees, along with plenty of colourful bee-friendly flowers creating a compact wildlife haven that anyone can re-create.

Container Gardens were also added as a category this year and showcased some truly inspirational ideas, from using corrugated steel containers with shade loving plants in The Hot Tin Roof Garden, to incorporating just five plants to create a tranquil space in the city in Mika Misawa's garden design.

Much in line with this year’s new categories ludlowthompson are working hard to support green space programmes within the capital. Our ongoing support to local resident associations allows for new planting of flowers and trees each year in the Oval, which are currently blooming along Claylands Road and the neighbouring Fentiman Road and Richbourne Terrace, and we are often seen weeding and cleaning up the urban areas surrounding our offices with the help of local residents and keen gardeners.

Having been so close to many living in London during the coronavirus pandemic, and therefore aware of how important outside space is in regards to mental and general health, ludlowthompson’s urban gardening team have been working on reclaiming an un-made-up space to develop an inclusive urban garden in South East London. The garden, once complete, can be used by tenants and first-time-buyers who live in nearby properties without outside space, with the opportunity for them to take responsibility for a trough planter, putting their own interpretation on it. We then intend to hold a prize giving day where the stand out planters would be judged by others residing in the area. We are hoping the garden, just off Lordship Lane, will be ready in time for the 2022 Dulwich Festival, so we can open it up to the public and exhibit art and sculptures from local artists in a celebration of local talent.

Stephen Ludlow, Chairman at ludlowthompson, says: “Urban planting initiatives are a key element of London’s place making story. Locations in London with greening, growing and blooming street scenes helped create a welcome rest bite during lockdown and brought communities together in creating spaces for outdoor fun and enjoyment. The idea that whatever space is available can be turned into a green haven, whether that be balcony’s or yards, is a legacy that is set to continue for years to come.”

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