'Beautiful Abandonment' show garden
‘Beautiful Abandonment’ is a celebration of the wonder of nature and the beauty of abandoned buildings.
A wildlife friendly garden that focuses on taking a disused part of land and repurposing the structures left behind to create an outdoor living space especially suitable for a family.
An old farm building has left its mark in this garden, leaving behind a stone wall with original features, forming the backdrop to this repurposed space.
A bespoke pergola built from reclaimed oak, frames the family seating area, providing character, a sense of age and shade from the sun. The journey through
the garden allows visitors to discover different viewpoints of the naturalistic planting with unintentional pockets and the architectural forms of the trees, stone and wooden structure.
This garden is designed with sustainability in mind as we move away from a throwaway society, demonstrating how abandoned buildings or unused areas can be repurposed into functional and beautiful spaces.
Wildlife-friendly planting is about making a haven for you as well as for the wildlife.
Our Beautiful Abandonment show garden includes a diversity of wild and cultivated plants to attract birds, insects and mammals. Whether your outdoor space is a new blank canvas, big or small, even the smallest changes can help provide valuable habitats for wildlife.
HERE ARE NINE BLUE DIAMOND TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN A HAVEN FOR WILDLIFE:
• Include plants that attract pollinators.
• Plant flowering herbs such as lavenderand chives.
• Plant seasonal flowering plants to ensure there is a prolonged food source for wildlife all year round.
• Plant grasses, shrubs and trees to provide habitat and food for birds, bats and insects.
• Build a bug hotel – frogs, ladybirds and other insects will love it!
• Add a bird table, bird feeder or water feature.
• Create a mini meadow.
• Try companion planting as a way to help prevent pests and diseases.
• Use peat-free compost and soil enrichers which are an organic and nature-friendly way to keep your plants healthy.
Blue Diamond is proud to partner with the Soil Association, the charity joining forces with nature for a better future – a world with good health, in balance with nature, and a safe climate.
Working with everyone to transform the way we garden, eat, farm and care for our natural world, the Soil Association build real solutions from the ground up.
We research, campaign, and work with communities on the ground to learn, share, and grow better together.
Together we are a force for nature.
Find out more about our partnership at www.bluediamond.gg/soil-association
Beautiful Abandonment show garden plant list
Our nature inspired colour palette has been developed from the colours of country lane verges with lilacs, whites, greens, deep reds and soft pinks.
Grasses, flowering shrubs and perennials simulate a naturalistic look and a multi-purpose garden, providing a good food source and habitat for wildlife.
Left: Latin Plant Name Right: Common Plant Name
SHRUBS | |
Buxus sempervirens | Boxwood |
Leucothoe 'Rainbow' | Dog Hobble |
Physocarpus 'Lady in Red' | Ninebark |
Sambucus 'Black Lace' | Elder |
GRASSES | |
Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' | Feather Reed Grass |
Festuca 'Intense Blue' | Blue Fescue |
Molinia caerulea 'Variegata' | Variegated Purple Moor Grass |
Molinia caerulea 'Edith Dudszus' | Purple Moor Grass |
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' | Chinese Fountain Grass |
Stipa tenuissima | Mexican Feather Grass |
Stipa calamagrostis | Rough Feather Grass |
| |
PERENNIALS | |
Actaea simplex 'Pink Spike' | Baneberry |
Artemisia absinthium 'Lambrook Silver' | Wormwood |
Astilbe 'Cappuccino' | Astilbe |
Astilbe x arendsii 'Ellie' | Astilbe |
Astilbe 'Colour Flash' | Astilbe |
Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' | Astilbe |
Astrantia 'Star of Beauty' | Masterwort |
Astrantia 'Star of Love' | Masterwort |
Astrantia 'Roma' | Masterwort |
Astrantia 'Buckland' | Greater Masterwort |
Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion' | Mexican Fleabane |
Erigeron karvinskianus | Mexican Fleabane |
Geranium 'Dreamland' | Cranesbill |
Heuchera sanguinea | Coral bells |
Heuchera 'Obsidian' | Coral Bells |
Heuchera 'Black Taffeta' | Coral Bells |
Pimpinella major 'Rosea' | Saxifrage |
Sanguisorba officinalis 'Lum' | Burnet |
Scabiosa caucasica 'Perfecta' | Scabious |
Scabiosa caucasica 'Perfecta Alba' | Scabious |
Tiarella 'Spring Symphony' | Foam Flower |
Tulbaghia violacea | Society Garlic |
Veronicastrum virginicum roseum | Culver's Root |
| |
HERBS | |
Mentha | Mint |
Mentha x piperita | Black Peppermint |
Thymus 'Silver Posie' | Thyme 'Silver Posie' |
Thymus 'Golden King' | Thyme 'Golden King' |
Thymus pulegioides | Broadleaf Thyme |
Thymus citriodorus 'Variegata' | Lemon Variegated Thyme |
FERNS | |
Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair Spleenwort |
Athyrium filix-femina angustum rubellum 'Lady in Red' | Lady in Red Fern |
Athyrium niponicum 'Metallicum' | Painted Lady Fern |
Athyrium niponicum | Painted Fern |
Blechnum spicant | Hard Fern |
Dicksonia antarctica | Soft Tree Fern |
Polystichum setiferum | Soft Shield Fern |
Polypodium vulgare | Polypody Fern |
| |
TREES | |
Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' | Redbud Tree |
Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Purpureus' | Holly Olive Tree |
Prunus 'Royal Burgundy' | Cherry Tree |
Pyrus communis 'Conference' | Conference Pear |
| |
SUN & DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS | |
Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair Spleenwort |
Centranthus ruber | Red Valerian |
Erigeron karvinskianus | Mexican Fleabane |
| |
UNDERGROWTH & STONE PLANTS | |
Chenopodium album | Bacon Weed |
Convolvulus arvensis | Bindweed |
Digitaria | Finger Grass |
Glechoma hederacea | Ground Ivy |
Hedera helix | Climbing Ivy |
Rumex acetosella | Sheep's Sorrel |
Stellaria media | Common Chickweed |
Trifolium repens | White Clover |
Thymus | Thyme |