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IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO STANDARD TERMS:

• Please note that in addition to the purchase price of the garden, the bid winner will be liable to pay the cost of the relocation of the garden from Hampton Court Palace Flower Show to the new site, and the cost of the re-build if required. Costs payable are: designer & contractor fees & expenses, transport of the goods to the new site and any additional plant hire, construction or planting materials required to adapt the garden to the new situation.

• The new site must be within the UK.

• The rebuild of the garden is optional. The bid winner may opt just to pay for delivery of the garden items and plants at a minimum extra cost of £500. However, if the garden is to be rebuilt:

• The new site must be cleared and available to start the build from 15th July 2008. If this is not the case, the bid winner will be responsible for providing storage and care for the garden elements from 15th July at their own cost and risk until the work can be undertaken.

• Once the bid is won, the Designers will make a site visit to establish with the bid winner I) the cost of the relocation ii) costs of any extra work that needs to be undertaken to prepare the site for the garden, and iii) delivery arrangements. The bid winner must therefore be contactable between 12th-17th July 2008.

• Designer and contractor fees will be charged at £200 per person/day (plus travel and accommodation expenses depending on distances). It is estimated that the re-creation of the garden at the new site could take three people 2-4 weeks, depending on the nature of the site.

• Before bidding, it is the bidders sole responsibility to ensure that the site is the correct size for the garden and that the site has sufficient access for the garden elements.

The garden reflects the ethos of Samaritans where an individual is given space and time to be listened to, without judgement, in order that they can start to find a way through even the most difficult feelings. Themes of face-to-face communication, shelter, support, an oasis of calm and ease of accessibility are all present in the garden.

The three distinct areas of the garden symbolise a journey which begins by crossing a slate-paved area which represents hectic and sometimes difficult paths through life. Plants with strong structure, texture and colour are used here. Limestone paving leads to the central section where a curved steel archway ends in two seats positioned ‘face to face’ over reflective pools with fragrant waterlillies.

The final part of the journey is all about calm reflection. Stepping from hard surfaces, the lush grass underfoot encourages relaxation. Here a restful atmosphere is created by soft, hazy planting, slender white birch trees and gently running water. A hidden ivy clad seat encourages the visitor to linger and reflect.

About the Garden:

Size: 6mx4m

Ideal aspect: SW Facing – plants used will not tolerate full shade

Level changes: the garden is all on one level. Excavation is required for the sunken pools under the archway seating, the reservoir for the curved water wall, and the foundations for the boundary panels and paving.

List of Proposed Plants:

Allium cernuum
Allium sphaerocephalon
Dactylorhiza praetermissa
Eryngium bourgatii ‘Oxford Blue’
Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’
E. After Midnight ‘Emily Saul’ PBR (applied for)
Echinops sphaerocephalus
Galactites tomentosa
Geranium ‘Philippe Vapelle’
G. phaeum ‘Lily Lovell’
Gypsophila repens
Hedera hibernica
Knautia macedonia
Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Transparent’
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’
Nymphaea odorata
Orlaya grandiflora
Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’
Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’
Sedum telephium subsp. maximum ‘Atropurpureum’
Stipa barbata
Thalictrum delavayi var. decorum
T. delavayi ‘Album’
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Album’
V. virginicum ‘Fascination’
Tree: Betula utilis var. jacquemontii

Materials used:

All materials and planting have been considered from an ethical and sustainable standpoint. The slate has been sourced from ‘Welsh Slate’ in the UK rather than imported from abroad. The pale Creeton limestone stepping stones are from Johnston Quarries Group in Derbyshire. The central paving surface & boundary panels consist of SureSet resin-bound recycled crushed glass aggregate, which is permeable. UK craftsmen ‘Creative Pond Covers’ and ‘Wonderwall’ were commissioned to make the bespoke stainless steel arch pond cover and waterwall in the garden.

About the Designers:

Designers Wendy Allen and Catherine Kenny met whilst studying at the renowned Hadlow Horticultural College in Kent, and have joined forces for this project, their first show garden. “We are delighted to be able to support Samaritans with this design and are especially pleased that the auction of the garden will enable all the materials and plants to be re-used and recycled.”

Catherine Kenny

Catherine Kenny is a garden designer living in Kent. She holds the RHS General Certificate in Horticulture and has just completed the Diploma in Garden Design course at Hadlow College in Kent. She has also worked at the world famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden, created by Vita Sackville-West and now owned by the National Trust.

Catherine is a keen plantswoman and her designs reflect this, “But well detailed hard landscaping elements are just as important if a perfect end result is to be achieved. Wherever possible I try to use local stone and UK timber and I prefer to source plants from small, local specialist growers and nurseries.”

Making sure her client is involved at every stage of the process, Catherine works with a hand-picked team of landscape professionals. She also provides month by month maintenance plans and a consultancy service for owners of her existing gardens.

Current projects include the redesign of a long, thin, sloping town garden and the creation of a woodland garden in Kent.

Website: www.catherinekennygardendesign.co.uk

Email: catherine@catherinekennygardendesign.co.uk

Wendy Allen

Wendy Allen Designs is a garden, landscape and green roof design & build company based in NW London.

Wendy holds an HND with distinction in Garden Design from Hadlow College in Kent. Her background before discovering a passion for designing outdoor spaces included work in fine art and interactive media as well as experience in sustainable building methods. Skills from all of these areas have been invaluable in forming a unique foundation for her innovative and well-considered designs.

Friendly and approachable, Wendy translates each client’s requirements into practical and imaginative spaces which suit their needs and budget, using sustainable and locally sourced materials wherever possible.

She is also able to advise on green roof design and is especially enthusiastic about using modern materials and planting techniques in ways that take wider environmental issues into consideration.

Website: www.wendyallendesigns.co.uk

Email: info@wendyallendesigns.co.uk