Chelsea stage for garden
A garden developed by staff and students at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst Campus will feature at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The Shetland Croft House Garden has been designed by lecturer and garden designer, Mrs Sue Hayward.
Students on the university’s garden design and horticultural courses will help cultivate plants for the garden and help develop the scheme.
It is the first time staff or students from the university have entered the Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden design is based on a typical 1940s croft house garden on the Shetland Islands.
The idea came from Mr Martin Anderson, of Keyworth, the co-founder of the Motor Neurone Disease Association and a regular visitor to Shetland, who approached the university about creating it.
It is hoped the project will raise awareness of the Motor Neurone Disease Association and help attract sponsors.
The garden will be one of nine courtyard gardens showcased at the Royal Horticultural Society event from May 20-24.
Mr Anderson and Mrs Hayward will visit Shetland this weekend to identify and bring back the plants, garden features and landscaping materials that will feature in the design.
An original croft facade will be transported from Shetland and planted with wild flowers to provide a habitat for insects, and rare varieties of Shetland potatoes, such as the Foula red.
Plants including Edmonston’s Chickweed, which can only be found in that part of the world, will be showcased on an alpine table in one corner of the garden.
The garden path leading from the old croft door will be dressed in ‘briggy stane,’ the Shetland name for flat stone washed up on the beaches, and the fence will be made of driftwood lashed together with twine.
There are no trees in Shetland so wood is a rare commodity.
A walking stick symbolising motor neurone disease will be leant against the wall.
Mrs Hayward said: “We’re looking forward to the challenge of creating this garden and being able to showcase it at one of the biggest events in the horticultural calendar.”
