RHS Chelsea 2010: Garden Beet's Design process with Mr Bricolage - Steve Myburgh - a raw production - LJN Blog Posts

Garden Beet installed a 1 zillionth of a cubic sqm of gardens at Chelsea - a tiny little design moment whose surrounding stage show continued to morph until the last second.My Brief.There will be two walls. Install a living wall on a 5 x 2 wall. A caravan will be in one corner and several orb shaped metal hanging chairs will be suspended from something or rather.My Before ProcessLike many designers I think and think and dutifully prepare a draft living wall in my own garden 6 weeks before Chelsea. I am so prissy.

My During ProcessFive days before Chelsea I turn up with my 10 sqm of plants. All boxed. All neat. Ready to go.

My wall ain't there. Oh.He aint ready. OhOh oh - thats right he gave me a little warning but I was not 'listening' - he designs as he goes.The feel of Steve's stand is raw. Its due to the process. He is Mr Bricolage man.Thursday: I work backwards without knowledge of the overarching plan. The layers of green wall are built. Best plants first. They become a backdrop to the ever so fantasy hanging chairs. Woolly Pockets successfully create a fake 'planting mass' using less than 20mm space on the ground plane.

yeah, great............mmmm....will anyone question how those plants fot there.........NO.........Steve !!!Sunday: last minute scramble to try and pull the vertical gardens to public view. The left over plants that have been uprooted - stepped on and paint dripped upon are reshuffled into pockets. A Wally one pocket is secured to the metal underside and another pocket is tied below using packing ties.Voila. The gypsy wagon sprouts plants.

The nible skill of him and his metal workers impressed me no end. You want a metal thing to hang your Woolly Pockets ...yeah sure Felicity..we will just whip up a blah blah...And then the lovely unassuming Susie who orchestrates the overall design with Steven. A garden designer/artist from Sommerset with a fabulous working plant knowledge. She also designs on her feet and works with what is at hand.I loved the whole design process.

"I bought a no name petrol blower on eBay for £30 as temporary fix. I expected it to last 6 months but 2 years later it's still going strong. It's a copy of the Stihl Bg 56. You don't always get what you pay for. "

"Hat's off to you for persevering with them Graham. Surely one of the best aspects of British life is blokes patiently and skillfully fixing things in the shed. Sounds a nightmare product to me, whether it was a blower or something else, I wouldn't…"

Agrovista Amenity has strengthened its team with the appointment of Ben Simpson, who joins as Amenity Specialist supporting the Landscape and IVM division.Ben brings a varied career background and a refreshed enthusiasm for the amenity…