Pastures Bye Scoops Silver in National Contest - Healthy Life Essex

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has triumphed yet again at the Hampton Court Flower Show with its Pastures Bye exhibit being awarded the highly acclaimed Silver Gilt.

For the past 4 years at the Hampton Court Flower Show and previously at the Chelsea Flower Show, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has won awards for its show gardens.

This year’s exhibit draws inspiration from the long history of coastal grazing along the shoreline and estuaries of south east Essex. The main feature of the garden is a genuine mobile shepherd’s hut, which is more than 100 years old and has been restored to working order. Also included in the exhibit were a number of artworks created by Agata Mantaj who works as a florist in the Parks Nursery. Agata Mantaj drew pencil sketches of a shepherd, lambs and avocets, which are protected wading birds. These sketches were then etched on to clear acrylic sheets and placed within the garden, evoking memories of times past that have shaped the costal
landscape.

The exhibit features several wild flowers and grasses including the Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria flower, which is classified as vulnerable and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Pastures Bye is the result of a dynamic partnership between Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s horticultural and landscape experts; Gerry Peachey of Shepherds Hut Restoration Company, Lindum Turf and Morely Nurseries (Wakering) Limited in association with Green Light Print Solutions.

Denis Lloyd, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Horticultural Officer says: “Producing a garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show provides an opportunity for us to demonstrate Southend’s wealth of horticultural heritage to a broad audience.

“With this garden, our biggest challenge was recreating natural looking meadow land. This was harder than getting the formal planting right. We were told that the grass and wild flowers looked like they had been there forever as opposed to the two weeks it took to build.”

“I have really enjoyed seeing all the elements of the garden come together and am particularly pleased with how well the artwork, which are modern pieces using a very modern technique, work within what is otherwise a traditional garden.”