This show garden uses the principles of Blue Mind theory to bring the ocean inland and drive home the benefits of blue.
Ocean Conservation Trust
I. CONCEPT
The balcony garden invites visitors to reflect on their personal connections to the sea while emphasising the importance of protecting this vital habitat. Key design elements celebrate the essence of water, including ripple-effect cladding that mirrors light in wave-like patterns and a water feature that highlights the importance of sound.
II. MATERIALS
The garden uses a tactile palette of coastal materials. Discarded seashells, collected from restaurants, were reworked into floor tiles and handmade pots, giving an otherwise waste material a new life within the garden. Rippled cladding catches and shifts the light, loosely recalling the surface of the sea, while natural finishes sit softly alongside the planting and water. The materials were chosen to feel crafted and slightly imperfect, bringing warmth and character without becoming overly nautical.
Materials became a space for experimentation within the garden. The floor is made from Shellstone tiles incorporating discarded seashells, turning a familiar waste material into something textured and architectural. For the ceramics, Sarah Bryan explored the possibilities of waste oyster shell, testing it within a series of glazes developed especially for the project. The result was a palette of blue-greens, each firing producing its own subtle variations in tone, depth and surface. Used across the handmade pots and olla vessels, the glazes feel almost geological, part ceramic, part landscape.
III. PLANT LIST
Trees, shrubs & climbers:
Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea buckthorn)
Pinus strobus ‘Minima’
Pinus strobus ‘Horsford’
Perennials - sun or part shade
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
Tulbaghia violacea
Helianthemum ‘Wisley Pink’
Thymus ciliatus
Thymus serpyllum
Erigeron karvinskianus
Cistus skanbergii
Euphorbia myrsinites
Gaura lindheimeri
Thymus fragrantissimus
Tulbaghia violacea ‘Silver Lace’
Erigeron karvinskianus ‘Profusion’
Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Fens Ruby’
Dianthus carthusianorum
Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’
Bulbine frutescens ‘Avera Sunset Orange’
Bulbine frutescens ‘Avera Sunset Yellow’
Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’
Allium flavum
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
Helianthemum ‘Wisley Pink’
Teucrium fruticans
Thymus vulgaris
Sedum spathulifolium ‘Cape Blanco’
Sedum ‘Seduction Cherry Chocolate’
Plants for coastal areas:
Crambe maritima
Crithmum maritimum
Armeria maritima ‘Alba’
Mertensia maritima
Grasses & Ferns
Sesleria nitida
Sesleria ‘Spring Dream’
Festuca amethystina
