The White Garden in Context

This article first appeared in the August 2014 edition of Common Knowledge, the newsletter of the Friends of Streatham Common. The illustration, taken from a contemporary postcard, shows visitors admiring the newly-opened White Garden.  ‘Whoever had the inspiration to plan part of the ground solely for white flowers must have been blessed with the simplicity …

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Open Orchards

Urban greening is known to play a role in helping us deal with climate change, pollution, and temperature regulation. But – as this people-powered United Kingdom project is proving – making the most of the green spaces in our cities can also yield social benefits. Improving the local environment by planting urban orchards in public …

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Front gardens

Front gardens are subject to SUDs legislation: this means that planning permission is required to install more than 5 m2 of impermeable paving in front gardens (unless run-off is controlled, e.g. by diverting it into an underground reservoir). Here, I chose resin bound gravel to create a permeable –  yet stable –  surface. A gravel stabilisation …

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