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The garden

Celebrating the importance of good composting practices, this woodland-edged garden demonstrates how recycled green waste can enhance soil fertility and biodiversity.

The designer developed an understanding of how decay sustains vitality in a shared ecosystem while volunteering with a community compost group. Drawing on this, all structural elements included in the border are made from felled or fallen wood, providing habitat for organisms that feed on decomposing organic matter.

The planting adopts a naturalistic approach, using predominantly herbaceous perennials. Open areas of woodchip contrast with denser planting, reflecting the balance of green and brown materials essential for composting. The red stems of Gillenia trifoliata symbolise the composting worm Eisenia fetida, while the upright spikes of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘E°ù¾±³¦²¹â€™ evoke emergence and new growth. A horizontal log displays a message about the role of decay in creating beautiful, sustainable gardens.

Key plants:

• A multistem Corylus avellana tree provides wild yet structural form

• Astilbe ‘D±ð³Ü³Ù²õ³¦³ó±ô²¹²Ô»å’ provides a shrub-like framework and the wispy texture of the flower panicles evoke the steam that rises from an active living compost heap

• Veronicastrum virginicum ‘E°ù¾±³¦²¹â€™ has upright flower spikes to represent the dynamic shift of emergence from waste and decay

• Achillea ‘L²¹³¦³ó²õ²õ³¦³óö²Ô³ó±ð¾±³Ù’ is one of the key umbellifers that softens the overall planting

• Various Digitalis give vertical form and colour and are evocative of the fertile dappled shade of woodland edges​

Plants supplied by: ,

The designer â€“ 

Based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Simon began his career as a garden designer after working initially as a professional archaeologist, then for many more years as a cartographer for a publishing company. He decided to follow his lifelong passion for the outdoors, plants and design, retraining at the Cotswold Gardening School where he graduated with a diploma in Professional Garden Design with distinction. He feels he has been creatively rejuvenated by this decision. His cartographic background gives him an eye for detail and technical skills that enable him to produce professional quality drawings to a high standard and he has enjoyed bringing these attributes to the world of garden design. 

The garden legacy

The designer is hoping to relocate the garden to a local primary school on a woodland edge, using the space to inspire gardening and composting in the next generation, in conjunction with the local community compost scheme and Garden Organic’s Master Composter scheme.