Roof terraces are the new must-have urban outdoor spaces. Four high-flying design groups with gardens on show at the Daily Telegraph House and Garden Fair explain their ideas to Judith Wilson. Photographs by Gautier Deblonde.
JOE SWIFT, NICK McMAHON AND ALLON HOSKIN
The three co-directors at Modular Garden urge us to utilize – not just admire – our gardens. “We’re spending more time than ever at home, yet 75 per cent of our valuable outdoor spaces lie neglected,” Joe Swift points out. So the dynamic threesome are on a mission. “We want to design gardens that people will use, not just maintain.”
For the fair, they have taken a novel approach to their 20x20ft plot. Called Nature Calls, the space will be transformed into three overlapping gardens. The design caters for a broad demographic showing ideas for a young family with children, a sophisticated mature couple and a twentysomething singleton. Visitors can pick their way from one area to another, following an informal decking path.
Modular Garden was devised, Nick McMahon explains, to offer good quality garden design and construction, at affordable, fixed prices. “Until now, there’s been nothing between expensive bespoke designs and DIY, which many people find daunting.” The directors believe that the decision-making process should be client-led. “The client answers a series of plant/design/lifestyle questions – so they effectively write the brief,” Swift says.
Accordingly, each garden is specifically styled to suit its owner. The family space is planted with fun, non-toxic flowers, such as sunflowers and scented plants, and will be kitted out with a sandpit and play area. For the mature couple there will be contemporary, architectural foliage for “good structure” and a timber L-shaped bench. On the ground, slate and decking creates a slick neutral look. The single person’s garden is, unexpectedly more traditional, with turf and container-planted vegetables and herbs. Swift insists that it’s still possible to have real, not fake, grass on a roof terrace, provided there is a minimum depth
of 6in of soil. Props will include an acoustic guitar and a sun lounger, to illustrate relaxed outdoor living.
With their references to different lifestyles, these have become gardens to inhabit, rather than just look at. They are unashamedly mass-market, “Not everyone is a gardening enthusiast,” McMahon explains. Indeed, Swift stresses the practical aspects of roof terraces – namely the need for a well-planned irrigation system to compensate for the fact they dry out easily.
They have thought of everything, but this should be no surprise given their credentials. Swift, best known for presenting television programmes such as Gardener’s World, trained in garden design at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Allon Hoskin has 15 years’ experience in landscape contracting, and McMahon’s background is in architecture, engineering and product design. “People should understand that spending on a user-friendly garden design is as good an investment as building a kitchen,” McMahon says. And the more you like it, he adds, the less you will need to change in the long term.
