spark gardens

This was a celebration of Manchester’s thriving nightlife, restaurant and entertainment scene. It picked up where “Punk Rockery” left off. Successfully referencing The Happy Mondays’ track of the same name, and with it the hedonistic days of the Haçienda. It traced that legacy through to 2024 and the incredibly diverse, vibrant energy of the Gay Village, Northern Quarter, Salford and beyond. Amanda was looking to generate interest in small gardens, balconies, roof terraces and indoor gardening.

She used red brick rubble and green roof substrate with poor soil – to show that you don’t need perfect soil to grow a garden. Adopting easily sourced or reclaimed materials also served to add interest to the planting. The point being that good results aren’t dependent on lots of money or time.

Plants were shown at different stages of growth. Initially young and small with lots of space around them through to two-years old.  Successfully illustrating what to expect at each stage, to allow space for plants to fill out, and to foster patience.

Horticulturally, the scheme aimed to introduce novice gardeners to the idea of planting succession. In this way gardens can keep the ‘party’ going. One can have colour and texture now and in four months’ time. Evergreens can even bring something for the winter. Her planting aimed to be bold and colourful. The design featured three levels of planting. It could be replicated as a whole, or in part. So the scheme was flexible enough for a range of spaces. Plants were suitable for containers, roof terraces and balconies as well as new urban gardens. They included bulbs, annuals and plants that worked well at dusk, attracted moths and looked good in garden lighting.