Julianne from Chasing Arcadia Design approached us on Instagram. She asked us to support the garden she had designed for BBC Gardeners’ World Live.

The Sea Garden

The garden was part of the APL Avenue and called the Sea Garden. This avenue featured four incredible gardens that were all designed and built by members of the Association of Professional Landscapers. The theme for the gardens was A very British Affair. Each garden was created to a typical back garden size. They were also infused with quintessentially British themes that influenced the planting style.

The Design

The design for the beautiful sea garden drew inspiration from the British coast, specifically Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk. The garden was built by Teasels Landscapes and featured a combination of new and up-cycled materials.

For example the fisherman’s hut which is made from recycled pallets. This hut is modelled on huts found on the beach. As Aldeburgh is a traditional fishing town, the fishermen go out very early in the morning and sell their catch on the beach, fresh from the sea.

Aldeburgh beach is shingle, so a variety of our Scottish Pebbles, Cobbles and Boulders are present within the garden to reflect that. The sizes used were our Scottish Pebbles 14-20mm, Scottish Pebbles 20-40mm and Scottish Pebbles 30-50mm. Along with Scottish Cobbles 40-90mm and Scottish Boulders 100-200mm. These stones also host a water feature that bubbles up through them. As most of the garden is covered with pebbles, planting is sparse and designed to be drought resistant.

The Sea Garden also features a sunken chill out area, in which the visitor can sit and wriggle their toes in the sand. Alongside this area is an old boat that has been turned into a seat. This is to make the garden sustainable by using recycled materials wherever possible. To emphasise this, driftwood features in various places within the garden as it is the ultimate recycled wood.

The Sea Garden really evokes the feeling of being on the beach. Chasing Arcadia Design and Teasels Landscapes received a very well deserved Silver Merit Medal. This is an incredible achievement for their first ever show garden.

Woodland Fall

Another garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Live that featured Scottish Pebbles and Cobbles was Woodland Fall. This garden was designed by Anthony Lionel Garden Design and built by Taw Garden Landscapes.

As the name suggests it draws inspiration from the scenic British Woodland and was awarded Best Show Garden and a Gold Medal. The stunning garden provides a secluded space to entertain and takes visitors away from the stressful everyday.

James Bond

We also very much enjoyed visiting a garden inspired by Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Designed by Earthstone Kent it offers the perfect opportunity to relax and dine.

This garden is filled with Polar Ice Gravel to create a low maintenance contemporary space. This gravel blends beautifully with the grey paving. The planting is fairly minimal but we loved the splashes of colour that the garden afforded the visitor. This garden also received an incredible Silver Merit Medal.

Shade’s of Grey

The beautiful ‘Shades of Grey’ Garden was created by Gunns & Roses and inspired by brutalist architecture. The garden is designed with a young professional couple in mind who require a modern space. This area is used for entertaining and is an extension of their newly refurbished home.

The garden featured a minimalist colour palette of greys, whites and greens. This is to create a calming atmosphere with the planting. It also provides a contrast to the brutality of the hard-landscaping materials. This was another garden that received a very deserved silver merit medal.

We loved all four gardens on the APL Avenue and enjoyed seeing the different inspirations and interpretations of the British theme. Watch our video on to get a closer look at all the gardens at BBC Gardeners’ World Live.