Planting

Aims

To develop a planting scheme with the following characteristics:

• ability to thrive despite extreme coastal exposure: wind, full sun, occasional salt spray

• minimal maintenance

• which complements, and does not compete with the pavilion

• which is of interest for as much of the year as possible

Concept

• The natural vegetation of many Mediterranean climate zone coastal regions is taken as a model: tough wiry low sub-shrubs, interspersed with grasses, and physically robust herbaceous plants. Exposure to wind, sun and drought are well tolerated. • Using this vegetation type as a model, a planting mix would aim at approximately 70% sub-shrubs to form a physically tough and visually dominant matrix, with approx. 15% herbaceous and 15% ornamental grasses. • The proposed planting mix has distinct integral aesthetic advantages – the majority of shrubby species are evergreen, with attractive grey or silver foliage, their fine textured foliage is attractive without being too prominent, while most of the grassy species proposed are also evergreen.

Realisation

• Five 'planting mixes' are proposed, each one composed of a mix of visually complementary species, and fitting one of two height categories: above 60-150cms and below 60cms.

• Certain species used are common to several mixes, and the overall visual texture and foliage colour is similar, ensuring continuity and repetition.

• Each mix can be used as a block, or band within a strip planting, or a drift within an extended area.

• Plant varieties within each mix are, to a large extent, blended, to create a soft naturalistic look, and to avoid the blocky effect of conventional amenity plantings.

• A number of larger grasses are used for scattering throughout the plantings to create rhythm and continuity. Grasses will also create movement.

• Blocks of Rosa rugosa, a highly suitable group of plants for the environment, but potentially aggressively spreading, are used to create blocks of contrasting foliage colour in situations where their spread can be minimized.