From 30 September to 2 October 2026, the 36th edition of GrootGroenPlus will take place at the BCT site near the Hazeldonk border crossing in the municipality of Zundert.
This year, the international trade fair for the tree nursery sector is dedicated to the theme ‘Growing Together’. The fair highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation and a sustainable future for the tree nursery sector and the wider green sector.
More than 285 exhibitors from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Turkey will be showcasing their product ranges at the fair.
The Green Grand Prix is also making a comeback. This event focuses on promising new products as well as proven top-quality products.The judging and the prize-giving ceremony will take place on the opening day, 30 September.
On 1 October, there will be a round-table discussion entitled ‘From nursery to climate solution: how is the role of the grower changing?’. On 2 October, Royal Anthos and LTO Trees, Perennials and Summer Flowers will present their vision for the future, ‘Green is Life’, in the morning, whilst the young people from Treeport will present their ‘Vision 2045’.
A wildlife-friendly garden designed and created by young people with additional needs has been unveiled at a new development in Morpeth.
The show home garden at Edward’s Birch was a collaborative project between The Alnwick Garden’s Young Gardeners programme and national partnership housing specialist Lovell.
Working alongside One Landscapes, a contractor of Lovell in the North East, the group completed their first commercial garden, which will be viewed by prospective buyers visiting the development.
It includes a range of features aimed at supporting wildlife and colourful flowers to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. It is hoped these will inspire visitors to recreate these nature-positive ideas in their own gardens.
The project forms part of an ongoing partnership between Lovell and The Alnwick Garden.
Ashleigh Tate, marketing and social impact manager for Lovell in the North East, says:
“We have been so impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of the young people who form The Alnwick Garden’s Young Gardeners group, and it has been a real honour to support them in designing their first commercial garden at our Edward’s Birch development.
“We hope that visitors to the garden will be inspired by its sustainability features, which demonstrate the difference we can all play in enhancing biodiversity and reducing food miles. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the project and look forward to continuing our partnership with The Alnwick Garden in the future.”
Lauren St Hilaire, head of philanthropy and partnerships at The Alnwick Garden, says:
“Young Gardeners is a horticulture initiative designed to support young people with additional needs, and their families. The programme provides opportunities to learn new skills while also fostering friendships and meaningful connections with others and this project has certainly helped to achieve that.
“The whole process has brought everyone together and built friendships among the group, with young people who were previously reluctant to speak to their fellow gardeners finding the confidence to engage with each other. It has had a really positive impact, not only on the Young Gardeners but also their parents and families who have also been able to share the experience.”
Entries for the Pro Landscaper Sustainability & Biodiversity Awards 2026 are almost closed.
First launched in 2023, the awards are on a mission to showcase the most important initiatives across the UK landscaping sector, from leading organisations, design, construction, product supply and the people involved.
With just two weeks to go, entries will close on 10 August.
The list of categories can be found here, featuring two new categories: Ecology Team or Company and Housing Association.
The shortlist will be announced during the week commencing 31 August, followed by an awards ceremony celebrating both winning and shortlisted entrants after FutureScape on 13 October taking place at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.
Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the award-winning show in London’s West End, Moulin Rouge! The Musical heads to RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026.
Designed by Plants By There founder and RHS Chelsea Flower Show Houseplant Studio designer James Whiting, L’amour Vert will transform a Houseplant Terrarium, sponsored by Breeze House, at the show.
Since picking up a Gold medal for Lovehoney presents: Aphrodite’s Hothouse, Whiting continues the narrative on love, romance and human connection with L’amour Vert, which translates to Green Love.
In reflection of both the theatrical magic of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the terrarium will also commit to reduce waste while creating a new lease of life to key structures and planting.
Whiting comments on the upcoming show:
“L’Amour Vert invites you to lose yourself in a spectacular world where theatre and horticulture collide.Visitors will be able to wander through the immersive design, with every detail revealing a new chapter of the story.”
It also comes as the iconic Baz Lurham film celebrates its 25-year anniversary.
Foster + Partners has revealed its masterplan designs for the Al Najd Agricultural City in Dhofar, southern Oman.
Built atop fertile soil, the sustaining agricultural development responds to the region’s unique environmental conditions.
The project aligns with the Oman Vision 2040, created in collaboration with Dar Al-Handasah.
Inside the masterplan sits developments around public space, featuring new parks, boulevards, courtyards and interconnected, shaded pedestrian routes.
The Oman project is connected to other regional hubs and farms to create resilient food systems and drive growth.
Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners, comments:
“Informed by history and driven by technology, the masterplan will create a healthy and self-sufficient heart for the region. Our design is grounded in agricultural innovation and nurtures community to create a truly sustainable and resilient locale, which will serve future generations.”
Sustainable techniques will be integrated across the development, including shade nets, agrivoltaics, aquaponics and a diversified water strategy to collect runoff water.
Parkinson’ UK – A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey. Credit: Stephen Studd
After another busy year of garden designers, garden enthusiasts and the general public gathering at RHS Chelsea Flower Show flies by, the People’s Choice votes are now in.
Parkinson’s UK – A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey scooped BBC/RHS People’s Choice Best Show Garden, a space made for those living with Parkinson’s and their families.
The garden, also awarded with a Silver medal, was designed by garden designer, writer, podcaster and TV presenter Arit Anderson and built by Landscape Associates. It was also curated alongside 15 people living with Parkinson’s intended to evoke an emotional and sensory response.
Featuring elements from Accoya, the sustainable timber supplier enabled architectural detailing within the garden.
During an emotional presentation between Dame Mary Berry and Anderson at the show, the designer thanks her sister for sharing her story to the public. She adds:
“Thank you to this amazing charity. We just want to help people that have got Parkinson’s. I know medals are important, but not everything that glitters is gold – but this is [the award].”
The garden is being relocated to the John Radcliffe Hospital for second life beyond the show.
Gold-medal adorned Trussell’s Together Garden, designed by Rob Hardy & Co and built by Peter Gregory Landscapes, picked up RHS People’s Choice Small Show Garden.
Garden designer Melanie Hick and contractor Phil Sutton Landscapes was voted People’s Choice within the All About Plants category for the Silver-award winning The Bat Conservation Trust’s Nocturnal Garden.
The Balcony/Container People’s Choice Award has been given to the Alzheimer’s Society: Microbes and Minds Garden, designed by Tina Worboys and built by Big Fish Landscapes.
When you’re specifying a decking or cladding product for a client, you’re putting your name behind it. Your recommendation shapes their expectations, and if something goes wrong with the product, the delivery, or the support afterwards, it can reflect on you. The products you specify, and the suppliers you work with, are a direct reflection of your standards. Getting them right protects your reputation, supports the growth of your business, and means your clients end up with an outdoor space that genuinely exceeds their expectations.
Choosing a British-made product isn’t simply about avoiding supply chain disruption, though that matters too. Recent history has shown just how quickly things can change. Covid demonstrated with stark clarity how rapidly materials can become unavailable, leaving businesses unable to source products they had always taken for granted. That vulnerability hasn’t gone away. Geopolitical instability, shifting trade tariffs, and rising shipping costs continue to create uncertainty for anyone relying on long, complex supply chains. For UK landscapers specifying products manufactured here at home, that risk is significantly reduced and, in an industry where timing is crucial, that reliability has real value.
But the case for British-made goes beyond risk management. It’s about quality manufactured to exacting standards, warranties backed by UK law, customer service delivered by people on your doorstep, and the knowledge that you’re supporting an industry and an economy that benefits everyone operating within it. For landscapers and garden designers who have built their reputation on recommending products they can stand behind, it’s also about confidence in what you’re specifying, and in the business you’re specifying it from.
Millboard decking and cladding are designed and manufactured in Warwickshire by a family-owned business with 50 years of industry experience. For landscapers and garden designers, that origin story has some genuinely practical and professional implications worth understanding.
Supply that works around your programme
Timing is crucial in landscaping. Projects often have a narrow window: the right season, a client expecting to use their garden by a particular date, or trades booked in around your work. Materials that can’t be relied upon to arrive on time aren’t just an inconvenience; they can unravel a project schedule and damage your reputation with the client.
Because Millboard products are manufactured and stocked in the UK, they can typically be ordered and delivered within a matter of days to locations across the country. There’s no exposure to port delays, freight congestion, or the customs complications that can affect imported products. Lead times are predictable, and when you need a top-up during installation, an extra board here or a replacement there, it’s available quickly without a protracted wait.
This also changes how you approach ordering. Rather than over-specifying at the outset to protect against delays, you can order closer to the time you actually need the material. That means less stock sitting on site, less risk of damage from other trades, and a cleaner, more efficient operation on the ground.
Crafted to perform and to impress
Millboard decking and cladding is made from a unique resin mineral blend that includes approximately one third recycled mineral stone content. Each board is individually hand-moulded and hand-coloured, a process that produces the kind of depth, variation, and surface authenticity that sets it apart from some cheaper, composite alternatives. For landscapers specifying on behalf of discerning clients with high expectations, that level of quality matters both aesthetically and practically.
The boards are wood-free, which removes many of the maintenance issues that can be associated with timber decking: no splintering, no warping, no need for regular sanding, oiling or staining. For residential clients in particular, the promise of a beautiful outdoor space that doesn’t demand constant upkeep is a compelling part of the specification. Millboard decking and cladding also has no exposed fixings, giving a cleaner finished
appearance that suits the considered design aesthetic many landscapers and their clients are looking for.
The boards are produced using 100% renewable electricity at Millboard’s manufacturing facility in Warwickshire, which is increasingly a meaningful factor for clients and designers who are paying attention to the sustainability credentials of the products they specify.
Support at every stage, not Just at the point of sale
This is where Millboard’s UK base becomes particularly relevant for landscapers and garden designers. Specifying a product is one thing; being properly supported through design, installation, and beyond is another matter entirely.
The Millboard team, including production, technical, sales, and customer service, is based in the UK and works directly with landscaping and design professionals throughout the life of a project. That means you can get real answers from people who know the product in depth, whether you’re at the design stage working through which board format suits a particular scheme, presenting design schemes to a client at one of our Millboard Experience Centres, mid-installation with a question about a detail, or completing a project and advising your client on aftercare.
This isn’t a call centre or a generic helpline. The team engages with specifiers on the detail: aspect and orientation, drainage and falls, fixing methods, subframe requirements, colour selection for specific contexts. For landscapers taking on more complex or premium projects, that level of technical input can save time, prevent costly mistakes, and ultimately produce a better result for the client.
Millboard also offers CPD sessions, training opportunities, and product demonstrations for landscaping professionals, giving you the knowledge to specify confidently and explain the product clearly to your clients. This kind of investment in the trade professional relationship reflects what the business is: a family-owned company with 50 years of industry experience, focused on long-term relationships rather than transactional sales. For landscapers building a business on quality work and satisfied clients, that kind of partnership has tangible value. The right product, properly
supported, doesn’t just make the current project easier. It protects your reputation, helps your business grow, and ensures every outdoor space you deliver is something you’re proud to put your name to.
British-made, British-backed
When you recommend a product to a client, your professional credibility is attached to that recommendation. Millboard decking carries a 25-year limited structural warranty for residential use and 10 years for commercial applications. Millboard Envello cladding carries a 15-year limited structural warranty. These are substantive commitments from a British manufacturer, backed by UK law, giving both you and your client confidence in the long-term performance of the product.
That matters more than it might initially appear. A warranty is only as strong as the company standing behind it and the legal framework underpinning it. With Millboard, both are firmly rooted here in the UK.
For landscapers working in the premium residential market in particular, the ability to specify a product of this quality, Made in Britain, with a warranty of this length, is a genuine differentiator. It supports the case for investing in a properly specified, properly installed outdoor space rather than a cheaper alternative that may create problems further down the line.
A practical choice for an uncertain world
Specifying UK-manufactured products is one of the most straightforward ways for landscapers to reduce supply chain exposure, and it’s about being able to give clients an accurate programme and then deliver on it.
There is also something worth saying about what British manufacturing represents right now. Millboard is a British business, employing British people, producing a premium product in Warwickshire that is installed in gardens, terraces, and outdoor spaces across the country. Every specification is a contribution to keeping that kind of skilled, quality-led domestic manufacturing viable, and at a time when the value of that is being felt more widely, it’s a consideration that sits comfortably alongside the practical ones.
Millboard decking and cladding offers something that isn’t as common as it could be in the market: a premium product, made in Britain, consistently available, and backed by a team that treats the trade relationship as something worth investing in. For landscapers and garden designers looking for a decking or cladding product they can specify with confidence, the benefits go beyond any single project. The right specification protects your reputation, helps your business grow, and means your clients receive outdoor spaces that are genuinely exceptional. For more information visit www.millboard.com.
Williamson Park in Lancaster has been given a new landscape management and maintenance plan with an emphasis on heritage, biodiversity and community.
The plan, which owes to the increasing risk of storm damage to elevated areas and surface flooding, will be delivered across 10 years supported by the council’s Green Flag Award and Green Heritage Site Accreditation.
Manged by Lancaster City Council, the 21.7 hectare heritage Grade II listed parkland will include resilient mitigation and adaptation measures.
Landscape consultant Stephenson Halliday has delivered the plans for the council with support from RSK company Headland Archaeology.
Sebastian West, Stephenson Halliday landscape management associate director comments on the next steps:
“The landscape management and maintenance plan builds on the site’s existing plan to provide a more detailed and comprehensive operational document that sets out a clear and pragmatic action plan for the next ten years.
Owing to the site’s historic significance and location within two conservation areas, a clear understanding of the condition and character of the park, its designated and non-designated heritage assets and listed buildings was required.”
The plan also ensures effective woodland management and biodiverse planting areas.
The City of London Corporation approves the planning application for the Barbican Renewal Programme to ensure the future of Europe’s largest multi-arts centre for generations to come.
Focussing on access, sustainability and more dynamic use of space for arts and bringing people together, the scheme includes a design team led by Allies and Morrison to review a sensitive and conservation-led renewal.
A new lift will be installed in the conservatory, which will provide step-free access to the fly tower for the first time.
The Barbican’s foyers and lakeside terrace will then be developed through a sustainable, retrofit approach. Using reused materials, the plan reflects a commitment to sustainable conservation.
Philippa Simpson, Barbican Centre chief operating officer says she is “thrilled” to see the first phase approved. She adds:
“Securing planning permission and listed building consent allows us to restore, celebrate and revitalise the Barbican Centre, so we can continue to deliver a dynamic, world class arts programme and provide the best possible welcome to new and existing visitors.”
Major on site works will begin in 2027, until June 2028-29 where the Barbican will pause the majority of its activities to allow the most intense period of works to take place.
The Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD) Awards crowned 21 winners on Friday 6 February.
Honouring creative talents of members across the industry, the awards celebrated a soft, natural family garden as well as a woodland-inspired immersive garden.
Andrew Duff MSGLD, SGLD chair comments on the award standards:
“This year’s award winners demonstrate a profound commitment to thoughtful, sustainable, and human-centred design. From intimate residential spaces to transformative public landscapes, the shortlisted projects showcase the talent and imagination shaping the future of our industry.”
The winners are as follows:
SGLD Garden of the Year Award Charlotte Rowe Garden Design, principal designer Tomoko Kawuchi, Putney Garden
Described by the judges as “an absolute masterpiece,” the garden has been redesigned with a soft, more natural character with English stone, clay pavers and generous planting. The triple award winner was also recognised in other categories such as Small Residential Landscapes & Gardens and Built Landscape Design.
The Judges Award Adolofo Harrison, Westbourne Park
The woodland-inspired garden evergreens create a lush, immersive space that blurs the line between indoors and outdoors.
The People’s Choice Award Fi Boyle, Old Quarry Garden
The Lifetime Achievement Award Tom Stuart-Smith OBE
The Significant Impact Award Mandy Buckland, The Meadows
International Residential Landscapes & Gardens Gonzalo Morillo Holguin, Penthouse in El Viso, Madrid
Public Realm Landscapes & Gardens Rob Beswick, Fidelity Heart Zone
Virtual Landscape Design Holly Birtles, Quarry House
Student Design: Design for the Environment Robbie Avey, Wolves Lane
Planting Design Moss Studio, principal designer Barbara Samitier, Dulwick Pollinators
Small Residential Landscapes & Gardens Charlotte Rowe Garden Design, principal designer Tomoko Kawauchi, Putney Garden
Student Design: Small Domestic Gem Laura Bushnell, The Lost River Garden
Healing or Learning Landscapes & Gardens Nicholas Atherton, Merstham Park School
Medium Residential Landscapes & Gardens Moss Studio, Principal Designer Barbara Samitier, Dulwich Pollinators
Built Landscape Design Charlotte Rowe Garden Design, principal designer Tomoko Kawauchi, Putney Garden
Student Design: Large Domestic Garden Grace Hugh-Jones, Damson Cottage
Large Residential Landscapes & Gardens Miria Harris, Modern Crafted Garden
Garden Jewel Adolofo Harrison, Westbourne Park
Design for the Environment Kristina Clode, Countryside Meadow Haven
Student Design: Public Realm Michael Kieck, The Indalo Project
New Designer Landscapes & Gardens Nicholas Morton, Coastal Town House
From sustainable strategies and vast green spaces, these are seven projects set to transform London over the next few years.
With recent planning applications being submitted, and others getting the green light, 2026 is expected to see plenty of landscape strategies begin to come into fruition. From the busy streets of Oxford Street to the residential avenues of St James’s Square, each project brings a splash of green over the big smoke.
Wembley Sites project
Credit: UMC Architects
Macfarlane Associates plans for Wembley Sites project have been granted, reimaging its potential as a sustainable gateway.
Working for Beyond Collaboration alongside UMC Architects, the development will deliver four flexible B2/B8 industrial buildings to support a wide range of industrial activities.
Featuring a revised public realm and external landscape vision, the plans intend to integrate “nature at every step,” says Macfarlane Associates.
Featuring vertical greening and a tree-lined avenue to soften the urban edge, the Wembley urban greening strategy connects directly to the River Brent’s ecological corridor.
Intended to boost biodiversity and environmental resilience, the green interventions will not only enhance the site’s character but also create a welcoming, people-focussed arrival experience.
1 St James’s Square
Credit: Foster + Partners
Intending to retain over 50% of the office building’s structure, Foster + Partners plan to completely redesign its façade, and provide two new levels with green outdoor spaces that bring a myriad of benefits.
Plans also include an aim to exceed GLA targets for embodied and operational energy and meet the highest sustainability targets, including BREEAM Outstanding, NABERS 5.5* and WELL Platinum.
Alongside a green roof and landscaped terraces to enhance biodiversity, there will be photovoltaic panels to deliver on-site energy generation and solar control with St James’s Square.
London Fire Brigade HQ
Credit: 5plus architects
re-form Landscape Architecture has submitted a planning application for the refurbishment of the London Fire Brigade’s original Albert Embankment headquarters in Lambeth.
Working in collaboration with 5plus architects, re-form’s landscape proposals include a legible and green public interface along Albert Embankment, a new entrance plaza which improves accessabiliy and the creation of a calm civic space with seating and planting along the Thames.
In addition to ground level public spaces, the plans also include a series of external terraces to support staff wellbeing amongst outdoor spaces for rest, social interaction and informal working.
Incorporating the building’s historic DNA, the planting and material choices draw on a palette of natural stone, climate-resilient planting and long-term sustainability.
Oxford Street
Credit: Kiasm
Developed by Berkeley Estate Asset Management, the landscape architecture plans for 33 Cavendish Square, an island off Oxford Street, are being headed up by Spacehub with architects KPF.
Featuring over 3000m2 of biodiverse roof and roof terraces across a new office building, the designs maximise planting and biodiversity with the design of each terrace.
The design adopts a retrofit-first approach, retaining half of the existing building structure, whilst adding new elements to provide approximately 75,000m2 of grade A office space and improved flagship retail units on Oxford Street.
Works are expected to commence in 2028, with completion of development anticipated in 2033.
Sea Lanes Canary Wharf
Sea Lanes Canary Wharf illustration
After proposal plans were floated for a natural water lido to open at Eden Dock in Canary Wharf, Sea Lanes planning permission has now been approved.
Joe McNulty, director at Sea Lanes says the open water swimming centre will “offer Londoners a chance to swim in natural water.”
Approved plans feature a 50m six-lane floating swimming pool within dock water, two saunas powered by 100% renewable energy, community clubhouse and a wetsuit concierge service.
Set to be open 364 days a year for swimmers of all ages, the natural swimming pool will allow locals to connect with nature and the environment from the heart of London.
Construction is set to begin in early 2026, with an opening date in summer 2026.
Fox Court, Camden
Credit: Grant Associates
The designs for Fox Court in Camden feature a layered series of green terraces and roof-level ecologies that reimagine a hard-edged 1970s office building into a biophilic workplace.
Grant Associates in collaboration with architects Buckley Gray Yeoman and developer General Projects have produced a vertical landscape strategy capable of delivering “meaningful environmental and social benefits within a tight urban footprint.”
A sequence of stepped terraces wraps around the building, each with a planting palette designed to deliver seasonal interest, texture and colour while supporting pollinators and urban wildlife.
Fox Court in Camden will act as a model for how existing office buildings can be transformed to meet contemporary environmental, social and regulatory expectations in dense city centres.
Princess of Wales Memorial Playground
New Galleon at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground
Since its opening quarter of a century ago, the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground will undergo a major £3m regeneration, set to improve accessibility and inclusivity.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground has been closed since 3 November to make way for the improvement works, and is set to reopen in the summer 2026.
The Royal Parks charity, which manages London’s eight Royal Parks – including Kensington Garden where the memorial park is located – recently welcomed its millionth visitor to the park at a celebratory event where it revealed the renewal plans to the public.
Plans for the park, announced back in May, include the installation of a new replacement Galleon (the large sailing ship), which will now boast ramped access to the main deck.
Soft landscaping will also be rejuvenated with a new sensory planting pallet established.
In Pro Landscaper’s January issue, Rachel Bailey explores how to work with existing site conditions, such as the soil type, sunlight levels, and topography, rather than working against them.
Working with the nature of a site is essential to creating a garden that functions and thrives long term. Every garden is different — from its aspect and soil type to its history and relationship with the surrounding landscape. Understanding these nuances shapes the design, reduces waste, avoids unnecessary costs, and minimises environmental impact.
A detailed understanding of the site offers early clues about how to approach the layout. A topographical survey provides the basic framework: the garden’s dimensions, its relationship with the house and outbuildings, the position of services and manholes, the location of existing trees and planting, the heights of sills, eaves and roofs, and, crucially, the site levels.
Interpreting the survey on the ground is equally important. Time onsite allows you to observe microclimates and get a feel for the soil—its type and texture, the depth of topsoil, the presence of worms and other microfauna, and indicator plants that reveal underlying conditions.
You can identify compaction, assess moisture levels, and take soil samples for assessment of pH, nutrients, and physical characteristics. Studying the levels also reveals how water moves through the garden, highlights drainage issues, and identifies opportunities to minimise excavation.
Sun paths can be mapped across seasons, existing vegetation recorded, and any remedial care noted. You can identify current and potential habitats, consider how wildlife uses the garden, and assess connectivity to the wider landscape. It’s also valuable to note any materials already onsite that could be repurposed.
Bringing all the data together creates a clear picture of how the garden works—or why it may not be working well. It helps define which areas are best suited to dining and seating spaces, vegetable beds, ponds, or wetland habitats.
Working with, rather than against, the topography is more sustainable. Minimising excavation reduces waste sent to landfill, avoids unnecessary cost, protects soil ecology, and helps keep carbon locked in the ground. It can also inspire creative design solutions. On a sloping site, for example, a level seating area might be nestled into a gentle gradient rather than built through extensive terracing.
Where soil must be excavated, keep it to a minimum and reuse it onsite to create varied topography and microhabitats. This will become increasingly important in a changing climate, as varied landforms can offer cooler, north-facing slopes and damper pockets that provide refuge from high temperatures. Conversely, raised areas can supply the sharp drainage needed by plants that struggle in prolonged wet conditions.
Water should also be managed in a way that works with the site.
Rather than adding to an already burdened drainage system, the goal should be to slow the flow and retain water on site. Rainfall from roofs can be captured in water butts or rain planters and finally directed into swales or ponds. On sloping sites, water can be intercepted uphill in a swale where it slowly infiltrates the soil or is directed via a gulley into a lower pond or wetland.
On poorly drained sites where soakaways are ineffective, creating a wetland habitat with raised walkways allows excess water to be managed naturally. Plants use water during respiration and photosynthesis for example, improve soil infiltration, and create an immersive, beautiful space while maintaining access for people.
Understanding the site’s above- and below-ground conditions is also crucial for plant selection. Microclimate, aspect, soil characteristics, drainage patterns, exposure, and altitude all guide the choice of plants that will thrive. This knowledge supports designing plant communities that are resilient and ecologically connected. It also helps anticipate how the planting will evolve with time and what future editing may be required.
Material choices should also respond to the site. Just as plants must suit their environment, hardscape materials must be chosen for their performance in specific conditions. Pale paving may brighten a shaded area but be uncomfortably bright in full sun. In shaded, damp locations, considerations such as porosity, slip resistance, and durability become essential for long-term functionality.
Gravel beneath trees rarely lasts; instead, bark mulch with natural stone stepping stones offers a more durable solution. Timber is a versatile material but selecting the right timber matters: modified timbers such as Accoya provide far greater durability in contact with the ground than larch or oak.
Taken together, working with the nature of the site creates a strong foundation for a garden that meets the client’s needs while building ecological resilience. It ensures that each design decision — from the placement of features to the choice of materials and plants — is grounded in an understanding of how landscape, climate, soil, and water interact.
By responding thoughtfully to these conditions, the garden becomes not just a designed space, but a thriving system capable of adapting to future change.
Construction for Grow in Merwede, a new city district in Utrecht, the Netherlands, begins as part of a joint initiative between Synchroon and AM, a part of Royal BAM Group.
Forming part of urban renewal activities in Utrecht aimed at sustainable development, the new district will highlight routines for health, movement and social contact with an emphasis on biodiversity and green spaces.
Architecture company KCAP, Monk Architecten, Studio Nauta, and Flux Landscape Architecture are responsible for the design.
A courtyard garden will be included to support nature-related and social activities, alongside 575 new homes.
Completion is expected by 2029, with a bigger objective to deliver around 6,000 homes in the coming years.
Foster + Partners has unveiled the regenerative masterplan designs for a mixed-use development site in Thessaloniki, Greece.
The transformative masterplan feature a vibrant public space, new homes, hotels and a range of cultural amenities.
Appointed by the developers, Diamond, Foster + Partners is tasked with the transformation of the historic FIX brewery within the industrial city.
Michael Jones, senior partner at Foster + Partners says “FIX will be a major catalyst for urban regeneration across the city”.
Design plans for FIX include vibrant green spaces with pedestrian and cyclist friendly public realm in addition to terraces used as an extension of the indoors.
The development is promised to play a part in the effort to create a sustainable architecture that matches the transforming nature of the city.
Open space management company Meadfleet has secured four awards across two national programmes in recognition of its sustainability efforts.
At the International Green Apple Awards, Meadfleet picked up a Gold award in Property and Estate Management: Residential Conservation and Wildlife Projects and a Bronze award within the Residential: Habitat and Biodiversity category.
During a ceremony at the House of Lords, alongside other industry members, Meadfleet collected the awards earlier this month.
At the SME Business Awards, Meadfleet were awarded Gold for the Sustainability Award, and a Silver for Corporate Social Responsibility.
David King, managing director at Meadfleet comments on the wins:
“These awards reflect the dedication of our team and reinforce our mission to create, enhance, and protect biodiverse spaces that benefit both wildlife and communities. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and it is fantastic to see this recognised on both national and international stages.”
