Image Credit: The Eco City garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
Q&A with LG’s Eco City Garden designer at Chelsea Flower Show 2018
From sleek solar panels to plants that reduce pollution, we chatted about the environmentally friendly ideas incorporated in the Eco City Garden design at the Chelsea Flower Show 2018
Image: Georgina Viney for LG Electronics
Representing the green space allocated to one residential housing unit, the LG sponsored Chelsea Flower Show garden, designed by Hay Juong Hwang of HAY Design, is an eco friendly feast for the eyes.
Integrating our increased tech dependency with a requirement to be mindful of the environmental issues posed by contemporary lifestyles, as well as to reduce pollution specifically in areas of high population density, we sat down with Hay to find out more about this Silver-gilt award-winning garden’s green credentials.
Tell us about the LG ‘Eco-City’ Garden
‘This is the second time I’ve partnered with LG to create a garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with our debut garden winning a Silver-gilt award in 2016.
This year, the ‘Eco-City’ Garden is all about sustainability. The garden itself is self-sustainable, we have used pioneering technologies as we look to what the garden of the future will look like.
The garden re-imagines inner city living and helps combat air pollution, as we know this is a massive issue for cities around the globe.
The garden has been designed as a replicable blueprint for an integrated terrace in high-rise buildings and is packed with LG’s most premium technologies including the Wallpaper TV, displayed in the open garden.’
How have you incorporated eco-friendly ideas and technologies into the garden?
Image: Georgina Viney for LG Electronics
‘There are a number of different eco-friendly concepts within the garden. Firstly, the water pools in the garden have 80 fish living in them.
The waste from the fish is filtrated and used to nourish the living herb and vegetable garden within the kitchen of the garden area.
The plants within the garden have been chosen as they are particularly good at removing airborne particulates from the atmosphere. I’ve included a lot of moss within the garden, on the roof of the apartment, and to turf areas around the garden, as moss is more effective at removing pollution than trees.
All of the lights in the garden have been powered by LG’s solar panels hidden in the moss on top of the apartment, we’ve also used a transparent solar panel from Polysolar to provide natural light into the apartment.’
How could we incorporate this in our own gardens?
‘At large, I would like to encourage people to integrate the inside and the outside in a more seamless way.
The apartment in the garden flows out to the water pools and across to our outdoor seating area which is surrounded by the trees, plants and flowers.
I would also like to inspire people to use moss more in their gardens, as it is so effective at removing the polluting particles from the air and provides great texture to outdoor spaces.
I love the bright tones in the garden, they’re uplifting yellow and orange tones. It’s easy to integrate colourful flowers in the smallest of garden spaces, particularly balconies and small terrace gardens.’
What plants have been used in the garden?
Image: Georgina Viney for LG Electronics
‘We’ve used Acer Ginnala trees in the garden as they are very efficient at removing pollution from the air, and also deflecting noise pollution.
There is a lot of chamomile around the garden, which is a stepable turf, and an alternative to grass. These plants also help combat the level of air pollution in the garden.
The yellow tones in the flowerbeds come from the Lupinis Desert Sun and the Globeflowers (Trollius Europaeus). We’ve also used roses, peonies and foxgloves to give different textures and varying heights to the flowerbeds.’
Why are you trying to tackle pollution?
‘Air pollution is a topical issue at the moment, and in the UK is the top concern for city-dwellers above safety and financial worries.
We know cities around the world have problems with air pollution, so this garden aims to provide inspiration as to how we can tackle the issue through gardening and design.
Exhibiting the garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show provokes thought over sustainability and eco-efficiency, we hope that people can take inspiration from the garden and install one or two plants or details from the garden in their own homes. ‘
Will you be adopting any of the eco friendly ideas from this clever Chelsea Flower Show garden? Let us know by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.