'Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow' by Aralia - RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

Monday, 14 May 2012

RHS Chelsea 2012 'Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow' - The Build (Days 9 to 10)

Well at last the weather decided to hold up long enough for us to dry off!! Here are a few pictures from Days 9 and 10 of the build...

The Build - Day 9

The Build - Day 10

info@aralia.org.uk
01279 721461 / 07970 906233
Studio 2, New House Farm, Lower Sheering Road, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9LE

Friday, 11 May 2012

RHS Chelsea 2012 'Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow' - The Build (Day 8)

We definitely needed that ark yesterday, the heavens opened and we all got thoroughly drenched. I am so pleased to see sun this morning; it's going to be a great day! Yesterday was terribly exciting, we got the green roof and the green wall installed in one day, got a few finishing touches to do today, but on the whole they look pretty good.

Our trees should be arriving any minute! I am so looking forward to having these lifted and placed into their beautiful new homes - gorgeous Eco plastic planters made by the highly talented Bev Bramwell of Thomas Bramwell. They've felt a bit like giving birth, when we first heard about them in January they were pro type drawings only, but their look was perfect for the garden and we knew they would be fantastic - if only they could be designed, developed, manufactured and delivered on time... it's been a long journey, they're not exactly what was originally imagined, but they are (in Bev's own words) 'bloody gorgeous!'. Photos of the coordinating furniture were being emailed thru to me at ten o'clock last night (Chelsea hours are 24/7, no rest for the wicked!) just need to make a final decision on colour!

We've just gone past the halfway mark on the build, feeling very positive and very proud of our team of contractors and suppliers. Sean, and his merry crew of Mark, Michael and Matt (all Giles Landscapes) are doing a grand job, they're working such long hours but still managing to have fun and get the job done! Now where are those trees…?

info@aralia.org.uk
01279 721461 / 07970 906233
Studio 2, New House Farm, Lower Sheering Road, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9LE

Thursday, 10 May 2012

RHS Chelsea 2012 'Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow' - The Build (Days 6 to 7)

Not sure about a garden, think we might be better off building an ark! It is just like a mud bath today, the rain started at lunchtime and has stayed for most of the day. What a change from yesterday when we had blue sky, sun and not a drop of rain.

Day 6

Day 7

Slow progress today, which feels frustrating but I do know that we will get there in the end ( I sincerely hope so). Michael (Giles Landsapes) had a minor mishap today and spent a few hours in A&E, but all is well and pleased to say he made it back to site.

We have a really exciting day tomorrow our green wall and green roof are being delivered and installed - I can hardly wait. They will be our first green things to site and I know, at last, the mud bath will begin to resemble a garden in some small way. Our trees are coming on Friday so at least by end of Friday we won't feel so left out - We must be the only show garden with no tree or plant in site!

Tired, ready for a bath and a large glass of wine, then bed.....

info@aralia.org.uk
01279 721461 / 07970 906233
Studio 2, New House Farm, Lower Sheering Road, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9LE

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

RHS Chelsea 2012 'Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow' - The Build (Days 1 to 5)

Well this time around I was hoping to write a Blog update each day of the build, I think I may have been slightly optimistic… already the time is just flying by and I’ve simply been too busy!

Where to start? Well, Thursday the 3rd of May was the first day we were able to start building on site, and what a bitterly cold start it was! The Aussies just along from us were saying they usually do their work in shorts! We set up a temporary office under cover, but had to blag a trestle table and some chairs; unfortunately this didn't keep the wind out, which was meddling somewhat with our paper plans which we were trying to run through.

As I am sat writing this balanced on some stacked up wood, the sun has at last made an appearance, I can actually feel its warmth on my back, hope it's here to stay! (Sadly it lasted about 30 minutes…!) Oh well, we thought we’d make the best of it and Friday, Saturday and Sunday we got the garden marked out, the back wall was built from concrete blocks and the deck frame was laid.

Today was D-Day as our Estonian contractors turned up this morning with our 'cube' building. I was so glad to see them (or more like glad to see the cube if I'm honest!). The only problem now is the glass doors are stacked so close to the road that every time an arctic lorry goes past my stomach lurches with worry. I'm sure these drivers know what they are doing, but I can’t help but worry - we would have no chance of replacing the glass in time.

Mark and Mike (Giles landscapes) are doing a great job with our back wall, they've almost got the full 3m high of breeze blocks, now just waiting for the scaffolding to arrive, so they've made a start on the limestone blocks which just look so gorgeous, especially with a little splash of sun on them!

All is going to plan so far, and even better I’ve just heard from Dave @ Kelways (one of our key plant suppliers) to say that despite the weather the plants have grown on well since I last saw them 10 days ago!

I have to make a big decision on my birch tomorrow as Matthias (of Deepdale Trees) is not sure it's going to leaf up enough in time for Chelsea, so he's sending me a photo tomorrow so I can decide if we need to switch - I'm definitely going to enlist Alex Denman (Show Manager) and her experience at Chelsea to help me make a decision.

We’ve got a busy day ahead tomorrow. The electrician will be doing first fix, the decking & edging is all due to arrive, plus our gorgeous custom tree planters, can hardly wait!

Please can someone please sort the weather out?!

info@aralia.org.uk
01279 721461 / 07970 906233
Studio 2, New House Farm, Lower Sheering Road, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9LE

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 - Development of our Green Roof & Herb Wall

Well the past couple of months have been hectic to say the least! It is all very exciting, everything is really coming together now and we have seen a great deal of progress in our green roof and herbal tea wall! Here are some images showing the growth over the past 8 weeks or so, haven't they come on nicely...

Green Roof Development

8th March 2012