Melbury Lodge | Clare's Wild Garden

A Garden for Melbury Lodge

Melbury Lodge is based at the back of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital site in Winchester and has functional mental health wards for adults. Its been a delight to present two concept plans to Sally and the team and patients at Melbury Lodge. The concept plans and drawings are designed for a low budget and provide two visual representations of the garden re-imagined. Enhancements have been made to the value and beauty of the garden space, so influential to patient recovery. It will also be a haven for wildlife. We hope that these initial concept plans will help secure funding for the project in the future.

The Base Survey Drawing

This base survey is used to show what already exists in a garden. Here it is an approximation created in Sketchup from an existing pre-build DWG file and lots of photographs of the garden. The garden will be measured by a garden surveyor when ideas are finalised at master plan stage.

Concept 1

The garden layout has been changed to simplify and enhance the flow of the garden space. The Hexagonal planters have been removed. There are different areas with distinctly different atmospheres: the practical terrace with picnic benches surrounded with a riot of colour from the annual planting; the cutting garden; the herb garden and the perennial meadow planting. Then the raised bed area where vegetables and fruit can be grown. The limited colours of the free floating planting around the stepping stones leading to the games area, then the most remote area in the garden surrounded by the spring garden full of whites and greens—a relaxing regenerative space.
Behind the green external fence, the borrowed view of a wildlife garden allows patients to see the activity of the birds that use the bird bath, the mason and leaf-cutter bees as they use their bee hotel, and visit the bright flowers of the annual planting and the rest of the rich planting in the whole unified garden space.

Concept 2

Concept 2 shows what could be created using the original small budget. Just one new raised square planter, a change to the mowing routine, and some new planted areas. Although a good compromise, it doesn't have the unity and flow of concept 1.

3D Drawn View of Concept 1 and then Concept 2 for Comparison

The two drawings were created using a sketchup model of each space for perspective. The perspective drawings show clearly how concept one creates the feeling of greater depth and therefore greater space.

Planting plans and Rough Costings.

Planting plans for the two concept plans. The costings were included to give a rough estimate from the pre-build DWG file. The garden to be measured accurately by a garden surveyor at the master plan stage.