Merrist Wood

On the 2nd March earlier on this year, myself and a group of fellow students spent a day at Merrist wood near Guildford. The day was organised by Sophie Mc'Guiness who teaches Horticulture at Merrist Wood College. It was a great opportunity for us Landscape Students to do something practical and out of the ordinary of our usual routine so i took the opportunity.

We firstly sowed seeds in planting trays, I sowed Verbena Bonariensis. We were advised to make the sure compost level on top was very level otherwise it affects the plants growth and changes the way water filters through.

 I then sowed 'Ipomea Heavenly Blue', We used a layer of cork chippings over the surface as this plant grows best when the seeds are partially shaded, we then moved our sowed plant trays to a greenhouse for them to begin growing.

 'Grafting' was explained to us, its when two plants within the same species are fixed together, often a more specific stem is grafted to a common root within that species, this gives a less common type of tree a greater chance of success as the root is strong. The two stems are cut horizontally to create a larger surface area, then they are wrapped tightly and placed within a moist heated tube to encourage the grafting. Fascinating.

This is an example of grafting, a 'Fraxinus Excelsior Jaspidea' has been grafted to a common Ash root, with the advantage of a more favourable and strong root system.

 Taking a heavily developed plant, with all its roots we wanted to divide the plant out into pots to develop them further. We used hand blades to cut through the root system and break the plant apart, it seemed quite damaging but our tutor assured us the plant was strong enough to cope with such treatment.

 This is part of that plant i potted, now within its own pot, with space and light to flourish.

 One of the extensive Greenhouses at Merrist Wood, they have a good range of examples of common plants, and also conditions that effect them. It's a constantly developing horticultural environment with its main aim to help students understand the diverse plant world.

 In the afternoon we were taught about the great benefits of developed hedging and how vital they are to our english wildife. Richard took us out to a an ongoing hedge that he and the students are creating. The trees were planted 11 years ago and were ready to be bent and weaved into a medieval style hedge.

The process involves more thought than i assumed, making sure each tree is correctly tucked into its 'home' in the hedge with its branches weaved through. Stakes give structure support to the hedge, a line of willow is threaded through the top and pressed down. where we chopped 3/4's into the trees base to bend it down, shoots will now grow from this base creating a dense wall of growth. The tree now threaded into the hedge carries on living and growing through only one strip of wood and bark connected to the root, i was very surprised by this!
The day at Merrist Wood was greatly beneficial to myself and my colleagues as we are inexperienced within the practical side of landscaping. The areas we covered were quite basic but if we took more trips like this out i'm sure they begin to greatly benefit our work in the studio.

Skogskyrkogarden - Stockholm

Whilst in Sweden, we took a trip to Skogskyrkogarden, a now world renowned site for its unique architecture and sensitive approach to the landscape.  The site was designed by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz who won the competition to design the cemetery in 1915. They began looking closely at the existing contours and elements of the site, focusing on designing for the visitor’s experience, in which this case is usually to mourn. They designed routes that lead throughout the site and connect the chapels that specifically are intentioned to create appropriate mood’s.

The inspiration to create a different experience of cemeteries and mourning evolved from the characterless, ‘strict’ style of previous cemeteries. A desire grew to create a cemetery centred on the the landscape that holds it.

The landscape design has been influenced by the spirit of the decade, a distinct romantic, Swedish approach with rolling hills and open space, this has created very clear edges within the cemetery which in turn have created an informed, purposeful landscape. Certain information has been sourced from http://www.skogskyrkogarden.se/en/general/index.php

A viewing window into an inner garden, vista's and sightlines throughout the whole cemetery have been formally created to provoke feelings

I found the attention to detail throughout Skogskyrkogarden captivating, this handrail for example has been finished to a very high quality, however simple in its design, you can see hours of thought and consideration have been spent on such small things. A straight steel blade with a t-section for structural strength is all that has been required, the legs tuck up neatly under the rail edge and the maroon red gives the handrail a high quality aesthetic. Simple in finish, such details succesfully do not distract from the larger landscape, they improve its ability to focus the visitor on the current emotions.

A peaceful resting place, that invites visitors is what has been been created here, a unique approach to cemeteries but it all makes so much sense.

Stockholm trip

In February, I visited Stockholm in Sweden with colleagues from my University. The capitol of Sweden is a vibrant city which has developed over a series of interlinked islands and inlets from the Baltic sea to the east. We were staying within the old town of Stockholm on a centrally positioned island called Gamla Stan. With the more traditional historic development to the south and to the north a blend of modern development mixed with traditional. Connecting the broken landscape that makes up Stockholm, wide bridges spread across the inlets, with a high priority given to pedestrians. 

Stockholm City Hall is a key landmark within the city, it was built in 1923 and designed by the architect Ragnar Ostberg.

The hall is right on the edge of Kungsholmen island within the centre of the city and serves as offices, conference rooms, ceremonial halls and also a grand restaurant. The City hall is one of Sweden’s outstanding examples of National Romanticism in its distinct architectural style. From my British background, large red brick buildings at this scale relate strongly to warehouses built within the industrial revolution. In my personal view, the way in which this important building within Sweden holds political significance but is also ‘powerful’ and ‘bold’ in its stance gives it a great character, amongst the complexity of such a city.