The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust

The National Trust, Blue Diamond and Ann-Marie Powell Gardens share the belief that gardens can and should be for all, and that they have the power to transform lives. This is reflected in the garden’s design as an urban community wildlife garden set on a brownfield site. The beautiful, plant-filled garden has been created with wellbeing, biodiversity, sustainability and accessibility firmly in mind. 

Designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond team, the garden has a relaxed feel and natural planting style. It is laid out as a series of ‘outdoor sitting rooms’ – a core idea from Octavia Hill – where each individual garden compartment has its own atmosphere. Visitors are invited to feel they are part of nature, a fundamental need as important today as in Octavia Hill’s lifetime. Dividing the space in this way echoes the ‘winding ways’ that Octavia often referred to, offering the opportunity to wander, both physically and emotionally. 

Ann-Marie Powell said: “Research proves that access to public green space improves so many outcomes: educational; physical, mental and social; resilience and recovery. Providing green space isn’t a niche idea; it was, and still is, crucial to our health and happiness.” 

The garden features some 3,600 native and non-native plants working together for biodiversity and beauty. Bold, pollinator-attracting planting throughout the garden is set to appeal to wildlife and visitors alike. For example, Celtis sinensis, a climate resilient tree very tolerant of air pollution, provides nectar for pollinators, butterflies and bees through its green flowers, while its orange autumn berries are a food source for birds and mammals. Clematis vitalba brings attractive creamy flowers to the garden, while also providing food and even nesting material for a range of pollinators and small mammals.

Paths through the garden lead to a garden building designed by architect Giles Jollands with Sam Ogilvie which can be used for shelter, social gatherings and events, while still allowing interaction with nature.  Habitat has been incorporated into the building with thatch walls and a planted canopy providing nectar for pollinators, while an upper-level wildlife observation platform allows people views of the sky and surrounding tree canopies from a new, raised perspective. 

A wildlife pond sits at one end of the garden, edged with aquatic plants to provide maximum habitat value. A pond dipping platform and walk-through stream (which helps to mask traffic noise) encourage curiosity, exploration and adventure.
The garden is designed to be as accessible as possible, thinking about those with sensory loss and special access needs.  Sloping paths are all wheelchair accessible and include wheelchair passing spaces. Reclaimed brick, timber, stone and thatch, sourced from National Trust places, have been used wherever possible to give old materials new purpose, and low-carbon or carbon-locking build techniques are used throughout. All plants are peat-free and are climate-change resilient including the trees.

The garden includes an installation by sound artist Justin Wiggan which records the electrical impulses of the plants, the earth beneath our feet, and the colours within blooms, wind and water. This will enhance connections with the garden and provide alternative experiences for visitors who are visually impaired or blind. Thanks to geocaching, visitors will even be able to share and ‘replant’ the garden’s sounds, creating their own ‘sound gardens’ around the world. 

Plant Lists

Annuals

Aquatics

Bulbs

Climbers

Crevice

Ferns

Grasses

Perennials

Shrubs

Trees