Last week, we left Piggy (Cottage Garden Mascot of tacky yard art fame) in London at the Elfin Oak, just outside the gates of the new Children's Play Area at the Memorial Garden to Diana, Princess of Wales. (Kensington Gardens, Orme Square Gate, London. Open daily, admission free.) By sad coincidence, this anniversary week would be an appropriate time to take a look at this memorial play area.
Accompanying Piggy and forming the entourage du jour, my family and I were immediately entranced by this children's garden. From the beginning, this play area struck me first and foremost as being a children's garden far more than being a mere play ground. I was so surprised to learn it is not formally entitled a garden!
We were drawn in through the gate as though by magical force. To me, that fact alone means that a garden's design is on the road to success. Once inside, the garden's enduring charm became increasingly apparent and I would encourage any gardener to go and visit it with that perspective in mind.
The longer I walked through this unique play area the more impressed I became with the design -- and the results! There are some fine examples of how to create a sense of place, maximize a small space and welcome people to enjoy and more fully experience an outdoor space. The outside the box design for this garden, based on the Peter Pan theme, was created by the award winning landscape architecture firm Land Use Consultants and was selected on a competitive basis.
At the center of the garden, the grand pirate ship inspired by James Barrie's fabled story about Peter Pan (the boy who wouldn't grow up) rides perfectly still on the imaginary lagoon along the sandy beach. Gazing upon the ship through the gently waving tall grasses and naturalistic plantings recalled the exciting wildness of the Caribbean or the Outer Banks of the Carolinas, but that is another story.
 |
 |
Go To Page: 1 2
