Garden construction at RHS Hampton Court Palace
We were appointed to construct the Ocean Spray Garden for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2014.
Designed by Charlotte Murrell for Ocean Spray, the feature garden brought the story of cranberry growing and harvesting to life through water, planting and timberwork.
At its centre was a pond filled with floating cranberries, recreating the vivid appearance of a wet cranberry harvest. It was an unusual and exciting build that required the garden to work as both a landscape and an engaging visitor experience.
Bringing the cranberry harvest to life
Cranberries contain small air pockets, allowing them to float when the growing beds are flooded during a wet harvest.
The garden used this process as its main visual idea, creating a striking red expanse of cranberries within the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
Wetland-inspired planting helped connect the feature to the natural landscapes associated with cranberry growing. The planting also softened the edges of the water and timber structures, helping the temporary display feel more like a complete garden environment.
Following the journey from farm to table
A raised timber walkway guided visitors through the garden and provided views across the cranberry-filled water.
Information incorporated into the route explained how cranberries are grown, harvested and turned into products enjoyed around the world.
This helped the garden work as both a landscape and an immersive experience telling the Ocean Spray story. Visitors could move through the display, see the cranberries from different angles and learn more about the farming process as part of the same journey.
Constructing an unusual show garden
Our team built the cranberry-filled pond and surrounding landscape, coordinating the water feature, timber decking, planting and display elements within the fixed Hampton Court build schedule.
Although the garden was temporary, the pond and walkways still required careful attention to levels, water management, safety and finishing. Each element needed to perform throughout the show while maintaining the strong visual effect of the original design.
A time-lapse video of the construction shows how the empty show plot was transformed into the completed feature garden.
The project was an exciting opportunity to work alongside a designer and commercial partner to deliver an unusual and technically demanding landscape that brought the cranberry harvest to life.
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