RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2009

In 2009 the RHS at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show thoroughly embraced the increasing popularity of keeping hens in the garden. New Barn Timber Products were asked to design and build three very different chicken houses and provide the appropriate hens for the gardens and features below.

Boardman, Gelly & Co – 'Hope Begins at Home'
**Garden awarded a Silver Medal**

New Barn Timber were asked to design and build a hen house that offered ‘guilt free containment’ for this garden where free ranging would not be possible. We supplied one of our Chicken Aviaries with three Rhode Island Red bantams.

Designers: Nigel Boardman and Stephen Gelly
Sponsors: Combat Stress, J J Love Building, New Barn Timber, London Lawn Turf Co, Squire’s Garden Centres, Westminster Teak
Contractor: Boardman, Gelly & Co

For a second consecutive year, Boardman, Gelly & Co is working with Combat Stress to highlight and support the work that it undertakes to help ex-servicemen and women suffering from psychological injuries.

This year’s garden describes the relationship between Combat Stress and the veterans during their specialist treatment and healing. It is a story of hope and nurture within a calm, safe and therapeutic environment: the story of their psychological and physical journey home.

There is a place to rest, an area to grow and flourish, and somewhere to commune and converse. The hens and their house represent community, growth and reward and the planting is deliberately colourful and varied with fruits, vegetables and flowers. A ripening fruit tree at the heart of the garden binds all the elements together.

Some of the plants have been grown and cared for by veterans at the charity’s Surrey treatment centre.

The timber sleepers that form the front fence are carved with a list of the conflicts since World War I.

Now in its 90th anniversary year, Combat Stress has supported more than 100,000 psychologically wounded veterans.
 

Winchester Growers - 'The Growing Tastes Allotment'
**Garden awarded a Gold Medal, Best in Show and The Tudor Rose Award**

The brief for New Barn Timber for this fabulous feature was to create an eye-catching and unique free range chicken house. We have designed and built a bespoke 'shepherd’s hut' style hen house with a vintage chassis. There is a quintet of pretty silver partridge pekins free-ranging in a dedicated area within this garden.

Designer: Jon Wheatley, Mary Payne, Terry Porter
Contractors: Stone Barn Landscapes, Landform NZ

Forming the central feature in the Growing Tastes area, between the NS&I Cookery Theatre and the Growing Tastes Marquee, this is an example of a traditional allotment, one that is very much a family concern.

Father tends the vegetables, while mother looks after the cutting garden, growing flowers to sell at the local Farmer’s Market along with any surplus vegetables and fruit. The children have their own area and grow colourful annuals, and any vegetable and herb seeds dad has left over.

The family aims to be as self-sufficient as possible and makes jams and preserves from the surplus fruit. They keep chickens to provide fresh eggs and bees for honey and pollination.

Environmental awareness is a priority and they conserve water where possible, mulching their crops with a variety of materials. Fleece and Environmesh are used to help prevent crop damage by pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. A scarecrow made by the children stands proudly among the rows of produce.
 

Sarah Eberle – 'Gardening Energy'

We were asked to provide an attractive and functional free range hen house for a small flock of Buff Sussex pullets and a cockerel – it had to be one of our lovely 4ft Granaries – our Granary range combines superb functionality with a huge dose of visual appeal making it one of the best free range chicken houses on the market.

This area has been designed by Sarah Eberle, gold medal-winning garden designer and Best in Show at Chelsea 2007 and built by her team including contractor Peter Dowle.

The ‘Garden Energy’ feature focuses on climate change, past, present and future, garden energy generation and the effects of climate change.

Supported by the Met Office and the RHS Science and Advice Team this feature offers ideas about ways we can limit contributing to further climate change and help moderate its consequences.