Last week I showed some images of my visit to the Thames Barrier Park in London.  On the same day we also visited the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park which is now, for the most part, open to the public so I thought I’d share some of the photos I took along the way.

I didn’t manage to get there when the Olympics were on so I missed out on the annual wild flower meadows.  Like the Thames Barrier Park, I felt we were a little late in the year as the perennial meadows had finished but the new planting near the Olympic Stadium was looking lovely still.

Some of the images I took are a little abstract as there were plenty of interesting textures and elements including drainage channels, railings and benches.  Amazing what you see when you’re looking through the lens of a camera…

These first two images were railings/barriers over a bridge.

And this floor detail I thought was interesting – you can see the slot drain in the middle but the other metal strip detail is, I assume, part of the structure of the bridge/to hold the resin bound surface in place.

Some of the furniture was lovely including these big lounger-style benches which almost doubled up as art.

And I noticed the attention to detail at the end of this simple bench a bit further along the river…

It’s details like these that elevate a normal bench to something a bit more classy!

The next photograph was taken from underneath the Aquatic Centre – such an amazing building, designed by Zaha Hadid

And the image below was taken of the tactile wooden and steel jigsaw wall (not sure what else to call it) – each square turns to reveal a black side which can be used to make shapes or spell words.

Some of the pathways were still closed off because they’re still doing some work to create the permanent park.  I took this image whilst we walked along the Leigh river – sometimes I felt really disorientated, I certainly didn’t expect Canary Wharf to be visible from where we were standing – it looks almost as though you could reach out and touch it!

And I’ll leave you with these two last images which were taken in one of the children’s playgrounds over the other side of the park.  The autumnal grasses looked just gorgeous!

Full details of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park can be found on their comprehensive website.

(Images: Lisa Cox)

I met up with an old friend on mine in London on Monday.  We decided to go to the Thames Barrier Park which I’ve always wanted to see and never quite got around to. Read more

As you know, last Tuesday I went with my friend and fellow garden designer, Jane Shankster, to visit the Piet Oudolf garden at the new Hauser & Wirth gallery in Somerset. Read more

Part two of my visit to Hauser & Wirth in Somerset on Tuesday features some close-up photographs I took of the planting.  The sunlight was diffused by the misty air which made for some good shots. Read more

I took a frivolous day off yesterday to visit the new Piet Oudolf garden at the Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Somerset. Read more

I’ve recently been working with a client in Epsom Downs who wanted to design a potager area at the bottom of the garden to accommodate her new greenhouse, existing summerhouse and also to create an attractive space where they can sit and take in the evening sunshine. Read more

Last week I finally managed to get back to see the Leatherhead garden we completed and planted last summer.  I should really have been there in July when all the roses and perennials were looking at their best, but I still think the transformation is quite amazing in just one year and there’s still lots in flower and looking great. Read more

I missed a visit to Sussex Prairies a couple of weeks ago so as the weather was lovely at the weekend we decided to pay a visit.  I’ve been wanting to go for ages! Read more

Often when I’m working with clients they are concerned about turning too much of the garden over to planting.  This is especially the case when they want a low maintenance garden.  Although they often become interested, many of my clients don’t start off as very keen gardeners and the reason they want to work with a professional is because they don’t have the first clue about plants and what to do with them. Read more

I have recently been working with a client in Reading to help them plan their new front garden.  They plan to build the garden themselves and had lots of ideas, but just wanted some help to bring them together into a coherent plan that they can work with. Read more