Erica plants seeds of her vision of a community garden (From Wharfedale Observer)

Erica plants seeds of her vision of a community garden

6:30pm Tuesday 24th April 2012 in Local news By Newsdesk

Recycled bottles and tools will be given a new lease of life as the focal point of an innovative garden.

The project is the work of Rawdon amateur gardener Erica Ward who won a silver award last year at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Show at the NEC.

Last year, Erica used abandoned supermarket trolleys, salvaged drainage pipes and bricks to create an urban roundabout garden.

Now she is submitting a new design – Growing Closer – based on the theme of bringing people together.

She said: “Using recycled items and reclaimed garden tools, I am looking to create a sense of community – a place for people to stop and relax and spend some time alongside the bold planting and bright imagery.

“The focal point of the garden is a rusty metal tree made from garden tools and recycled bottles. It also acts as a time capsule for the artwork of local schoolchildren.”

Erica, who is in her 40s, has invited pupils at Heaton School in Bradford to sketch or tell a story about someone they are close to.

The winning entry will be encapsulated in one of the bottles and will hang in the tree as a message-in-a bottle-style tribute. The winner will also be invited to the garden during the show with their family.

“The decking has been donated by a local company – Designadeck, the landscapers are a young team in Leeds – First Light Landscaping, and the welder NG Metals kindly worked with me to produce a bespoke tree,” said Erica.

“Not only is the garden itself engaging, but the whole process of creating it has been inclusive too with countless members of the community contributing to the build.”