Carpet bedding at Råda Manor

Students of Horticultural Services at August Kobbs College have been invited to submit ideas for the carpet bedding displays that will be created at Råda Manor. Seventeen proposals were submitted and the winning entry came from Joe Egan. The carpet bedding will be completed in spring 2016.

The carpet bedding will be set in a traditional baroque pattern but will be based on a contemporary selection of plants. The bedding has a geometrical design and the challenge was to combine its aesthetic appeal with a level of simplicity that will make it easy to maintain for many years to come.

In keeping with the Gothenburg Green World theme of sustainability, all the plants chosen are perennials, and the flowering season can be extended with spring-flowering bulbs. Plants such as heuchera and orpine were chosen because their foliage maintains interest long after flowering is over. The borders depart somewhat from the traditional groundcover plants that are commonly used as carpet bedding and include day lilies to create a dramatic focal point.

Lesser calamint will be used to frame the bedding, in a historical reference to its widespread use in the gardens in 1915. Lesser calamint has a relatively long flowering period and fills the air with a pleasant fragrance that will greet visitors to Råda Manor.

Carpet bedding

Carpet bedding was a popular garden feature in the second half of the 19th century. It was often created with colourful summer flowers, planted out in geometric patterns like the wallpaper designs of the period.

August Kobbs College

Is part of Burgårdens Educational Centre. Horticultural Services is a one-year foundation course that focuses on plant care and cultivation. The course is based at Stora Katrinelunds Landeri, a former manor house that now serves as a heritage centre.

Joe Egan

Joe’s interest in gardening was sparked when his family got an allotment, and as the years passed he spent more and more time there, until he decided that he wanted gardening to be more than a hobby and signed up for the Horticultural Services course.

Joe has a background in art and his aim is to combine cultivation, gardening and aesthetics. His dream is to help create spaces where people can enjoy nature, learn more about gardening and cultivation, and experience gardens that appeal to all their senses.