Daniel Shea with his award-winning garden which took inspiration from last summer's riots

Tottenham riots-inspired garden wins silver at top show

by Flora Drury Saturday, July 14, 2012
11:00 AM

A young Tottenham gardener has been given silver at one of the world’s most famous flower shows for his riots-inspired design.

Daniel Shea, 28, won silver at this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show for his garden Uprising – a response to the riots which started in Tottenham last summer before they spread around London and beyond.

Mr Shea, who recently graduated from college, used the garden to explore the relationship between the city and nature – with the bright flowers reflecting the flames which burned during August’s riots.

But the garden was not a look backwards but forwards, as Mr Shea believes naturalistic planting can calm concrete, urban landscapes – and the people who inhabit them.

He said: “There is research which suggests this sort of planting actually de-stresses people, and creates quite a calm and peaceful atmosphere.”

Mr Shea also hopes his garden – and gardens like his - could attract new people to shows like Hampton Court.

He explained: “I wanted to do something a bit different.

“Obviously, the gardening world is quite old traditionally.

“I wanted to do something which was not only close to my heart but perhaps to bring the urban audience to gardening as well.”

Find out more at www.danielshea.co.uk.