Red Circle

The garden must be in bloom and spectacular for some months, says the contest notice, the theme is a “Summer garden in Moscow”. This spectacular garden and constantly blooming did not yet have a precise position in the urban space in Moscow, so it could have been positioned in different places, a great plaza perhaps, or perhaps in a crossroad of roads, or still in a pedestrian intersection very trafficked, or even in a park. From this consideration takes the first planning skill: find a form that could be able to suit for the different situations whit little changes.

The essential geometry of the circle determinate an enclosure that create a well clear space, edged of vegetation. The boundary circle became a place of rest, a very long circular bench of 20 meters diameter, long around 60 meters, tall around 43 cm. An endless object to rest and that could be over passed to reach the interior of the garden, in two or three point could be broken to open to little entrance, not bigger than 120 cm. The garden becomes therefore a wedge inside the city that allows to enter and explore the natural world. As a cell of a stem or a trunk examined at the microscope, inside contains so many other worlds.

An atoll of rare and spectacular red plants is the scenario that allows the visitors to look, seat, lie down or play. The visitor can choose to stop to his border or look over and enter in a garden of wonder composed of islands of earth starting from 10 cm and reaching the maximum at 60 centimeters to allow the planting of grassy, bushes and small trees.

The contest requirements was to have a permanent blooming garden, this image has suggested that besides the continuous flowerings the color couldn’t only be given by the flowers but also from the leaves. The choice of the vegetation’s color fell on red. A collection of plants that have red leaves it allows to have a very strong global chromatic impact, then declining the coloring of the leaves in different shades and shapes: trees with red foliage (Fagus ‘Tricolor’, Toona sinensis ‘Flamingo’); bushes (Loropetalum, Nandina ‘Fire Power’, Berberis thunbergii); herbaceous (Imperata cylindrica, Persicaria capitata) and grasses (Carex with red foliage).

On the ground, the existing pavement (stone, asphalt, lawn) will be mapped with mirrors, ranging in size from 18 to 50 centimeters, in polished steel. These delimit the garden’s livable spaces and reflect the sky, flowers, leaves and visitors from time to time.

Planting

All the plants of the garden should have red foliage, rather choose plants whit red leaves than red flowers. The choice of the plants could have changed a little after the visit to the nursery.

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’ / Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’ / Acer palmatum ‘Yasemin’ / Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Nigrum’ / Allium cristophii / Berberis thunbergii var. / Carex comans ‘Bronze’ / Coleus ‘Etna’ / Echinacea purpurea / Fagus ‘Tricolor’ / Gaura lindhemerii / Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ / Imperata cylindrica / Panicum virgatum / Persicaria capitata / Digitalis purpurea