Client:
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
Landscape Architect:
BDP
Project:
The Hive, Kew, London
Date:
May / June 2016
Size:
2,270m²
Situated in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, The Hive is a 17-metre-high aluminium latticed structure that aims to raise awareness of the rapid decline of the world’s bee population.
Before entering The Hive structure, visitors are first met with a lush and healthy wildflower meadow grown and supplied by Wildflower Turf at the request of Tony Kirkham, Head of Arboretum and Horticultural Services at Kew.
Both Landscape 34 Turf and Border Turf were utilised within the surrounding garden, with a mix of non-native and native perennial wildflowers adding to an array of colour and biodiversity.
At the end of the growing season in October 2016 the wildflowers were cut down in readiness for winter. This necessary over-wintering preparation has ensured that Kew’s wildflower meadow has developed quickly over spring 2017, with the perennial flowers once again delighting Kew’s thousands of visitors.
The Hive installation has proven to be an incredibly successful undertaking for The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with the immersive experience responsible for increasing visitor numbers to Kew Gardens by 40%. The project was also shortlisted for, and subsequently won, the ‘Design for a Temporary Landscape’ category at the prestigious Landscape Institute Awards in 2016.
