The Concept

Background

From the beginning Frogwood Arboretum was intended to be more than just a "Botanical garden devoted to trees". Frogwood was also intended to be:

• A Living seed bank

• An Educational resource

• An Art gallery of living trees

• A Forest of Eden and

• A Tree Sanctuary

Before the design of the Arboretum could begin a suitable site needed to be located and purchased. More than two years were spent looking for the ideal location for the future Frogwood Arboretum. The current site was was purchased in 2006 and works began in 2007.  Some of the key criteria of the search for a suitable site for the Arboretum included:     

• Approximately 40 hectares (100 acres) of land

• A cool temperate climate

• Rainfall above 750mm per year

• Deep rich soil

• A combination of hills and flat land

• A natural waterway

• A location that was in or very close to a small town or hamlet with a vibrant local community

Once the site for the Arboretum was purchased a great deal of research went into into discovering what elements were necessary to make a great Arboretum.  This research included becoming a member of the International Dendrological Society,  visiting a large number of Arboreta in Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia and of course an extensive reading program. The research process also included extensive consultation with fellow tree enthusiasts from around the world.

The design process

The over arching design theme for Frogwood has ben my attempt to create a Living city. Not a city full of living things but a city where the city itself is constructed of living organisms; the buildings, neighbourhoods, roads and public spaces are all alive and combine to create a living, growing, whole.

This Living city would provide and a home, a place to visit, a place to "work" and a place to live for as wide a range of creatures as possible.  

So what would a living city look like? Many human cities are set out on a grid and shaped to fit human mechanical needs. With my Living city I have attempted to use the form of an imaginary creature as the template for the citie’s layout. A creature which has anatomical characteristics such as body shape, spine, limbs and organs. The term for this type of imagery is Zoomorphism.

When it is complete I hope that the Arboretum will provide the visitor with a sense that the Arboretum is a single organic entity in its own right.  An Arboretum as a Living city where; the trees are the buildings, the different groves are different neighbourhoods, the roads are covered in grass, the dams are swimming pools and reservoirs and where there are glades and meadows which are the social meeting places like libraries and the town halls.  

And of course the inhabitants of this living city are the frogs, the birds, the lizards, the butterflies and the bees!