John Frater is an innovative plantsman, landscape and garden designer, and the man behind the popular Council-owned traffic island at the foot of Broughton Street.
‘It has developed over the years into a long-season colourful border,’ he commented earlier this summer. ‘Local residents are divided over the merits of perennials in public spaces. I get mainly positive feedback though – even when I go down there to do a tidy I'll get people commenting to me about it.’
His overarching objective is ‘the creation of sustainable and low-maintenance planting schemes’. By sustainable he means ‘persistence of the planting scheme down the years, while requiring only minimal inputs’.
Frater first took a BSc in Ecological science and natural resource management at Edinburgh University, before later setting up his own consultancy firm – Platforms – in 2007. In this work he combinines garden design and horticulture in ecologically informed and creative ways.
You can view a slideshow of some past projects here.
The dull predictability of traditional corporation planting may soon be a thing of the past, it seems. Frater believes 'Our urban landscapes can become vibrant ecosystems, making more of a positive contribution to the health of our cities, for us and our fellow creatures'.
John Frater will talk on ‘Perennials and Sustainable Urban Green Space in Edinburgh’ in McDonald Road Library at 3pm on Sunday 29 September. The meeting is hosted by Friends of Hopetoun Crescent Garden following their annual general meeting, but all members of the public are welcome (free admission). Refreshments will be available.
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Edinburgh Greenspace @greenspacetrust @theSpurtle Looks great! @ELCouncil roundabouts are looking great too with interesting seed mixes giving colour all thru summer #uplifting