Flower Jam 2019
International Landscape and Garden Design Competition in Moscow
Locationi: Moskova
Year: 2019
• Project design
In 2019, the competition theme was “Continuous Bloom Throughout Summer.” I was able to submit a request for my garden’s location to the organizers in advance. I wanted it to be placed in the old town, where I had visited several times the previous year and admired the exhibition gardens located there. My request was successfully granted, and my garden was given the name “Harmony with Diagonals.”
My inspiration came from the street network of Moscow, which, when viewed on a map, consists of diagonal lines. These diagonal intersections contain shops, business spaces, schools, parks, churches, and residential blocks. The roads cutting through these areas run at an angle, and straight roads between city blocks are rarely seen. The large wall in the garden represented this city map, with mirror elements doubling the views and creating interesting perspectives. The green roof and vertical green wall symbolized air purity, sustainability, and stormwater management, even in small urban gardens. The bright colors followed the trend colors of the year and provided contrast to the old town district. A canopy sheltered a small seating area with a table, while edible plants such as wild strawberries and herbs grew on it. The sloped back wall of the canopy depicted a waterfall, using plants, stepped structures, and mirrors to create the effect. This compact 50 m² garden was like a modern sculpture within the historical streetscape of Moscow. In terms of scale, it could have fit within a typical townhouse garden.
For the competition, 2D perspective drawings were required from different angles. Since 3D renderings provide a much clearer visualization, Olga Gromadskaya once again offered to create 3D models of my design this year. To make the renderings as realistic as possible, Photoshop was used to integrate the images into the Moscow old town background.
3D renderings of the garden (3D models by Olga Gromadskaya).
• Harmony with Diagonals
In 2019, I participated in two festivals and their associated competitions. Gardens and People took place in August, while Flower Jam extended over a longer period. That year, 260 projects applied for the competition, and 42 were selected to be built as finalists. Once again, all festival costs were covered by the City of Moscow. The competition categories remained the same as in the previous year.
Many exhibition gardens were illuminated with striking decorative lighting, which had been installed during the FIFA World Cup the previous year and was left in place permanently to delight city residents.
The lighting was one of the reasons why the maximum allowed height of garden structures was restricted to 300 cm.
The impressive permanent decorative lighting extended very close to the upper structures of the gardens (photo: Andrey Lysikov).
• Construction and Modifications
The gardens had to be designed with materials that could withstand various weather conditions from May to October. In my case, the material choices were successful. The only insurmountable issue was the mirror films, which were meant to reflect light. Even professional cleaners failed to properly clean them, and they could not be replaced throughout the festival.
Most modifications were related to plant species and quantities. The flooring material of the garden was a rubber mat with a printed pattern resembling traditional brick paving. However, it was cut and installed incorrectly in my garden, and there was no possibility of correcting it at that stage.
The allotted time for planting was 3–7 days, and each designer had to plan for their presence on-site accordingly. The organizers covered travel and accommodation costs for this phase.
• Team and Division of Work
During construction, the designer’s role was to oversee the planting process on-site. Even though the planting plan had been adjusted multiple times based on availability, further modifications were still necessary on location. The final placement turned out to have very different light and shadow conditions than initially expected. The plant species available were different from those planned, and the size of the saplings did not match the specifications in the materials list. These challenges had to be addressed on the spot during construction. My mentor, Artem Parshin, assisted me in selecting alternative plants to accommodate the necessary changes.
Each garden had an assigned project manager, site supervisor, structural engineer, lighting specialist, and head gardener. Assistant gardeners and general laborers rotated between different gardens. The leadership team often had multiple exhibition gardens under their supervision at the same time, which impacted the ability to adhere to the desired construction schedule.
• Festival Opening and Award Ceremony
All competition finalists were in Moscow during June, overseeing the construction and final touches of their gardens. The festival officially opened on Midsummer, and almost all designers were present at the event. A large group of international designers, whether working individually or in teams, gathered alongside the jury and construction teams. Additionally, crowds of city residents and tourists followed and celebrated the festival launch in the heart of Moscow’s old town.
The first round of jury evaluations of the completed gardens began immediately after the festival’s opening ceremony. My garden was located close to the main event venue, so it was among the first to be assessed by the jury. The competition’s award ceremony took place in late September.
The head judge of the competition was Andy Sturgeon, a British world-renowned garden designer with numerous international awards. His extensive list of accolades includes multiple “Best in Show” awards at the Chelsea Flower Show. Over the years, I have met him at various events and competitions, and his visual talent continues to inspire me—even in my everyday work as a private garden designer.
The Flower Jam 2019 jury also included members from Italy, Switzerland, and Russia. Each category had a Grand Prix winner, which came with a monetary prize. The amount depended on the competition category. In 2019, all Grand Prix awards were won by Russian designers.
My 50 m² garden competed in the Small Gardens category. For my design, “Harmony with Diagonals,” I was awarded an international silver medal and received an honorary award from the Russian Association of Landscape Architects. Additionally, Moscow residents voted my garden as the most beautiful in its category. From these recognitions, I received beautifully designed certificates to display on my wall.
For the jury’s visit, a final report was prepared for each competition entry, summarizing the concept and detailing the construction process. Since the delivered plants differed from the original plan, the garden’s narrative had to be adjusted after construction. In my initial concept, the waterfall-like wall was planned as an herb wall, but because I was only provided with ivy plants, I reinterpreted the design as a waterfall scene, where the plants symbolized moss-covered rocks in cascading water.
Excerpt from the report explaining the city map inspiration behind my competition entry.
The final report highlighted the strongest aspects of the design from the designer’s perspective. In my opinion, my garden was most stunning under evening lights, when its sculptural qualities were best showcased. The jury awarded a special mention for my successful lighting design.
Excerpt from the final report showcasing the lighting design and its execution.
All pictures from competition
