​Queens Walk, Reading - Mona Plant System

Queens Walk, Reading

Landscape Architect: Barton Wilmore

Landscape Contractor: Hillier Landscapes

Queens Walk, a development of 284 student flats in Reading has utilised the Mona Plant System within its new courtyard area, an all- year-round social space for its residents.

Yell House was originally built as part of a large hotel development then later housed the office team for the famous Yellow Pages for many years. The building has received a full makeover incorporating flats for the University of Reading students and an external landscaped courtyard for socialising, eating and drinking. The courtyard incorporates both hard and soft landscaped areas and raised planters housing both trees and shrubs that provide shade, screening and seasonal interest.

The Mona Plant System was incorporated within the planter designs at the Queens Walk development and specified by Barton Willmore Landscape Architects. With over 30 years’ heritage, the Mona Plant System has been specified on many projects across the UK and Europe. Described as a subterranean watering system, the Mona tanks are incorporated within the planting medium and deliver water direct to the plant’s roots through the process of capillary action. The system removes the need for surface watering, ensuring the correct amount of water is delivered as and when required by the planting. The system is 100% efficient, eliminating the risk of over or under-watering responding to the seasonal requirements of each individual plant.

The team behind the Mona Plant System assisted with the specification of the system at an early stage of the design process, ensuring the correct quota of tanks were utilised to suit the individual planting.

Green-tech also supplied 150^m3 of Green-tree intensive substrate; an established growing media with an excellent reputation in the marketplace.It is a blend of lightweight aggregate and award-winning Green-tree top soil; which is ideal for containerised planting or green roof projects.It is lightweight in texture and has good water holding capacity which encourages healthy plants and trees in containerised planting projects like this.

Paul Corfield, Senior Landscape Architect for Barton Willmore commented:

‘Barton Willmore was commissioned to produce the design proposals for the existing courtyard space as part of the refurbishment works at Queens Walk. Incorporating the Mona Plant System into the planting scheme offered a simple and effective watering solution for the raised planters.’

Richard Wexham, Product Specification Manager, Green-tech added:

‘The Mona Plant System offers a solution to water wastage. By incorporating the system into a scheme at specification stage you are providing the best possible start for your trees and plants. The yellow subterranean tanks are designed to release water on request by the planting and the process of capillary action transfers the water through the growing medium to the plant’s roots to ensure the correct amount is always available.’

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