Brief
The client asked for a garden with a more modern feel, which embraced the wildlife that already visited the space. They wanted to bring more height in to the garden, to add privacy and give the flat space more depth and interest. The original shape of the garden consisted of a paved and decked area, which needed to be kept, a small lawn and borders around the boundary. The client asked for the new layout of the garden to be more exciting and provide additional places to sit that would catch the best of the evening sun.
Design
The design of the garden centres around a small pond and bowl water feature. The shape of the pond allows for birds and hedgehogs to access the shallow water for drinking and bathing. Positioning the pond in the centre of the garden means that it can be enjoyed from multiple locations and angles, whether sitting inside or outside. One of the challenges was to incorporate the existing deck and paved areas into the new design and ensuring it didn’t stand out. The client also asked for the garden to have a greater feeling of movement so that walking round the space felt like more of a journey, as opposed to going straight from A to B.
Plans & Drawings
Build
The new seating area in the garden is framed on two sides by L-shaped raised beds, this helps to make the seating space feel more enclosed, as well as adding different levels of planting. The colour of the raised beds adds warmth and vibrancy to the garden, especially during winter and makes the raised beds great focal points. A timber pergola over the seating area adds more privacy and is an ideal place for growing climbing plants.
The planting in the garden provides year-round interest, with evergreen plants ensuring that there is always a green framework, even in winter. The plant choices provide exciting colour and texture through foliage and flower, while also working alongside the existing plants that the client wanted to keep.
The existing paving was repeated in the new area of the garden to provide continuity and ensure the space worked as a whole. Although, to add a new detail to the garden, the size of the paving was changed, so that it added different shapes and patterns to the garden.
The pathways in the garden mean that it’s possible to walk round in a complete circle. This helps to add movement, as there is more than one option of which way to walk and no dead ends. The pathways are dissected by strips of planting. This slows down the pace of the person walking around the garden, as they must be conscious of where they are stepping over the planting. Breaking up the pathways with the planting also helps to make the whole space feel more interconnected.
Materials Used
- Kadapha Black Limestone Slabs
- Softwood Sleepers
- Copper Water Feature
- Pergola
