Design Brief
- To enhance the naturalistic aspects of the garden and develop the existing pond and orchard areas
- To incorporate as much as possible of the existing established planting
- To provide a terrace area for seating and entertaining adjacent to the house
- To maintain views out of the garden to the surrounding countryside
- To create a secluded seating area overlooking the pond
- To include areas of formal planting including roses
- To retain the existing railway carriage
- To provide a compost area
- To include sculpture
The Concept
To utilise and develop the existing ‘natural’ style of the garden away from the house creating a wild ‘naturalistic’ space; a relaxing garden in tune with nature and its surrounding environment with a modern twist. The naturalistic style is contrasted with a formal terrace surrounded by clipped box hedges, roses and a planting of perennials and grasses close to the house.
The substantial formal terrace laid with old York stone slabs provides ample space for seating and entertaining and a strong link between the house and the garden beyond. The terrace is softened and enhanced by a clipped box hedge and box pyramids, accommodating the change in levels from the terrace and the rest of the garden. The box hedge continues and forms a circular planting area, a space for an organised collection of grasses and perennials with views through to the orchard. A planting of shrub and ground cover roses extends from the terrace around the house to the garden boundaries offering some seclusion and formal contrast. Pots of box and planting for seasonal colour soften the York stone terrace.
The existing grassed space has been reshaped to provide two distinct growing environments of mown grass and meadow within the orchard. The mown grass area sweeps around the site from the terrace to the eastern boundary, creating a feeling of space and movement within the site. There are views out to the village church through the existing orchard which is expended with additional planting and a meadow created with paths through the trees. Throughout this area are naturalised Narcissus, Fritillaria Crocus and Cammasia and it is the location for garden sculpture. The bank of the western boundary is left as rough grass with an annual mowing regime and provides a strong link with the surrounding countryside with naturalised perennials and bulbs enhancing existing wild flowers. A barked pathway leads to a decked seating area overlooking a natural pond which takes in the late evening sun and is rigged for music. The deck is surrounded by ‘Prairie’ style planting and appears to be floating within the planting when viewed from the house. This style of planting continues around the garden. The existing native hedge is layed and lowered in places to open up views out of the garden and a serpentine cut provides a link with the undulating countryside beyond. A lighting system transforms the garden when seen from the house and terrace at night.
