Small Garden Planting Project

This long and narrow partially shaded garden of a terraced house in the centre of Leamington Spa was completely overgrown with large shrubs thus leaving little space for anything else.

After initial discussions, the owner decided to have the whole site cleared. The client’s brief was to produce a contemporary design that provided a small paved area by the house, an area for entertaining at the end of the garden, a storage shed and a utility area. Also required was some privacy from the neighbouring properties.

The design partitioned the site into three garden rooms giving the illusion of a more spacious area by using two simple pergolas trained with white climbing wisteria and blue clematis as a dividing framework. Planting has been kept to a limited palette using greens, creams and pale blues with splashes of warm pinks in the summer. A small seating area constructed in sandstone by the house gives views through the pergola to the lawn beyond. Partially shaded borders have been planted with climbing and shrub hydrangeas, hostas, heucherellas, choisya and nandina domestica for all year interest. Bamboos were positioned along the side border to give subtle evergreen privacy from the neighbouring property. In the middle garden a small lawn was laid with a stepping stone pathway linking the three gardens together. Four small decorative pear trees were positioned either side of this garden to shield distant buildings. The pale cream rose Litchfield Angel highlights the borders in the summer with blue ceanothus bushes for bright spring colour. At the end of the garden, there is ample room for alfresco entertaining and a screened utility area softened with semi evergreen honeysuckle. Subtle under lighting enhances the planting, bringing the garden to life at night.

The owner of this property is now able to enjoy sitting in the afternoon sun, surrounded by borders full of beautiful lush planting. Divided into ‘rooms’ gives the illusion that this garden is much more spacious and that at the same time, creates different areas of focal interest.

Stone House on a Hill

This newly built and stunning Cotswold Stone House proudly stands at the top of a hill, close to Stratford upon Avon with wonderful and far-reaching views over the local country side.

The house grounds began as a building site, the previous property having been demolished with only the original garden remaining. The house interior is furnished in a contemporary style and the owners wished to reflect this in their overall design. Their requirements were to include a rill in the main garden that could be viewed from the entrance hall.

The garden sloped up from the house towards the fields beyond, so new levels were established to form terraces and raised planting beds. A central rill was constructed with water flowing down from an upper bowl fountain into two lower pools with bell fountains, towards the house below. The walls and steps were built in stone to compliment the buildings. The grounds were divided into areas by hornbeam hedges to provide interest, to shield the adjacent fields and to give protection from the harsh winter winds.

Each garden was given a different colour accent – the main garden, apricots and warm pinks, the long garden blues and yellows, the herb garden lavender and the rose garden burnt oranges.

At the front of the property, a still circular pool blends with a wild flower meadow. Swathes of grasses blow in the wind, complimented by flowers of soft creams and whites.

This beautiful garden was constructed over a two year period and has now matured. The wide borders are filled with tall evergreen shrubs for winter accent and softened with massed plantings of colourful perennials and gentle grasses.

Country Estate with a Lake & Pool

Situated in the Warwickshire countryside, this property had been completely refurbished. The tired looking 1960’s garden was on a bank, which graded down towards a partially obscured overgrown lake in the distance.

The client’s brief was to provide a swimming pool, a pool house for entertaining with changing facilities, new lawns and a re-landscape of the grounds, including extending and replanting the lake.

The design split the sloping site into various levels. Leading out from the house, an upper lawn area was created with borders punctuated with box balls and plantings of purple and cerise flowers, rose covered pergolas, mosaics, and york stone pathways, with steps leading down to the swimming pool garden.

An oak framed pool house has far reaching views across the swimming pool, terraces and lawns over a ha-ha down to the grounds and lake beyond. The borders are filled with a bold exotic planting scheme. Shrubbery and some tired trees were removed to give an uninterrupted view of the new lake with its breeze house, boat deck and luscious planting. The grounds are full of perennials, shrubs and ornamental trees to give all year round interest. iThese incude cherry trees, Japanese acers, silver birches, rowans, dog woods, cotinus grace, lacecap hydrangeas, white shrub roses, hostas and iris siberica. The finished garden was lit with a subtle low lighting ambiance to bring the garden to life at night.

The stunning garden was completed on time for a family wedding held in its grounds. The urns and entrance way were planted with flowers to tone with the bridal colours.

Town Garden beside a Copse

The clients of this property had recently added a new conservatory onto their lounge and wanted to look out on to a garden full of interest with plenty of space to entertain their friends. The existing garden was very dated, laid mostly to lawn with small borders and overgrown shrubs. The ground rose sharply on one side leading up to a garden shed and gateway to a local park. A silver birch tree in the centre of the garden had a preservation order, so it had to remain.

All of the existing large shrubs were removed, new levels formed, the ground excavated a retaining wall built to form raised planting borders and an upper lounging area in front of the garden shed.

The design included a lower terrace, constructed in sandstone paving to encircle the conservatory. A circular pool forms the main focal point built behind the retaining wall, with water gently falling from a shoot on to stones below. Phormiums and grasses give a striking backcloth and separate the upper terrace from the main garden with a simple pergola, planted with honeysuckle and clematis. The garden shed was repainted to give a more contemporary look. A sloping pathway constructed with new railway sleepers is shielded from the terrace by a small bamboo hedge, to form a hidden route around the side of the garden. The planting scheme includes hydrangeas, peonies, shrub roses, honeysuckle, anemones, geraniums and alchemilla mollis that blend in naturally with the woodland copse beyond the garden fence.

This lovely garden now flows with soft lines with wider borders, a new lawn now surrounds the birch tree and curved steps link the lawn with the upper terrace. A perfect place to for the family to relax and enjoy the scene all through the seasons.