Elegant, contemporary space to unwind in
For this project, our clients wanted a back garden where they could escape from their busy working lives and relax. It needed to be a cohesive, low maintenance, contemporary space that would make the best use of various sight lines and vistas created by a series of level changes. The design needed to include lush planting, a minimalist colour palette (with accent colours), geometric interest and an elegant finish with clean lines and high quality materials. A range of seating areas would allow the garden to be enjoyed and used to its fullest as the sun moved around the house. A food preparation area would allow for al fresco dining.
Three seating areas were incorporated into the space; a main dining area with an aluminium pergola and surrounding planting pockets to create a feeling of privacy; a morning seating area at the highest point of the garden to make the most of the sun at breakfast time whilst taking in the views across the garden and a shaded firepit zone with space for comfortable seating and relaxed planting. Grey and earthier tones were adopted in quality materials across the space to tie in with existing tones of the house - sandstone paving for the patio, paths, and plank paving and corten steel for the terracing retaining walls and wooden slatted fencing around the boundary and screening of the utility area. The stone and corten were also used in the bespoke contemporary water feature which has running water to create a sense of tranquility and relaxation.
In order to create the contemporary look that our clients were after, a range of planting was chosen that possessed a neat form and habit, but also possessed long seasons of interest. The plants also needed to be reliable during wet winters and dry summers in clay soil. This included evergreens such as Euonymus japonicus ‘Green Spire’, which was used as low hedging and small cubes throughout, to tie the space together. Other plants that hold their form throughout the year were included, such as Hakonechloa macra and Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’. Displays of perennials such as Leucojum vernum, 'Camassia leichtlinii Caerulea Group and Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album' provide interest during the spring and summer months, whilst trees and shrubs including Viburnum × bodnantense 'Dawn' and Amelanchier lamarckii, as well as ornamental grasses such as Molinia caerulea subsp. Caerulea ‘Poul Peterson’ provide structure and interest during the autumn and winter. Further trees (both multi-stem and standard) also helped to screen neighbouring houses and soften the boundaries and level changes. Matrix planting incorporating grasses and ferns such as Dryopteris filix-mas interspersed with key perennial displays ensure a contemporary feel that can easily be maintained by cutting back once a year. Agapanthus grown in statement pots line the wall of the house during the summer months.
Project stage: completed
