Photographed on a beautiful crisp autumn morning, it’s hard to believe that this garden had only been completed just a few months previously.
The clients had worked abroad for many years and, having returned to London, wanted a garden with a classic-contemporary feel that was easy to take care of and that was a great space in which to relax and entertain.
There were a number of challenges that we needed to address with this project. The first being the need to create more privacy. We tackled this issue in two ways. Firstly, with the use of plants and trees which are strategically planted throughout the garden to block certain unwanted views. A raised bed (constructed using reclaimed railway sleepers) along the rear boundary is planted with single-stemmed trees that will form an effective canopy and disguise the rear neighbour’s upper windows.
Secondly, to create even more privacy, we attached a pergola with an adjustable louvered roof to the home office. The home office and pergola are painted the same dark colour, which helps to ensure they do not dominate the space.
This pergola is now a great place to relax and enjoy a BBQ whilst looking back to the house through the planting. (below)
The native Hornbeam tree in the image above will soon become established and its supports can then be removed. This tree will form a charming canopy, and the berries that appear from late summer will give the tree, and the local bird population, much enjoyment throughout the winter months!
The early morning sun is just illuminating the planting at the base of the tree and you can also see the 3 espalier fruit trees on the boundary that our clients were keen to include within the planting scheme.
The image above shows the view from the home office, which is in the rear left corner of the garden. We positioned the office here as it’s the shadiest part of the garden, and as it also offers a lovely view over the lawn to the top terrace and the kitchen diner.
We used large 1m wide porcelain tiles for the top terrace (above), which give a real sense of expansive grandeur to this area of the garden. The vibrant yellow seat cushions bring sunshine to the garden, even on a dullest of days, as well as co-ordinating beautifully with the grandchild’s toy tractor!
We wanted to incorporate a varied planting scheme within the garden, that would provide plenty of the structure, texture and colour throughout the seasons. The deep border (left) that leads down to the home office has an exotic feel. The top terrace bed (centre) combines hardy pink geraniums with ornamental grasses and verbena for a more relaxed feel. And finally, in the right hand image, the fiery red/orange tips of the evergreen leucothoe mounds add a vibrant touch amongst the summer perennials.
Even within a short time, this garden has evolved from this….
To this….
We can’t wait to see this garden as it changes and matures through the seasons.
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