This is a raised level area bordered by two straight banks, there are several semi mature trees and a glasshouse. One bank has been scalloped to create a free flowing form, the other bank built up using gabions filled with local stone. The overall design uses very organic forms to detract from the large adjacent…
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Low budget wildlife garden – Hampshire
I have just finished a project where the existing patio needed to be replaced and enlarged which required the lawn to be pushed back and retained by reusing existing railway sleepers. Borders were created around the lawn to detract from the long straight sides of the garden and to provide colour and interest throughout the…
The Blue School science resource garden – Wells
I am currently working on a garden at the Blue School in Wells, a small group of students have come up with their brief which is to be married with the requirements of a science resource garden. Features include a glass house, wildlife pond, a gabion retaining wall, herb beds, contoured land forms, seating, weather station, planting…
Inspiration from French roundabouts & Chaumont chateau
Driving through France recently – on my way to visit family and give a talk on ‘coppicing’ to a gardening club – I had great fun photographing ‘les ronds points Anglais’ I think these could become a subject of another gardening club talk. On the way we took a detour through the Loire valley to the ‘Chaumont garden festival’. This was…
Children’s garden – Basingstoke
This children’s centre (for 0-5 year olds) wants to involve the parents to create an exciting outdoor area to maximize play and exploration. The brief was to maximise the potential of the outdoor area and the design incorporated: vegetable growing, an edible maze, bug discovery, a living willow adventure trail with den, with sensory planting around…
Chelsea inspired garden – Gloucestershire
This is a lovely site attached to a large country house with a swimming pool and horse stables however the budget was quite tight given the scale of the project. At Chelsea this year I was inspired by the planting in one of the borders in Luciano Giubbilei’s Laurent Perrier garden: the rich burgundy reds, deep blues and…
Blank canvas for a formal garden – Surrey
Pleached hornbeams have been used to hide an electricity transformer, low box hedges create a parterre which is to be planted with Iris, Verbena, roses, Penstemons…, yew hedging divides areas, creates direction and encloses the new swimming pool. Scalloped ‘windows’ in the hedging emphasize view points whilst box cubes and topiary add a modern sculptural element to this design. …
Complex levels, fantastic view of levels – Wells
A town garden currently being constructed and the bungalow being extended, hopefully we will be planting in February or March. I divided the garden to create a terrace and three different lawn areas, the lawns are set on different levels so as to reduce the effect of the slope. The main challenge was to contend with…
Contemporary topiary – Bath
This is a project for a client wishing for a low maintenance contemporary garden. Division of space was achieved using topiary forms, both yew and hornbeam – yew was trained into shapes inspired by Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures. Pleached hedges, an oak pergola, a fairy lit arbour, fire pit and an infinity pool were other main features…
Garden
‘At this time of year, if something does not appear to be growing then it is probably being eaten’ – that was my thought today as I looked over my young willow cuttings, in leaf and apparently healthy but not getting very big; closer examination revealed discrete nibbing of the shoots, Oooh those rabbits…