This project is currently at the mid way point with the second phase resuming in Spring 2023.
Our customer had recently moved into their beautiful new stable block development and had whilst had fallen in love with the property was left despairing of the garden. With all the living room windows looking out on to the garden and with only hastily laid paving and turf thrown down to look at, having the garden designed was at the top of the priority list.
The brief was to stay in keeping with the character of the property but introduce some curve and flow to the scheme, with some contemporary social elements.
And so we set to work. As with all garden design the objective is to not be able to see everything at once but rather be taken on a journey, to explore, to arrive at different vantage points and destinations as the plot allows.
We broke up the original expanse of paving by re-laying in a staggered style, incorporating planting inserts for interest and ‘exploding’ the paving into the lawn and border areas to escape rigid lines. The gaps between the slabs will later be planted with creeping thyme to soften the edges and naturalise the patio area, accentuated by a rather beautiful stone water feature.
With a nod to the character of the property a new central cobble path was laid (reclaimed cobbles from a Manchester yard) leading towards a central stone bench, framed by a cedar screen and to be eventually flanked by small formal ewe hedging on either side. The effect is to draw the eye from the central glazed opening of the living space to the focal point opposite.
In contrast to this simple, orderly formality the curved path, from much softer material (to be self-binding gravel) cuts through the cobbled avenue as it wends its way across the site, stopping briefly at the circular patio area in the far corner of the garden before heading under the new pergola and into the courtyard garden at the rear.
The circular patio is to be a real focal point as it is sunken from the main garden level with a circular rendered raised bed behind. In the second phase of the project this will support a floating cedar bench from which to look back and view the magnificent building.
So far the only planting is the row of silver birches and the pleached trees on the boundaries but the Spring will bring the finishing touches with the second phase of the project and the garden will burst into life and colour.