Making the most of a south facing front garden - REVISIT 2 YEARS LATER

This customer kindly sent me a few shots from her mobile phone in late June. Her little front garden is looking fabulous, and quite a change from 2 years ago!

A reminder of the before..

Just one year on, and this HOT front garden is beginning to fill out. Scroll down further for the original brief and before photos.

Flat head of Acidi yellow Achillea Moonshine, contrast with the upright spires of Salvia Caradonna

Purple Penstemon just coming into flower. They will last for several weeks if deadheaded regularly. Plenty of
Geranium varieties will soon add to the show.

Penstemon Lady Alice Hindley

Allium Purple Sensation seedheadslook great even after the flowers fade

A lavender hedge around the railing will open in the next two weeks.
Tall Molinia Heidebraut grasses in two borders, will offer plenty of interest late season
together with Asters, Sedum adn Coreopsis

The existing plants in this customer's garden were all good evergreen shrubs, ones I use regularly. However used inappropriately, their scale had dominated this small south facing front garden.  I had recently finished the neighbour's garden, which prompted this client into action.

THE BRIEF

• Remove the unwanted shrubs, retaining a few along the boundary edge providing privacy from the road. Primarily Rosemary and Choisya Aztec Pearl
• No lawn
• Interesting planting, colour and textures
• Keep the existing front path

To have no lawn in a garden of this size made sense.  The lawn did not do well in the hot conditions, however to work with just the existing path would have meant that the planting areas would have been rather deep, and difficult to maintain.  I designed brick edged curved gravel pathways, either side of the main pathway, to provide a more interesting layout, and add textural interest and colour to the hard landscaping. Plants could now be enjoyed walking between the beds, and maintenance much easier reaching from both sides of the pathways.  A water butt in the corner had to be accessed too, so a wider gravel path allows good access. An evergreen Choisya White Dazzler was planted to screen the water butt, which will do its job in a couple of years time.

Mid November, and still Red flowers on the Callistemen (Bottlebrush). The customer requested a tall shrub in this location again, to provide some screening from a neighbouring house. It can easily be pruned to keep to a sensible height and width. It is underplanted with Geranium Sanguineum, Lamium and Origanum  Aurea.

Next to the house Evergreen Daphne Odora will provide exquisite winter scent. Tall Molinia Heidebraut grasses add movement and glow golden in the autumn sunshine. They are repeated near the gate.

Stipa Gigantea Grass in the central curved bed, will play a big part next year as the tall seed heads, up to 5', emerge adding movement.

Other plants used.

10 x Lavandula Hidcote as hedge around the railings

Sedum Autumn Joy

Molinia Heidebraut

Stachys Byzantine

Salvia Caradonna

Calamintha Nepeta blue cloud

Geranium Psilostemon

Geranium Sanguiniem Max Frei

Aster Frikartii

Coreopsis Moonbeam

Achillea Moonshine

BEFORE

The Photina, Pittosprorum and Conifers were dominant and dull, and not the best choice for a southfacing aspect, which should be vibrant with colour from spring to autumn

A more contemporary space for entertaining.

These clients,  about to add a contemporary extension, knew that the garden would play a key role in their new home, viewed through the large glazed panels.   Apart from the existing garden space no longer working, it's "style" definitely would  not have matched the look they were after.

THE BRIEF

• Plenty of space for entertaining, for large family groups
• Easy to look after
• Space for a new shed
• Access to trim the large conifer hedge
• Make the best of the existing split level, and old sleeper retaining wall.
• He loves green, but she prefers colours

THE ISSUES - (that I see)

• The large conifer hedge in the neighboring garden serves the purpose of a good screen, but currently the fence below it is in full view, and existing plants along the back fence are almost not visible, as they are at a lower level that the raised lawn.
• All of the planting is around the edges of the garden
• A lot of lawn.... not very inspiring

The view from the left hand corner 

Plenty of patio space now for entertaining.  A new shed will be behind the trellis screen which will be covered in Trachelospernum Jasminoides and Clematis.

Grasses and Perennials will add variety of foliage and texture and also colour to the middle of the garden. The raised bed behind adds interest with planting at a different level. These new plants will of course fill out  very quickly.

View from behind the raised bed at the upper level, with Sedum Autum Joy 

Evergreen glaucous foliage of Euphorobia  Mysinities also in the raised bed at the upper level

With paving also now at upper level, a space to sit and look back at the house, and enjoy the planting in the raised bed. In summer the arch will be clothed with Golden Hop and Clematis.

In a few weeks time,  a bare root Hornbeam hedge will be planted in a border a few feet in front of the back fence. This will screen the fence, and also still allow access to the conifer hedge for maintenance.

A favourite plant of the client, a Contorted Hazel , was saved and re-positioned within the new garden layout.

BEFORE

A split level garden in need of renovation

With an old conservatory removed, and a beautiful new extension added, this whole garden needed  a redesign. The upper level no longer worked, and the lower level  had not been updated for many years and still had remnants of old greenhouse bases, and pathways no long needed. It also had a sizable rise towards the back, backing onto fields, which the client wanted to be leveled out.

THE BRIEF

• Inject colour into the upper courtyard area of the garden, which was crazy paved
• Leave as much lawn as possible for kids to play but with borders deep enough for layers of planting at each side of the garden
• New shed, tucked further back into the slope
• Reduce slope as much as possible

THE UPPER COURTYARD AREA

This area had previously had a conservatory over parts of it, and in order to save costs, the existing crazy paving was "infilled" where necessary with new crazy paving. (The new telltale pointing will soon blend.)  New Basketweave brickwork adds colour and further interest to the hard landscaping.

Also, since the base here was hardcore, 20" raised beds were constructed to fill with new topsoil and plant with sun loving plants such as Euphorbia, Rosemary, Thyme, Verbena, Coreopsis and Lavender.  

To the left, a fast growing hedge of Photinia Red Robin will quickly soften the view of the neighbour's house wall

Daphne Odora will give evergreen interest with a beautiful winter scent

yellow Coreopsis, Lavender and Euphorbia Silver Swan

THE LOWER GARDEN

The existing steps previously  led straight on to the lawn, so in order to add some further interest, a brick path was laid to allow a walkway between planting, before reaching the lawn. To the left shade planting under a large tree, and to the right an area in full sun.

View from an existing terrace shows the slope at the rear of the garden much reduced in height, but with tree roots to contend with, raised planters to preserve the soil height where necessary. A  new shed pushed into the newly freed up back corner.

The garage conversion now linked to the house

BEFORE

Redesign following extension - REVISIT 1 YEAR ON

I returned to revisit this client ONE YEAR AFTER COMPLETION of their project. They tell me that they continue to enjoy the garden daily, and spend a lot more time outdoors now with a choice of seating areas.  They look after it very well, and it was a pleasure for me to return to see how much they are enjoying it.  I designed and planted both Back and Front Gardens.

BACK GARDEN - 1 Year after completion

The border next to the pond now full with perennials. The pond is
viewed from the patio area and also the bench in the shade.

Clematis Arabella. A very floriforious variety

The gravel path gives access to the green house and shed
but also serves as a place for the clients many seasonal pots to be displayed

Digital Alba in the shadier part of the garden, where the bench offer relief from the mid day sun.

In the sunny border next the pond, silver Stachys with Pink Geraniums, will soon be joined by
deep pink Echinaceas, and purple Verbena.

One of the clients own Clematis in a pot adds a vibrant pink colour.

The brick edge to the lawn makes cutting the lawn quick and easy
and keeps the gravel in place.

FRONT GARDEN - 1 Year after completion

The  front garden now filling out, and the box hedging beginning to take shape.
Euphorbia Mysinities in the foreground just passing, and in a week or so will be replaced
by blue flowers of Campanula poscharskyana. Still to come Blue Geraniums and pink Persicaria Rosea.

Next to the front door, the dark leaves of Actea Pink Spire, which will give late season colour with
fabulous scent. The round leaves and white flowers of  Brunnera just finishing. The other dark
foliage beyond is Eupatorium Chocolate, which will be accompanied by Trycyrtis (Toad Lily).

A reliable shade loving Geranium is  Geranium Phaem.

THE PROJECT
Rather than move, people seem to be staying and extending their property these days. And as a result, many Acorn Garden Design customers have built over what was once the patio area. Time for a rethink.

THE BRIEF

Seating area
Vegetable raised bed
Places for pots
Interesting to look at year round

Both the customer, and I, were keen to keep a number of established trees and shrubs, allowing the garden to retain its established feel. Some pruning was necessary to remove some tree branches, and lift the canopy of some shrubs too, to allow more space and light to perennial planting below.

The stone patio leads onto a curvaceous lawn., and planting softens the edge of the pond. A small paved area was built for  a seat in the shady corner under the Prunus. The seat gets morning sun, so pleasant early in the day for sunshine, as well as somewhere to get afternoon shade.

Under the existing pergola. The new paving transitions to a small deck area to overhang the pond

The view looking back from the bench. 

The curved lawn.  A small raised bed for vegetables re positioned in the new design. The trellis with climbers, will soon screen the greenhouse from view.

  A narrow path allows access for picking the vegetables from the back of the raised bed, as well as access for maintenance to the borders under the trees

The trellis will disguise the greenhouse, clothed with Trachelospersum Jasminoides, and Golden Hop.
A sizable gravel area serves as a place to have pots as well as a path to the shed and greenhouse.

BEFORE, and the lawn extended right up the pond

BEFORE. Lacking structure and form, with lawn extending around the pond, and Ivy out of control on the fence

BEFORE. The Greenhouse and shed in full view, and the only planting areas around the edges, mostly shrubs.

Greenhouses are not the prettiest looking buildings, so I always try to screen them somehow so they are not quite so noticeable.