These clients are lucky to have a large garden, with swimming pool, plenty of lawn, vegetable beds, but it is lacking interest. This design is very simple, but breaks up the large garden and creates a circular route to walk around the garden getting between the planting areas.
THE BRIEF
- To make the garden more contemporary
- To replace the old deck with modern paving
- Any ideas welcome.
- Screen neighbouring white house on back boundary
- No scented plants or grasses due to family allergies
THE SOLUTION
- Screen the swimming pool which is not the most attractive thing to look at.
- Remove the aging deck, and enlarge the seating area a little to allow a more comfortable space to relax, with modern paving stones
- Add interesting views from the house windows
- Add trellis to subdivide the garden, and allowing some central areas of planting
- Keep design linear. Get rid of the mixture of shapes currently in the garden.
- Instead of highly scented plants, I used a number of herbs like Sage, Origano, Calamintha Nepeta, which have a scent, but not a perfumed one. The Rose I used also does not have a strong perfume. I avoided climbers like Honeysuckle and Jasmine, and Shrubs such as Daphne and Sarcococca, which I often use for winter scent.
(BEFORE photos at the end.)
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| From the large patio, the lawn is divided with pathways and modern trellis |
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A raised metal bed brings planting higher and is the view from the patio doors.
The plants in this raised bed include Sedum, Salvia, 2 varieties of Erigeron, and Gypsophila and will flower for many months. In front, a little Amelanchier shrub will provide spring blossom, berries, and excellent autumn foliage. |
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| Kitchen sink view. A golden Hop, as well as Clematis will clothe the hardwood trellis, and the metal arch. Varieties which will be cut down each year were chosen, in order to keep the framework linear with clean lines. |
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The L-shape trellis screen to the far side, screens the raised swimming pool.
The anthracite grey metal raised bed to the right has blockwork edge to allow ease of mowing |
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A lawn walkway between two trellis invites different views. The bed in front is edged with
Box hedging for evergreen structure. A Magnolia will add height here and provide further subdivision as it grows.
Roses, Verbena and Geraniums amongst the plants here to give plenty of summer colour. |
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Another pathway, leads between a border of Box Hedging, and a large border surrounding
a beautiful Acer which was already in the garden. |
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| Looking back to the house, through the Acer |
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| Fuschia adds colour in the more shady border. Shrubs in this border include Hydrangea, Camelia, Pittosporum, Arbutus (Strawberry Tree) and pink edged Photinia. The taller ones will give grow to 4 metres, and help screen the neighbouring house.Shade loving perennials including Epimedium, ferns, Phlox, Anemone and Campanula will give seasonal colour too. |
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Next to the generous patio, this border will be very colourful with a wide range of sun loving plants.
In the distance the newly planted Box Hedge, already adding a structural element to the garden paths. |
BEFORE PHOTOS...
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| The deck, not really wide enough for the sizable furniture. |
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| The garden. All on show, including the pool, and not terribly inspiring |
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Recently built veg beds, which would stay, and work into the new design.
The island bed, doesn't really work, and is an odd shape. |
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| The deck. Two levels and yet another shape. |
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| The lawn edge. Not sure what happened here. |
