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.

A more unusual request - a place for the telescope?

A new build with a blank canvas.

THE BRIEF

1. A patio for entertaining, to include somewhere to hang fairy lights
2. A separate seating area for a firepit ( a recent gift)
3. A separate paved area for setting up the telescope.
4. A Mediterranean influenced planting scheme (Tricky in clay soil, so needs careful plant choice).

The telescope space was a first for me!  With the customer identifying the best space for this within the garden (back right), this was the starting point. I prefer not to put paving against the fence into a corner unless it can't be avoided, so opted for a circular patio, cutting into the lawn space and allowing space of approx 2mtres behind for planting. A French Lavender Hedge echoes the circle shape, and behind it many of the "Mediterranean " influenced plants, in this south facing corner.  The customers ordered a Pod style swing seat to use on the "telescope" patio, when telescope not being used.

Typically silvery foliage and including Cistus, Potentilla, Sedums, Perovskia and Helanthemums.  For bulk and evergreen backdrop I used Arbutus, which is often found in the Macci of the Mediterrean. (the Strawberry Tree), and the contrasting smaller foliage of a Pittosporum which will fill the entire corner to around 3m height. Other  key sub shrubs include Euphorbia, with their glaucous foliage.

Crocosmia Emily McKenzie with the pod seat sitting on the smaller circular patio, which double up at telescope patio

The idea of somewhere for fairy lights then called for some verticals, but rather than a pergola which the customer had asked for, I suggested that a 3 post, 2 sided timber structure would keep the space more open and not restrict the width of the patio to the length of the timber beams. Climbing up 2 of the 3 posts is Trachelospernum Jasminoides. Slow growing, and with a beautiful scent, it will climb steadily, and twine around the posts and beams of the structure. (Many other climbers are too prolific for this type of situation.)

The evening patio with the firepit

Pretty cushions with Verbena Bonariensis catching the sunlight

Pink Veronica spires

Verbena repeating across the borders

Small unit pavers lead to the dining area where fairy light are strung around the timber posts

Box hedging lines the path edges.

From the Indian Sandstone path from the house, a path with matching small tumbled units lined with box hedge, leads to the main entertaining space.  On the back wall, a Honeysuckle will soon clothe the fence and brick wall, and meet up the Clematis Montana on the other fence.

A garden for relaxing... whilst kids play on the trampoline

Since finishing this project 3 weeks ago, the customers have used the garden "more than they have in the preceding 5 years". 

THE BRIEF. Following an extension, the garden needed a rethink

ADULTS- a space to relax in with pleasing surroundings.

KIDS - to keep the trampoline

The garden was on a slight slope, so to avoid a big dig with a retaining wall towards the back of the garden, the patio area steps up from the pathway running along the back of the house.  A corner of the garden was given over to the trampoline space, with trellis screening and climbers which will by next year make a big impact in screening the trampoline further. I chose to plant Solanum Glasnevin (The potato Vine) which is fast growing and flowers for many weeks. I also planted a Humulus Lupulus (Golden Hop) a perennial climber which starts from ground level each spring, but grows really fast giving a gorgeous injection of golden foliage, and lights up the garden.

The couple opted for a curved sofa which sits happily on the sizable patio area, now surrounded by plenty of seasonal interest.  In August the plants in flower include Rudbekia, Verbena, Veronicastrum, and Echinacea White Swan. Sedums will soon join in, along with Asters, and Alchemilla Mollis will be back in flower for the second flush. The beautifully scented Actea Brunette will also give a beautiful scent next to the seating area late season.

To screen the fencing, Trachelospernum Jasminoides will give a scent behind the seating area in summer, whilst Clematis Montana will speedily clothe the back fence and  give spring interest.

The trampoline now screened with trellising which will soon be clothed with foliage

Rudbekia Goldsturm next to Verbena Lollipop, which will have been flowering since late June

The cat even matches the furniture!

BEFORE. The house has just been extended and so the garden needed a rethink.

L - Shaped Garden with Large Pine Trees... what to do?

When downsizing, most elderly couples opt for a small garden... but not this couple! Octogenarians, they were not after a low maintenance garden, they were after an interesting garden, which would offer plenty of colour and variety of plants. Gardening is something they enjoy, and want to have something to do, to keep them active. The garden which came with their bungalow however, was very uninspiring, and other then several tall pine trees, there was nothing but grass and dead grass. (Before photos at end). 

Years of pine needles had fallen and several inches had to be scraped off ,then replaced with many tons of new soil to give the new planting a chance to get established. Having a lawn amongst the pine trees were never going to work, so the design allowed for planting, but since this meant deep borders, pathways were included between, to enjoy the planting from both sides of the paths. Over the next couple of years, the plants will offer good ground cover to the beds, so maintenance will get easier.

The garden in parts is about a metre lower than the house, and steep banks made if difficult to mow particularly at the corner of the house. A long raised bed was introduced to deal with the slope and make mowing an easier task, on a level lawn.  This allowed for further newly imported soil into the raised beds. 

The couple had brought with them several statues, so within the design, spaces were allocated offering views of the statues from different points. (As the shrubs develop, these will make more sense.)

I revisited today just 6 weeks or so after finishing the project, and the plants are settling in well, with lots of growing of course still to do over the next couple of years. 

"LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE"

The customers already call it "Their little piece of Paradise".   I look forward to a revisit in subsequent years knowing they will give the garden a lot of TLC. 

The new archway subdivides the long thin space, and forms a  "window frame" from the kitchen view. The gravel path below, edged with Lavender, curves around to a small brick patio area. Daphne Odora  in the foreground will also offer  a beautiful scent in the winter months as they pop in and out of the back door, and Thyme is also used as edging here.

The new raised bed, previously an awkward grass slope, will soon have perennials spilling over the edges to soften the look. The taller plant is a Witchhazel so will be one of the first shrubs to flower in  January.

This deep corner with trees, is now a bark pathway, allowing a stroll through between the planting, and to the Wendy House, with one of their stone benches as a option to stop along the way.

On route to the Wendy house, and a view of the other part of the L-Shape Garden, toward the garage. This view soon to be blocked as the shrubs grow and separate the space 

View from the Wendy House

View from the Garage end of the garden looking back to the Wendy House. Under planting of  multiples of Viburnum Davidii, Ferns,  Epimediums, different Geraniums, and Euonymous,  will offer a tapestry of ground cover  over the next 2-3 years.

The raised bed with silver, white and purples

BEFORE..... Very uninspiring.

The side view to the Garage

The back of the house . Path and patio, but the patio not big enough to be comfortable, so this was extended further out.

The Wendy house corner.

Conifer hedge gone - and now for some more interesting planting!

This customer's garden was dominated by a conifer hedge all along the back boundary, and of course we all know that plants struggle to grow next to conifer hedges. So they asked my advice, and I did not hesitate to encourage them to have it removed.  A bold step after they had lived with it for so many years, but they decided to go for it. It is a sunny garden and they were missing a trick by not being  able to plant in the south facing back border.

The new planting on the back boundary include an Amelanchier Tree, Choisya, Physocarpus and a selection of climbers which will cover the new fence over the next 3 years. New perennials which will give good impact THIS YEAR, include early flowering Alliums, Geraniums, Alchemilla Mollis, Achillia, Lavender,  and for colour right into October, Asters, Sedums, Crocosmia, and Rudbekia.

The planting was previously stuck to the edges, so the new arch with its offset circular border adds a new dimension to the garden, and since the customer has lot of pots, plenty of space for them on the generous gravel path......... and less lawn to cut too!

Newly planted, and with new patio, step, pathway and arch

BEFORE, THE CONIFER HEDGE ON THE BACK BOUNDARY WAS A WASTE OF A SOUTH FACING BORDER.....

Before. The right border, and back border

Before. The tired brickwork patio and all planting around the edges of the garden. 

Signs of spring

I love this time of year. Cold, bright and colour starts to appear in the garden.

Hellebore Argutifolius

Primula

Hellebore Orientalis

Iris Reticulata

Anmone Blanda

Crocus

Two years later

I received some photos in the last few days from a customer whose garden was brought up to date two years ago. I do not like to remove shrubs if they are working, so keeping a good deal of maturity, it was a case of working with a new layout to inject some further interest into the garden space, and adding perennials within existing borders to make them more dynamic.

I also split up the expanse of lawn, with brick edged gravel pathway, which leads to new steps and a second patio on the raised part of the garden, and the evening sun.

BEFORE photos are at the end of the blog

BEFORE, a rather predictable layout with large lawn and borders around the edges.