A large ‘new build’ garden

This was a large new  build detached house in a village setting with a large, triangular back garden and an unusually large front garden.  The builders had created narrow  borders, one raised area and a patio, in the back garden, the rest of the garden was lawn.

The Back Garden - before

The clients had added some planting and had started a small vegetable area but .....

They wanted a slightly formal area, a lawn, flowerbeds, a vegetable growing area with a greenhouse, an area to entertain, a wildlife pond, a water feature and a private area in which to relax.

The Back Garden - after 1 year

The formal area is a patio with a ‘bubble’ water feature leading on to the lawn which is  bordered by two large mixed borders which curve in towards the central path into the second garden and is divided from this by climbing roses, clematis and honeysuckles growing up formal trellising.  

The second area is the vegetable garden; this has three raised beds and the greenhouse on the right with a woven hazel bower and soft fruit bushes on the left.

From the vegetable garden you pass into the private, wildlife area, with its rustic trellis clothed in honeysuckles and clematis, lots of scented plants and a raised summer house with a  small deck which continues out over the edge of the pond.

All three areas of the back garden can be lit individually, or altogether, at night making the garden useful long after the hours of darkness.

The Front Garden

The front garden is  large and divided into two parts by the driveway.  Most of the area was lawned with a small raised area and two man-hole covers, to the left of the drive and a sloping lawn with a very small border on the right of the drive.

The Front Gardens - before

The owners wanted the front garden to be used as a communal area for the surrounding two other houses and also liked the idea of an oriental garden........................

The Front Gardens after 1 year

A granite and paddle stone patio was positioned near to the fence which will be screened when the climbers grow. and to the left of the patio is a circular hosta bed.The slope in the lawn was used to make a dry gravel lake, fed by a slate stream and with an island complete with a cloud pruned shrub; the neighbour’s garage is screened by a bamboo grove.  This area is screened from the drive with grasses, cornus and a golden elder.

To the left of the drive the raised area was planted with a range of hostas and grasses.

These were repeated in the new  border with the addition of the pencil conifers, from the back garden, and two large stones.