This was a medium sized plot, but long and rising uphill from the house.
The house was owned by a couple, and their overall use of the
garden was low, but they were keen on an attractive, and easy to
maintain garden, with a mixture of ornamental planting, but with
sympathy to the overall wooded and natural environment of the area.
The existing garden was laid to lawn, on a continuous slope, and
with very little planting otherwise. It was dominated by a large Oak
tree, protected under a T.P.O. (Tree Preservation
Order). The tree was magnificent, but obviously presented some
challenges in terms of shade, leaves and roots - it would take a large
amount of water from the ground in summer. The subsoil and topsoil were heavy, with overall poor surface drainage
The new garden
Near the house, the ground was
excavated for the sunken terrace that extended into the garden, and the
retaining walls constructed in brick to match the house. Paving was in a York stone, as were the steps to the lower lawn level.
The
soft area of the garden was divided in two lengthways, with two oval
lawns linked with some soft sleeper steps at a point where the garden
was to be gradually terraced.
A small summerhouse and workshop was requested, together with a small deck and pergola. The summerhouse was constructed on posts, to lift it from the damp soil conditions at the end of the garden. Soil was moved from the end of the garden
to level it for the summerhouse, and spread at the centre, thereby
increasing the depth half way up, and allowing for better planting
conditions, this also helped reduce the rear half slope.
With the planting, the lower
lawn and sunken terrace had a more ornamental mixed planting style, and
the upper lawn and around the summerhouse was planted with a more native
and less ornamental mix of trees shrubs and perennials.