A Rural Garden in Woodford
The garden sits on two sides of the house and felt like two seperate areas. The key to a successful design was to tie the two together. We did this by placing the main dining area under the cedar gazebo at the corner of the building. Steps lead down to a slightly sunken decked area where seating is arranged for relaxing on a sunny day. This is an intimate cosy area, surrounded by romantic cottage garden style planting mixed with grasses.
The main area of the garden was a gentle slope leading down to a small brook running along the edge of the garden boundary. There is a delightful mixed woodland beyond the garden, and the client wanted planting within the garden to creata a natural flow to the area beyond. A number of multi stemmed trees are planted along the boundary line, underplanted with plants that reflect those you might see in a woodland setting. Colours are many shades of green highlighted with soft whites and pinks.
Louise took our tired, boring and disheveled excuse of a garden and turned it in to a garden to be envied! Louise took a lot of initial time and effort to listen to what we wanted and did not want, and came back with a project that excited us from the start. We don't think there are many plants that Louise does not know and she has sourced some elegant and colourful varieties on our behalf. We cannot recommend Louise enough if you want your garden to be an area of beauty and relaxation.
Some protection from the elements and people using the public pathway alongside the brook was needed. We have planted a short length of mixed hedging that wraps around the seating are at a lower level. This can be cut to the best height to give this privacy. A mix of evergreen hedge and native plants has been used, to give winter structure, spring blossom and Autumn berries, ideal for wildlife.
The sloping lawn was a slightly boring featureless space. We updated the original stone steps to make a central feature and provide direction through the garden. The lawn was reduced in size by a sinuous band of wildflower meadow planting to add interest and a more naturalistic look to the overall area.