Since this property was built, it had been extended several times. Consequently, the largest part of the remaining garden was at the front of the house. As this was on the south facing side, the clients preferred to sit out here. Unfortunately, the driveway bisected the front garden and came right up to the house walls. Additionally, the garden sloped in all directions, and valuable space at the side of the house was taken up with an old conservatory. The garden didn’t work for the children to play in either. The design brief was to reposition the driveway and parking area, create new spaces for outside entertaining, provide secluded space for a new hot tub and create flat ground for football.
The resulting design addresses all the changes in levels, provides a large parking space and a new attractive approach to the front door. A new main terrace with space for a circular dining table and sofa seating is located next to the house, surrounded by colourful planting. A secondary seating area is at the side of the house. New steps into the back garden and raised beds along the boundary have allowed the creation of a flat sports area for the boys. The paving material is riven limestone in various sizes, including small setts which have been used to create decorative patterns in the paths and terraces.
The planting is a mixture of pinks, purples and white with cottage garden Roses and Delphiniums. To provide all year interest, two quadrant shaped beds have been created, lining the main path to the front door. These are planted with low clipped Euonymus and Lavender hedging, Yew topiary, massed planting of white ground cover Roses and purple Salvias. Several new trees have been planted around the boundaries.
"Cherry has given us a stunning garden and so much more. Working with Cherry was exactly what we needed. My husband and I had been wrestling with what to do with the garden for quite some time; it was ugly and under used. We were ready for a change but had no experience with gardening ourselves and so our attempts made it look even worse. Cherry had not only a wonderful eye for creating beautiful landscapes, she took a great deal of interest in determining our life-styles, how we wanted to use the garden- creating entertaining spaces and relaxing zones and kids zones. Her professional expertise was critical throughout the process. She gave us colour throughout the year, plants that love our type of soil and are low maintenance. We can not thank Cherry enough for all that she did for us. It was even better than we could have expected. I walk through the garden in the morning and evening and just feel all of life’s stresses melt away. "
